Crown jewels of the coast


It may no longer have a rail link to Cork, but it is still hard to beat
in terms of what it can offer families, with a huge strand to keep the kids happy.There are also good facilities, with lots of bars and restaurants and Perks indoor funfair for when it does rain.
Even the biggest beaches in Co Cork have woefully inadequate free facilities. Bigger ones like
and have plenty of parking and blue flag beaches have toilets and bins but after-swim showers are few and far between. Many still rely on nearby bars and restaurants to provide facilities for day-trippers.in East Cork has a good children’s playground with lots of parking.
: Spread out over more than 1km, Garretstown has, in fact, two beaches. Garretstown beach itself, at the western end, is the place to surf. Check for wave heights and periods on magicseaweed.com.
: Also good for water sports and the shallow water is especially suited for beginners.
Cork, the country’s largest coastal county, lost four blue flag beaches this year, with the washout summer of 2012 blamed. Its current blue flag beaches are all located in West Cork.
: Lovely sandy beach suited to sunbathing.
: On Inchydoney Island a few kilometres from Clonakilty.
: A small, rural sandy beach at the mouth of Rosscarbery river.
: Backs onto sand dunes and close to The Warren.
: A small scenic beach 6km from Skibb.
: Close to Kilbrittain village and only a short hop from Bandon.
: This is a gem among hidden gems, just south of Clonakilty.
: A tiny beach close to Kinsale and Garretstown, with the nearby Dock Bar a convenient stop-off.
There are also some gems in East Cork.
: This is one of the biggest, gets very busy on fine weekends.
: Not to be confused with Inch strand in Kerry, but very difficult to find.
: Accessed by a long, winding pathway. Worth the effort.

, near Glenbeigh on the Ring of Kerry, has been a firm favourite with families for generations. It’s a long, wide beach, with loads of room for children to play, and for people to sit on the sloped stone embankment. There are plenty of parking spaces and also a fine walk in the area known locally as back beach.
It’s hard to beat
, one of the country’s most renowned traditional resorts. Toilets, litter bins, and showers are available, as well as tearooms on the beach. The beach is cleaned early in the morning and parking is usually available. There are also old-style seaweed baths — reputed to have curative properties for aching muscles and joints.and neighbouring Maharees, on the northern side of the Dingle Peninsula, have developed an international reputation. Surf and windsurfing lessons are available on various beaches and gear can be hired. Top surfing events and world championships have been staged in the area, which is known for its predominantly onshore west and south-west winds.
, , , , (Caherciveen), , , , , , ,
, near Slea Head in the Dingle Peninsula. This small, secluded beach is recommended for strong swimmers only, as the waves can be pretty powerful at times. Attempts to shoot a scene there during the making of Ryan’s Daughter, in the late 1960s, almost ended in disaster. Nice for sunbathing.
, between Glenbeigh and Caherciveen on the Ring of Kerry, also has its attractions and is popular with families. Derrymore, just outside Tralee, is generally quiet and a contrast to the more popular Kerry beaches.
, close to Tralee, is ever popular, while nearby Ballyheigue has, for years, been a summer haunt of Cork and Limerick people, especially. Ballinskelligs, in south Kerry, is superb, while Ventry, in west Kerry, also has its fans.

: Clare’s most popular beach and an year-round destination now as a result of its reputation as a surf capital. Always guaranteed a fantastic family atmosphere on the strand.
Great place to learn to surf and safe for kids to swim. Reputation tarnished in recent days by mindless beach-goers using beach as a dumping ground and a council revamp of the promenade is long overdue and remains on the drawing board. Lost its Blue Flag this year due to a statistical anomaly.
again, but the facilities have been sorely tested during the hot spell. Car-parking right beside the beach, though the lack of bins has been criticised during the good weather.
The addition of a playground beside the beach is a big plus, while families can retreat to the indoor pool at Lahinch Seaworld when the rain comes down. A number of restaurants within 100m walk from the beach provide rich variety and good quality food.
at Doonbeg produces great waves on days when the surf on other beaches is calm. The US-owned Doonbeg Golf Club is very accommodating to surfers. Lahinch is best for beginners and well served by a number of long established surf schools. To avoid crowds on busy days go to Spanish Point or Fanore. Surf spots at Crab Island off Doolin and off the Cliffs of Moher are only for top-class surfers — fantastic to watch for mere mortals.
, (Kilrush), (near Doonbeg).
It is very hard to beat
beach for magnificent views of the Aran Islands or Connemara in the distance or the backdrop of the Burren.The beach’s location on the Atlantic Way is sure to increase its popularity next year when the route opens. Spanish Point has long been in the shadow of Lahinch, but if you want to get away from the crowds and enjoy great swims, you cannot go wrong.
Very popular with Limerick dwellers,
’s horseshoe-shaped beach has been celebrated by visitors over the ages and a swim at the nearby will linger in the memory.
Keeping it simple is
, hardly the most famous strand in the world but stretching out for more than 2km.There may not be carousels or slot machines in the vicinity, but you’ll still while away hours and hours relaxing on the golden sands sheltered under cliffs that reach almost 60m into the sky.
Predictable maybe, but
is hard to top when it comes to catering for all wants and needs. Parking is plentiful — even at high-demand times — while the town itself offers an array of shops, pubs, and restaurants along with the famous amusement park and arcades.Once again,
has outdone itself in the last decade or so with the facilities it offers to surfers. But for the sake of variety, it’s worth mentioning Ardmore on the other side of the county. Kayaking and other sports have also become a popular fixture here.and .
is well-known among locals but wouldn’t be first to come to mind for those not from the manor. Not far from the main Waterford-Dungarvan road, it’s a sheltered, safe beach with a sandbank that which often holds a pool of shallow, warm water ideal for the younger swimmers.
is on the Copper Coast, below the cliffs on the road between Tramore and Bunmahon.
will reward anybody who makes it along the cliff walk from the entrance to the main beach at Bunmahon.
, a few kilometres from Dungarvan, can now be reached via a cycleway along an old railway line. , , , and others all have their supporters, too.
Just across the Suir estuary, or down the N25 in Co Wexford, lie some of the country’s best beaches.
is great for families and watersports enthusiasts.conjures up images of frenetic bucket-and-spade holidays but its beach is pretty special, while ’s miles of golden, clean sand and family-friendly, accessible facilities are hard to top.