Brittas Bay is one of the most popular family beaches on the East coast. It is well used by people from Dublin, Wicklow and surrounding areas. Brittas is a fine stretch of beach which must be 4-5kilometres long and backed read more…

Spiddal Pier June 2010 The beach at Spiddal Pier is sandier, quieter and altogether more attractive than its busier neighbour ‘downtown’. Located just at the harbour the water looks very clear and has good depth to it. The harbour gives read more…

June 2010 Trà Gheall is out of the way, secluded and attractive. This is a small beach set below the cliff path and surrounded by a small cliff face. We wondered about including this beach as there are strong currents, read more…

June 2010 Trá Mór may not be as spectacular as some of the beaches out in the wilds of Connemera, but it is an attractive, well looked after beach with decent facilities. This is a nice stretch of sand which read more…

Doogort is an attractive, sandy beach which is well sheltered by impressive Slievemore mountain at one end. The water here is clear and fresh , with a nice sharp feel to it when we there last in June. It isn’t read more…

June 2010 Along with ‘Trà Mòrs and ‘ White Strands’ Ireland has its fair share of Golden Strands and this is Achill’s version . It’s located just a few kilometres from the other Doogort beach and this one is much read more…

June 2010 In contrast to nearby Keem beach, Keel is a big , open expanse of beach which is very popular with surfers. This is the place to go if you like your swimming a bit windy and wavy. The read more…

If you are trying to find Keem Beach it’s fairly straightforward – just get on the R319 from Mulrany and drive to the end of the road, literally. Keem is at the very end of Achill island, tucked away in read more…

If you fancy a break from Achill’s beaches then Lough Accorymore is an attractive alternative. Situated between Keel and Keem beaches, Accorymore, as the name suggests, is a corrie lake situated at the base of the cliffs which lead up read more…

Mulrany would not be in our top five of beaches in Mayo but it is certainly worth a visit and is a handy location for those who don’t want to face into the trip out into ‘darkest’ Achill. The beach read more…

Greystones is located about 20 kilometres from Dublin city and is now very much part of the urban sprawl with new housing estates proliferating. Despite this the town still manages to maintain a nice feel to it with an attractive read more…

July 2010 Let’s get the name out of the way first. We have known this as the Silver Strand, but the signpost at the turn off calls it ‘Tra na Gceann’ and the Ordnance Survey map seems to call it read more…

July 2010 Blackrock is a Galway swimming institution – for serious swimmers and tourists, young and old, year round swimmers and sun seekers. Located at the end of Salthill’s ‘prom’ this is a great place for people to meet and read more…

July 2010 The Long Point, Lough Rea, must be one of the nicest, and best maintained, lakeside swimming spots in the whole country. The Long Point is located a few kilometres outside the town. There is a shallower, sandy area read more…

Ballydowane Bay is located on Waterford’s ‘Copper Coast’ ( the name comes from the copper mines said to be located at its heart), which is renowned for its geological make up and cliff formations. The beach here is surrounded by read more…

In contrast to its noisier neighbours in Clonea and Ardmore, Ballyquin is a beach to go to if you want to swim in a quieter setting. This is a wide, secluded beach with a good expanse of soft sand. It read more…

Annestown is an attractive beach with a wide stretch of sand when the tide is out. This is another good place for families as there is a sheltered area to the left and various pools and rocks for kids to read more…

August 2010 Bunmahon is yet one more example of Waterford’s many fine family beaches. It has everything you might look for in a place to come swimming with your children – a good stretch of soft sand, lifeguards in the read more…

The beach at Dunmore East is small, curved and well sheltered. It is divided by rocks into two, with a smaller section to the left. From the road there is a steep slipway descent to the main section, which is read more…

Newtown Cove / Guillamene August 2010 This is an absolute gem of a swimming place, or two places to be precise. Newtown and Guillamene are side by side and this is where ‘real swimmers’ from Tramore and beyond come to read more…