Mayo beach named the best 'wild swimming spot' in Ireland and Britain

Keem Bay is a blue flag beach and was formerly the site of a basking shark fishery. Picture: Seán Molloy

Keem Bay, in Achill Island in Co Mayo, has been named the best "wild swimming spot" in Ireland and Britain

Five other spots in Ireland featured in the top 20, including Trá an Dóilín (Coral Strand) and Dog's Bay in Connemara which came in sixth and 13th, Doeey Beach in Co Donegal (9th), Curracloe in Co Wexford (12th) and Enniscrone Beach in Co Sligo (4th). 

Keem Bay is a blue flag beach and was formerly the site of a basking shark fishery. Last year the area was listed on the best beaches in the world list by global travel site Big 7 travel last year. It is a breathtaking rural and sheltered beach surrounded by cliffs located past Dooagh village.

The survey — by British reusable bottle company Ocean Bottle — has put Keem Bay on the top of the list for wild swimming because of its "ultra clean waters" and "beautiful rural and picturesque location."

In making their determinations, the judges examined water quality data from 800 waterways across the UK and Ireland. It drew on the latest year of water samples, analysing levels of E.coli in samples sourced from governmental sites, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

The company then cross-referenced the results with Google reviews to establish the cleanest and most popular spots. Any location with less than a hundred reviews was removed from the final ranking. Keem Bay received an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 with over 1,600 reviews from the public.

Meanwhile, four beaches in Cornwall found their wall into the top 20. Two beaches in Pembrokeshire in Wales came in the second and fourth spot whilst Mwnt Beach in Ceredigion was third.

Ocean Bottle also had a listing for "best hidden gem" beach with Alliebrack/Silverhill Beach in Galway earning a five-star rating thanks to its white sandy beach and clean waters.