Dunmore East in December — Why You Should Go
By The Spinnaker Team · Dunmore East, Co. Waterford
Most people who know Dunmore East know it in summer. They have been to the village on a clear July evening, sat on a pub deck looking at the harbour, and concluded that this is one of the better places in Ireland. They are right. But they only know half the village.
Dunmore East in December is a different place and, in certain important respects, a better one.
The Village Without the Crowds
In July, the harbour road is busy on a Sunday afternoon. There is traffic on the narrow village streets, the car park at the harbour fills up, the pub decks are full by early evening. This is all perfectly good — the village handles its summer visitors well and the atmosphere is genuinely warm. But it is the public version of Dunmore East.
In December, the village is the local version. The harbour road is quiet. The car park has room. The cliff path is empty on a weekday morning except for the people who live here and walk it regularly. The beaches — Counsellor's Strand, Ladies Cove, the strand at low tide — are yours. This is the Dunmore East that the people who live here know, and it is the version that has a particular quality.
Winter light on the south Waterford coast is different from summer light. Lower in the sky, longer in the afternoon shadows, more dramatic when the cloud formations allow it through. The harbour in the afternoon of a December day, with the fishing boats back in and the light low on the water, is one of the specific images of the south Irish coast that photography does not quite capture.
The Food Is Better in Winter
This is not a counter-intuitive claim — it is basic food science. The mussels are at their peak in the autumn and winter months. The months without an R (May, June, July, August) are when mussels spawn: they are thin, watery, and the flavour is diluted. September onwards, the shellfish are rebuilding, their meat is dense and sweet and richly flavoured. A plate of The Spinnaker's garlic mussels in December is the best version of that dish in the year.
The hake and haddock that come off the Dunmore East boats in winter are in good condition — the cold water keeps the fish firm and the supply is consistent. The seafood chowder made from winter catch is thick and intensely flavoured in a way that the summer version, good as it is, does not quite match.
On the land side of the menu: the slow-braised lamb shank at €27 makes perfect sense in December. The long-cooked dish, the warming jus, the vegetables — this is food for a cold, short day that has involved a walk on the cliff or a run along the strand. The fire is lit inside at The Spinnaker. The hot whiskey is on. The Sunday roast on the last Sunday before Christmas at a harbour pub in Waterford is an underrated way to spend the day.
The Pub in Winter
A good pub is better in winter. This is a widely held view among people who take pubs seriously, and it has a clear basis. In summer, a pub is competing with the outdoors — the weather, the deck, the evening light — and the indoor version is the fallback. In winter, the pub is the destination. The fire, the warmth, the low-lit bar, the comfortable noise of a room full of people who came in from the cold and are in no hurry to go back out — this is the pub at its best.
The Spinnaker Bar in December has this quality. The outdoor deck is still there for the hardy or for the particularly good day, but the interior of the pub in winter is warm and easy in a way that justifies the drive from Waterford City on its own. Come for lunch, stay for the afternoon. Nobody is in a rush in December in Dunmore East.
What to Do
Walk first. The Doneraile cliff path in December, on a clear morning, is extraordinary — the views are long and the path is empty. The beaches are better for walking than swimming (though the cold-water swimming community uses them year-round and they will tell you the December plunge is the best one). The harbour is worth a slow circuit: the boats, the lobster pots, the lifeboat station, the painted cottages doing their winter colours under flat grey light.
Then come to The Spinnaker. Order the chowder. Get a pint. Stay for lunch. It is one of the better things to do with a December day in the south-east of Ireland.
Getting There
16km south-east of Waterford City. 20 minutes by car. Free parking at the harbour, completely available in December. The Spinnaker Bar is on Lower Village, on the water. Ring ahead if you want to be sure of a table: (051) 383 133. Walk-ins welcome most days.
Come Eat With Us
Walk-ins welcome most days. Ring ahead for Friday & Sunday evenings or groups of 6+.
Lower Village, Dunmore East — on the harbour.