This seaside spot in south county Dublin is one of the key locations in Conversations with Friends, the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel coming to RTÉ One at 9.35pm, on May 18. There’s a hardcore crowd of swimmers who stride into the water all year round and Monkstown continues to draw people to swim, run and cycle (the recent cycle lane runs right through from Blackrock and beyond).

During lockdown, café owner Chris Terry of Café du Journal pivoted to make Bear Hug robes and swimming accessories – head to his terrace for ice cream and light lunches, and pick up a jar of delicious Sandycove honey. He always has the lowdown on local news, too and is a great raconteur.

On the Salthill grass area just over the bridge from Monkstown dart station, you’ll find Chris Molloy’s yoga class in full swing on Saturday mornings. Though there’s a litter problem here during summer: Sunday mornings see piles of rubbish, pizza boxes and bottles discarded at Salthill and along the park area.

SEASIDE

Now you can upgrade your sea swim with a new sauna option from www.livelagom.ie – the mobile sauna is parked just over the footbridge from Monkstown dart station. Book an hour’s slot from €15. Nearby, at the west pier, you can rent paddleboards (www.bigstyle.ie), with guided intro if you’re a beginner. From €25.

EAT & DRINK

Tiny trattoria That’s Amore is wildly popular, due to its gigantic pizzas, fresh pasta and flamboyant staff. If you like to really celebrate your birthday and get lots of attention, this is where to come – you’ll be serenaded by the entire place (it only seats about 20), and Toni will dance sporadically throughout the evening, often wearing a donkey’s head. It’s a singular concept, but it works. On warm evenings, bagging a table outside, with a blanket for later, is the sweet spot, and it’s madly convivial. The creamy truffle pasta or generous seafood special are just the icing on a very lively cake. Finish with a limoncello and enjoy this little corner that’s brimming with Italian charisma.

Head to the popular Lobstar for good chips and fresh seafood. There’s also streak and chips across the road at FX Buckley, while 8a brasserie has a good seating area outside for sunnier evenings. Pricier is good-looking French restaurant Bresson (pictured above. €70 for three-course dinner; we’d rather get on the waiting list for nearby Blackrock gem Liath, whose sensational preview menu experience is €65; www.liathrestaurant.com). 

COFFEE STOPS

For coffee, Avoca’s yard has long had a monopoly – grab a cup here plus a mini custard tart. Newer arrivals include Jelliti’s coffee van, parked just across the footbridge by Monkstown Dart station (handy for after your sauna) – the charming owners serve Turkish coffee and treats along with regular flat whites and specials such as turmeric lattes. The Roots van, next to the station, does a bomb in frozen fruit concoctions – teens queue up to buy acai bowls from handsome guys with a surf dude attitude (expect to be called “bro”).

SHOPS

Seagreen boutique stocks Anine Bing, Veja trainers, a great jewellery selection and much more; it’s a good stop-off for fancy gifts such as Cire Trudon candles. Pick up your GLOSS magazine at one of Dublin’s finest newsagents, family-run Hewett, for a fine array of magazines (here since 1949). Since the post office closed, it’s really the heart of the community, and highly valued. Next door is a rare thing – a shop that fixes things, Carrick Hoover Centre, another family-run enterprise. Bring in your knackered vacuum cleaner or food processor rather than dumping it in landfill – David English can give it a whole new lease of life.

Other shops to visit locally include Howbert & Mays garden shop, Over the Moon for fancy childrenswear and Texture by Ann Flavin for fabric and dressmaking. Also pick up a Grasse-made Irish perfume by Scopoli at the local pharmacy, Cosgrove’s; we feel that Jemima Kirke’s Melissa in the TV show would wear this.