Summer in Limerick-on-sea: Pollock holes, 99s and a dip!
Limerick Live paid a visit to the seaside town of Kilkee to chat to beachgoers
THE WILDEBEEST head north toward the Serengeti each spring, the swallows head south to Africa in the autumn, and each summer, the people of Limerick head to Kilkee.
It’s a migration that’s been occurring for as long as anyone can remember, and it’s showing no sign of stopping.
The Limerick Leader paid a visit to Limerick-on-Sea, as it’s fondly known, to chat to day trippers, business owners, and the Limerick natives that become Kilkee locals every summer.
Though the sun was hiding behind the clouds on this particular August day, it didn’t stop the crowds from flocking to the beach, the pier, and the iconic pollock holes.
“Once the weather becomes nice, it’s like a horde of cars just come in all at once,” explained Hugo Wells of Oceanlife Dive Centre Kilkee.
"It’s like turning on a light switch. All of a sudden, the sun comes out, and all the cars come in. And then the second the sun goes away and school starts again, it’s all out the door again.”
The multiple heatwaves of summer 2026 has brought nothing but joy for those living and working in Kilkee: “Our entire job is completely at the whim of the weather, and the west coast of Ireland can be really, really unpredictable. But this year, the second the sun comes out, everyone actually trusts that it’s going to last.
“We have been inundated with people. The beach has doubled in half the time, there’s been people queuing out the door. It’s been a really, really good season for us, and it’s all, honestly, due to the weather.”
Tracey Corbett-Lynch and Sarah Corbett-Lynch spoke to the Leader on their lunch break from Kilkee Waterworld.
Though they’ve seen a reduction of about 20% in visitors to the pool, Tracey acknowledged that it was “amazing to see everybody here and enjoying the day”.
Sarah added that the Limerick cohort have been turning up in full force this summer, as always, saying: “I've seen a lot of people come into the pool for lessons in the morning with their beach stuff and gone down to the beach straight after.”
They’re hoping the heatwave makes a return, keeping their fingers crossed that September will be as nice as it usually is and that the season will stretch out a bit longer.
Reiltin O’Mara, owner of O’Mara’s Bar Kilkee, said this year has been “absolutely fabulous”.
“It’s full all the time, people are getting to use the beach, they’re planning barbecues, it’s brilliant. It’s like it used to be years ago.”
She confirmed that there have been “absolutely loads” of Limerick locals in Kilkee for the summer, as well as seeing an increase in visitors from Dublin.
Margaret Collins Smyth and John Kennedy, Parteen, chatted to the Leader while visiting the pollock holes with their granddaughters, Cora Breen and Aodhla McGrath.
Grandad took on the role of the reporter, interviewing Cora and Aodhla about what their favourite thing about Kilkee was.
Aodhla’s answer was very simple: “Shells.” When pressed for more, she added: “And rocks.”
Cora’s very excited response was “because there’s rocks and I can also collect shells and I can paint the rocks down in the pollock holes”.
Swimming is another favourite pastime of theirs while in Kilkee, both in the pollock holes and down at the pier. They were also happy to share that, on their walk down to the pollock holes, they’d been picking flowers and eating the blackberries straight from the bushes. Though they do sometimes squabble over the blackberries, most of the time they’re happy to share with each other.
The only snack more appetising than blackberries for the two girls was Kilkee ice cream, of which Cora’s favourite flavour is strawberry and Aodhla’s is vanilla.
Ice cream, shell collecting, and a swim – what better way could a day be spent down by the beach?
Though everyone goes down to the seaside town for a different reason, some for water safety courses, some to work in one of the many bars and restaurants, and some for a peaceful break before the madness of the back-to-school season, they were all united in one thing: having an amazing summer in the sun at Limerick-on-sea.