Losing ground: Coastal erosion in Ireland and what we can do about it

The seaside golf course at Ballybunion Golf Club and the long stretch of sand and sanddunes at Ballybunion, County Kerry. Rock armour is being added to stabilise the dunes and slow the erosion by the sea. Picture: Larry Cummins

Ireland’s 7,500km coastline is one of our country’s greatest natural treasures — an ever-changing ribbon of cliffs, beaches, dunes, and estuaries — and islands — that shapes not only our geography but also our cultural identity. Yet, from Donegal to Dingle, an invisible enemy is chipping away at the edges: coastal erosion.

Every winter storm, every rising tide, is part of a slow but persistent process of transformation. Entire sections of coast are disappearing into the sea. And while erosion is a natural process, it’s now accelerating due to human activity and climate change. The question we face is no longer if we should act, but how.