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Best Beaches for Swimming in Ireland

Find the best beaches for Swimming in Ireland. Discover top spots for Swimming along the Irish coastline.

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County

Antrim

Clare

Cork

County Londonderry

Derry / Londonderry

Derry/Londonderry

Donegal

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown

Fingal

Galway

Kerry

Mayo

Sligo

Waterford

Wexford

Wicklow

Activities

Amusement Park activities

Angling

Bathing

Beach Casting

Beach Games

Bird watching

Bird watching (in dunes/back strand)

Birdwatching

Birdwatching (lagoon)

Blokarting

Body-boarding

Bodyboarding

Botany

Butterflies

Camping

Canoeing

Collecting shells/rocks

Cycling (nearby)

Cycling/Rollerblading (on path)

Diving

Dog Walking (bins available)

Dog Walking (on lead)

Dog Walking (on leash)

Dog walking (leash required)

Dog walking (restricted areas/leads required)

Dog-walking (leash required)

Dune sledding

Dunmore Adventure Centre nearby (watersports

Ecological tours (available locally)

Enjoying sunset

Exploring caves/arches

Exploring rock pools

Fishing

Flora)

Fossil hunting (Belemnites in chalk)

Gliding (nearby)

Golf

Golf (nearby)

Golf.

Horse Riding

Horse Riding (restricted hours in summer)

Horse Riding (via external providers)

Horse riding (popular with race horse trainers

Jet Skiing

Jet Skis

Kayaking

Kayaking/canoeing

Killaspugbrone Loop)KitesurfingSeaweed BathsGolf (Strandhill Golf Club nearby)Watching sunsetsBirdwatching (especially in adjacent SPA)

Kite Flying

Kite Surfing

Kite-surfing)

Kitesurfing

Land Yachting

Moths

Paddling

Photography

Picnicking

Picnics

Picnics. Nearby: Funfair/Amusements

Playground nearby

Playground use

Playing in shallow waves (with extreme caution)

Playing in tidal pools

Power Kiting

Rock Pooling

Rock climbing

Rock scrambling/climbing

Sailing

Sandcastle building

Sauna

Scenic drives (on beach)

Scuba Diving

Scuba-Diving / Snorkelling

Sea Kayaking

Sea Kayaking (nearby caves)

Sea Kayaking (part of North Coast Sea Kayak Trail)

Sea glass hunting

Sea-gazing

Seaweed Baths (implied by town's reputation)

Sightseeing

Snorkeling

Snorkelling

Stand-up Paddleboarding

Sunbathing

Sunbathing (when weather permits)

Surf kayaking

Surfing

Surfing (Barley Cove Surf Camp operates here)

Surfing (experienced surfers

Surfing (popular

Surfing (renowned

Surfing (rocks/reefs noted

Swimming

Swimming (caution advised

Swimming (in designated areas)

Swimming (unofficial

Swimming/Bathing (designated area)

Swimming/bathing

Swimming/bathing (in the sea - check flags/lifeguards due to potential currents/rip tides

Visiting Abbey Island ruins (low tide)

Visiting Derrynane House

Wake-boarding

Walking

Walking (along the sand connecting to East Strand

Walking (beach and cliff walk towards Power Head)

Walking (including a steep hike up Dunmore Head for views)

Walking (long strand

Water Skiing

Water skiing

Water-skiing

Watersports (Windsurfing

Waterworld

Wildlife spotting (birds

Wildlife watching (Birds

Windsurfing

and a cliff path section of the Ulster Way / Causeway Coast Way)

butterflies)

check locally)

climbing etc.)

dunes

good for beginners)

multiple surf schools)Walking (beach

no lifeguards)

often near low tide)

or in the calmer tidal stream/river inlet)

restrictions apply)

rip current warnings exist)

suitable for beginners)

trails to Mizen Head)

Beach Type

Mixed (Pebble/Sand/Rock)

Sand

Sand (composed entirely of fragments of tiny seashells - foraminifera, giving it a pure white colour). Water described as turquoise/crystal-clear.

Sand (some sources mention shingle sections, backed by low dunes)

Sandy

Sandy (can be rocky/pebbly in sections)

Sandy (some reviews mention pebbles/stones in parts)

Sandy (white sand)

Sandy beach underlain by gently sloping stepped limestone, exposed in parts at low tide.

Sandy, with rocky sections/outcrops and rock pools. Can have seaweed depending on conditions.

Stony / Pebble (with some sand and rock sections)

Cork

Inch Beach (Inch Strand)

Swimming (unofficial rip current warnings exist) Surfing (popular

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Counties

Activities

Features

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Best Beaches for Swimming in Ireland

Whiterocks Beach

Benone Strand

Downhill Beach

Main Beach, Bundoran

Garryvoe Beach

Dunmore East Beaches (Lawlor’s & Councillors)

Ballyheigue Beach

Keel Beach

Brittas Bay South Beach

Inch Beach (Inch Strand)

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