The DART runs north along Dublin Bay and into the suburbs that most visitors do not see, and it runs there in 25 minutes. Late October in Dublin is specific and worth noting: the clocks go back the week before or after the marathon, making the evenings dark early. Howth and Malahide both function in either condition - one because the pier walk is always good, the other because the castle demesne is sheltered. Bring layers and a waterproof.
Nights One and Two: Howth
The DART from Dublin Connolly (or Pearse) to Howth terminates at Howth station - a 25-minute journey. Trains run every 15 to 20 minutes. The Irish Rail fare is approximately €4 to 6.
Howth is a working fishing village on a headland that juts northeast into the Irish Sea, with a harbour that still lands significant quantities of fish daily. The herring fishing that sustained the village for centuries has declined, but the seafood landed here - prawns, crab, mackerel - maintains the harbour's functional status.
The West Pier is the post-marathon infrastructure: a wide, flat tarmac pier extending 500 metres into the harbour, with the fishing boats on one side and the bay on the other. Walking it out and back takes 15 minutes at a slow pace. The view from the pier end north to Ireland's Eye (a small uninhabited island with a Martello tower) and east to the open Irish Sea is the view that matters. In October, with the autumn colour on the Howth Head cliffs and the sea still showing some of its summer blue, this is a consistently good walk.
The Cliff Walk around the headland involves significant elevation change and is inadvisable for post-marathon legs. The pier and harbour area are the appropriate scope.
Howth Market runs on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) on the East Pier - local food producers selling smoked fish, artisan bread, and cheese.
Where to eat: Octopussy's Seafood on the West Pier serves the daily catch from the harbour at tables that are, in effect, on the pier itself. The lobster, crab, and prawn are direct from the boats.
Nights Three and Four: Malahide
From Howth, take the DART west to Howth Junction and change onto the northbound service to Malahide. Total journey approximately 35 minutes.
Malahide is an affluent coastal village north of Dublin, dominated by Malahide Castle that has stood here since 1185. The Talbot family occupied the castle continuously from 1185 to 1973. The castle and its 100-hectare demesne have been a public park since 1976.
The Malahide Castle Demesne is the recovery programme. The demesne paths - wide, flat gravel tracks winding through mature oak and beech woodland, past the ornamental lake, through the walled gardens, and around the castle exterior - cover several kilometres of entirely level ground in a sheltered, quiet environment. In late October, the deciduous trees are in full autumn colour.
October in Malahide: Halloween is the dominant cultural moment in Ireland in late October; if the marathon weekend overlaps with 31 October, expect decorated shopfronts and the general atmosphere of a country that takes this festival seriously.
Where to eat: Cafe Mio on New Street does the best breakfast in Malahide - a proper sit-down morning with good coffee. For dinner: Barnacles on the main street serves the Malahide coastal fish cooking that the village's position on the estuary makes available.
Getting to the Airport
Bus 102 from Malahide village to Dublin Airport runs every 20 minutes during the day and takes approximately 15 minutes. This is one of the most direct airport connections of any post-marathon destination in this collection - you go from a village walk to the departure gate without re-entering Dublin city.