The Wad River, another of Dublin's secondary watercourses, joins the Tolka estuary right at the city end of Clontarf's coastline, while the Naniken River runs through St. Anne's Park and reaches the sea at the Raheny end of the district, its mouth marking the civil parish boundary between Clontarf and Raheny.

At the end of the breakwater is a statue of Our Lady, Star of the Sea (Irish: Réalt na Mara), erected to watch over mariners and dockworkers.

So great was the fighting which ensued among competing kings following this event that one analyst stated they "...turned the country into a trembling sod".

[8] The manor and church of Clontarf were held by the Templars, and subsequently the Hospitallers, and there was a holy well in the area near what is now The Stiles Road until recent times (another spring, named for Brian Boroimhe, of uncertain age, still exists, on Castle Avenue near the coast).

A manor house and a small associated village were located on the slight ridge overlooking the sea where the Clontarf Castle Hotel is now situated.

Clontarf Castle was burnt in 1641 by the Governor of Dublin, Sir Charles Coote, apparently in revenge for the disloyalty of the then owner, George King.

Fishing, oyster-catching and farming remained the main occupations over the following centuries, with a major fish-curing industry at the Sheds, near the foot of Vernon Avenue (the Public House at the site still bears the name), around 1 km from the original village.

In the 18th century, this developed into a secondary settlement of fishermen and small farmers, living in basic cabins and with drying sheds for their catch.

By the late 19th century Clontarf was becoming urbanised, initially as a holiday resort for wealthy Dubliners, but rapidly as a suburb of the city.

Clontarf's most notable amenity is its seafront, with a promenade running continuously from Alfie Byrne Road to the wooden bridge at Dollymount, totalling 4.5 km in length.

Among the features of the promenade is an Easter Island Moai replica statue, a diplomatic gift from the ambassador of Chile, which is located just across the road from The Sheds pub.

Also on the promenade is Clontarf's privately-owned open-air seawater swimming pool, once a recreational destination with hot and cold baths, closed in 1996, and then became derelict.

As well as extensive walks and green areas, the park contains numerous sporting facilities, such as playing pitches and non-sport amenities.

These include an Arts Centre in the Red Stables, featuring artists' stores and studios, a coffee shop and markets on some weekends, along with a large rose garden which is located alongside the Gaelic Athletic Association pitches.

There is a supermarket on Vernon Avenue, and there are, for example, a number of public houses, restaurants, convenience stores, bank branches, pharmacies and medical practitioners.

Greenlanes and Howth Road Presbyterian have "junior" and "senior" divisions, while the Belgrove group actually consists of four legally distinct schools, all formally named for John the Baptist and each with its own roll number, staff and principal, on a common campus, which also holds the premises of Clontarf GAA club.

both in the city centre, Loreto College, St Stephens Green for girls, and the Institute of Education (mixed, 4th to 6th year only).

Clontarf has many clubs whose members take part in sporting activities, including rugby, soccer, golf, cricket, sailing and Gaelic games.

Clontarf has a strong rugby club, with their senior XV reaching two all-Ireland league finals under former coach Phil Werahiko.

Founded in 1961, Clontarf GAA are based on Seafield Road and play their home matches at St Anne's Park in Raheny.

[25] Clontarf is also home to the Central Remedial Clinic (whose swimming pool has some public access hours) and to the Incorporated Orthopaedic Hospital of Ireland (since 1876), as well as a major centre of the Irish Wheelchair Association.

Along the coastal promenade, there is a circular rain shelter, which forms a cap over a former lead mine, which ran out under the shallow waters of the bay, as recorded in Cosgrave's "North Dublin"; it was closed due to persistent flooding.