Templetown Beach (Shellinghill)

Set in a curving bay towards the end of the Cooley Peninsula, Templetown Beach lies just a few kilometres south of the mouth of Carlingford Lough.

This long, largely sandy stretch of rural beach is fairly sheltered. Combined with its Blue Flag status and seasonal lifeguard service, this makes Templetown Beach a great family beach. 

Despite its fairly remote location Templetown Beach’s appeals can draw a fair crowd during the summer holidays. The good news is there’s always plenty of room and the car park is fairly spacious.

Templetown is named after the medieval crusaders, the Knights Templar, who had their headquarters in this part of Ireland during the Middle Ages. The beach is also commonly referred to as Shellinghill beach.

At the northern end of the beach is a small rudimentary harbour which offers a little shelter from the occasional Irish Sea swells. This site also dates back to the times of the Knights Templar.