Stradbally is a lovely and most unusually shaped cove, which is great for swimming, sunbathing and playing. Protected by cliffs on either side Stradbally is well sheltered and when the tide is out there is a wide and long expanse read more…

 Tramore is your classic, large, holiday resort type beach. Located near to the town centre, the beach has good access from a slip way which brings you onto hard sand when the tide is out. The beach here is big read more…

August 2010 Whiting Bay is quite an open beach, the type of place surfers might go to or people who are looking for a swim in the waves. On the day we were there young and old were out among read more…

Ballymacaw Cove Balllymacaw is a very attractive, out of the way cove, not well signposted and not very well known. If you do find it is well worth the effort. The cove is sheltered by small, rocky cliffs on either read more…

Baginbun is located a few kilometres beyond the town of Fethard and is a very attractive, secluded beach. A rough track brings you down to the soft sand which is surrounded by cliffs. The whole beach is quite sheltered and read more…

Carne is one of the most impressive of Wexford’s many fine beaches and it’s an ideal spot for families to swim in. There is a harbour at one end and then a long stretch of soft sand going off into read more…

August 2010 Grange Strand is another of Wexford’s many fine stretches of beach, andis good both for swimming and walking. However the tide really does go way out here, so if you want a quick dip, then watch the tide read more…

Kilmore Quay is a well-known and very attractive fishing village with a couple of very good swimming spots. In the town itself, right beside the harbour, is a small beach with surprisingly clear water. This is a lovely place for read more…

Rosslare Strand August 2010 Rosslare is far from being the most attractive place to swim in Wexford, but it is a popular location with good facilities. This is bucket and spade territory so there will usually be plenty of children read more…

Lough Easkey is in a lovely location in the heart of the Ox mountains. Surrounded by hills and the wild countryside the lake shimmers in the sunlight and is a really nice place to stop for a swim. The water read more…

Ardmore is one of Waterford’s more popular holiday resorts and its beach is ideal for families and children. Located right at the edge of the town this is a good stretch of sheltered, soft sand, with clear waters which are read more…

September 2010 The day we swam in Ramor it was wet, windy and deserted, so we certainly didn’t see it at its best. This is a large open lake, popular with anglers and boaters of various types. Access to the read more…

September 2010 In a county with no seashore, but any amount of lakes, Sheelin is one of Cavan’s attractive lakeside swimming spots. This particular location is a small harbour type area, clearly designed for anglers and their small boats. While read more…

Lough Derravaragh September 2010 We don’t know of too many swimming spots in Westmeath, so Lough Derravaragh is a decent enough place to get a dip. This looks much more like a fishing and boating lake but for swimmers there read more…

October 2010 Three connected beaches and swimming spots run alongside the road into Buncrana and beside the town itself. The first is Lisfannon Beach which is located a few kilometres before the town. This is a wide open expanse of read more…

October 2010 Murvagh is a blue flag beach located a few kilometres outside of Donegal town. This is another of the county’s wide and long stretches of sand. Again you really have to watch the tides here. When we arrived read more…

October 2010 Port Bán is a lovely beach, in a quiet location. It can be a bit hard to find, but it’s well worth the effort. The beach here is sheltered at either end, so it won’t get too windy. read more…

October 2010 The pub in Portsalon has a newspaper article on the wall which makes the case for Portsalon being the nicest beach in the world. We aren’t experts on world beaches, but Portsalon is an absolutely beautiful beach and read more…

October 2010 Rathmullan is a wide, and often windy, expanse of sand – a good place for a swim and a bracing walk. Located in Lough Swilly, the beach here starts just at the end of the town, near to read more…

October 2010 Rossnowlagh is a popular holiday location, but its attractiveness has been spoilt by too many holiday homes and caravan parks. Some of these overlook the beach, but if you can ignore them then you will find this to read more…