Best Beaches in Ireland

Wild Atlantic strands, sheltered coves, and Blue Flag bays

Ireland's indented coastline offers everything from sweeping Atlantic surf beaches to calm, turquoise-water coves backed by dunes and machair grassland. Whether you are walking mile-long golden strands at low tide or watching Atlantic rollers crash against sea cliffs, coastal scenery is never far away. Here are ten of the most memorable beaches around the island.

Beach County Kerry

Rossbeigh Beach

Rossbeigh, or Rossbehy (Irish: Ros Beithe, meaning 'headland of the birch trees'), is a sandspit with beaches on either side, located approximately 1.6 km from the village of Glenbeigh, in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the Ring of Kerry, on the Dingle Bay side of the Iveragh Peninsula. Rossbeigh contains a large volume of sand dunes and herbaceous vegetation. It is considered an important habitat for flora and fauna, including wildfowl (salmon and clam are locally farmed). The beach is on the Wild Atlantic Way tourist route.

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Beach County Kerry

Inch Beach

Inch (Irish: Inse, meaning 'river meadow') is a small coastal settlement and townland on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. Inch Strand, in Inch townland, is on a long sand spit and dune system which reaches into Dingle Bay. The R561 regional road passes through the area. Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of midden, ringfort and ecclesiastical enclosure sites in Inch and Inch East townlands. The graveyard enclosure, in Inch East, contains a ruined single-cell church which dates to at least the 13th century. Inch Strand, also known as Inch Beach, is a spit which is 5 km in length and, together with its dune system, forms part of the Special Area of Conservation at Castlemaine Harbour.

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Beach County Cork

Myrtleville Beach

Myrtleville (Irish: Baile an Chuainín, meaning 'town of the small harbour') is a small seaside village in County Cork, Ireland. The village lies within the townlands of Ballinluska and Myrtleville, just west of the entrance to Cork Harbour. Myrtleville has one grocery shop, a pub, and a restaurant. 18th and 19th century records of the local estate houses associate Myrtleville House with the Daunt family. One of the other waterfront properties, Bunnyconnellan, developed around a cottage from 1824, operated for several decades as a restaurant, bar and a hotel until its closure in 2022. County development plans, including from the 1990s, allowed the building of modern houses with limitations ensuring the protection of the village's character, such as only allowing one-storey houses plus attic. Crosshaven rugby club has its sports ground at the top of Myrtleville hill. The beach at Myrtleville is used by swimmers all year round, with frequent fundraising swims organized.

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Beach County Antrim

White Park Bay

White Park Bay (also spelled Whitepark Bay) is a bay and three-mile long beach located near Ballycastle, County Antrim, on the north coast of Northern Ireland, along the Giant’s Causeway Coastal Route. Sheep and cattle graze the hills and beach along the bay, which has been under the care of the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty since 1938. It is situated in the townland of White Park (likely from the Irish An Pháirc), which is 170 acres in area and located in the civil parish of Ballintoy. White Park Bay is home to the Whitepark Bay Youth Hostel. The beach is unsuitable for swimming due to rip currents. A cairn above the beach is designated as a Scheduled Historic Monument at grid ref: D0225 4403.

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Beach County Mayo

Uggool Beach

Uggool Beach (Irish: Trá an tOgúl) is a beach in County Mayo, on the west coast of Ireland, located south of the town of Louisburgh. It is situated at the mouth of Killary Harbour to its south, with Silver Strand to its north, Mweelrea mountain to its east and the Atlantic ocean to its west. Uggool Beach is bordered by the townlands of Uggool, Doovilra and Mweelin. The Bunanakee River flows across Uggool Beach. The tidal Dooneen Island is on the southern edge of the beach. Uggool Beach has been described as “stunningly beautiful” and “widely regarded as among the finest in Ireland”.

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Beach County Cork

Ownahincha Strand (West)

Owenahincha (Irish: Abha na hInse) is a beach located near Rosscarbery in County Cork. It is, as of 2022, a Blue Flag beach. There are a number of camping and caravan parks in the area.

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Beach County Kerry

Banna Strand

Banna Strand (Irish: Trá na Beannaí), also known as Banna Beach, is a beach in north County Kerry, Ireland. It is an Atlantic Ocean beach extending from the Smallrock (Roc Beag) and Blackrock in the North to Carrahane at its southern edge. It is around 12 kilometres (7 mi) north west of Tralee. It features shifting sand dunes along its entire length which rise up to 12 metres (40 ft). Carrahane lagoon on the south end, famous for migrating birds and the Roger Casement landing. The mountains of the Dingle Peninsula can be seen on the south west horizon. Many residents from Tralee make a trip to Banna Strand on the warmest summer days.

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Beach County Cork

Barley Cove

Barleycove or Barley Cove (Irish: Bá na hEornan, meaning 'bay of the barley') is a bay and beach in County Cork, on the south coast of Ireland. It is situated close to Mizen Head on the Mizen Peninsula, with Crookhaven or Goleen being the nearest villages. The beach is part of an area designated as one of several Special Areas of Conservation in Ireland (or SACs) under the European Union's Habitats Directive, due to the variety of wildlife and habitats in the sand dunes.

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Beach County Donegal

Boyeeghter Strand

Boyeeghter Strand or Boyeeghter Bay, (Irish: Bá Íochtair) commonly known as The Murder Hole Beach, is a beach situated on Rosguill, a peninsula located on the north coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. The beach lies at the north-eastern end of Rosguill, being located near Melmore Head. It has cliffs, hills, dunes, and small caves. When the tide is in there are two beaches, which merge into one when the tide is out. Rough Island is a small tidal island located approximately 15 metres offshore. The beach is not suitable for swimming. The area is undeveloped with no direct road access, and significant traffic issues were reported during August 2020. Prior to 2022, beach access was possible only via a route across private land, and an increase in visitors during 2018 prompted a local landowner to post a notice about access concerns. By April 2022, another local landowner had built a carpark and spent several "months developing a pathway at Melmore [..providing access..] from a different route".

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Beach Sandymount Strand

#10

Beach County Dublin

Sandymount Strand

Sandymount Strand (Irish: Dumhach Thrá) is a large strand on the east coast of Ireland, adjacent to the village and suburb of Sandymount in Dublin. It is part of South Bull - a major component of the south side of Dublin Bay, and part of the Dublin Bay Biosphere Reserve. South Bull is a mirror to the North Bull sandbank, which grew into North Bull Island. Sandymount Strand is a popular place for locals to take a walk. People, and in the past - there is no longer public vehicular access - cars, have been occasionally trapped by the incoming tide. A large inlet of water that remains even at low tide is known locally as "Cockle Lake".

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