July 2012 Wine strand is a lovely, small beach, sheltered within Smerwick harbour. The water here is crystal clear and cool. There is a gradual wade in and when we were there the water was perfectly calm. Apart from being read more…

July 2012 We don’t know our swimming in Limerick very well, so we were glad to take in a visit to Glin on the way back from Kerry. This is an attractive spot sheltered in the harbour. The swimming area read more…

Given the huge dearth of outdoor pools throughout the country, this is a shining example of what we can and should have. Attractively located beside Lough Derg, Ballina pool is a clean and well kept facility. The pool itself is read more…

Dromineer is a well known stopping off point for Shannon cruisers and its also a nice place to swim in the soft waters of Lough Derg. To the left of the harbour is a sheltered area which is good for read more…

August 2012 Swimming and smoked salmon -if you like some freshly smoked fish after your dip then you should head for Bunowen Bay. This is a small but attractive curved beach nestling in the bay and with the nearby pier read more…

August 2012 Doonloughan is a beautiful beach located in splendid isolation in the wilds of Connemara. It takes a bit of effort to get there, but it’s more than worth it. The beach is wide and sandy but with a read more…

August 2012 When we visited Glassilaun a water sports day was in progress. There were lots of adults and children on the beach and the rain was bucketing down. Still, wetsuits are a great invention; the people stayed and the read more…

August 2012 Lough Inagh is set in a fabulous location between the Maum Turks and Twelve Bens mountain ranges. This is great place to cool off if you’ve been walking in the mountains. And even if you haven’t it’s a read more…

August 2012 Lough na Fooey is a bit out of the way but worth the effort, especially if you like fresh water swimming. It is one of those rare lakes that has its own sandy beach area, a sandy bottom read more…

August 2012 Omey is an unusual island in that it can be accessed at low tide by a sandy causeway. It’s only a kilometre from the mainland and is a good place to walk and swim. We crossed at low read more…

August 2012 We aren’t sure of the name of this beach, but it’d definitely in Sellerna Bay just outside Cleggan. Sellerna is an attractive beach with clear blue-green water. It’s a bit exposed with just a few rocks at one read more…

August 2012 Just what you need to cool down if you have been climbing nearby Croagh Patrick. Bertra is a Blue Flag 2012 beach which we visited when it was wet and windy. Still, the water was good and the read more…

August 2012 This is another of Mayo’s fine Blue Flag beaches, but unfortunately we didn’t see it at its best. We had rain and wind when we were there but the swimming was still good. Carrowmore has a nice stretch read more…

Laytown and Bettystown May 2013 If it’s big, open beaches you want then Laytown and Bettystown will be right up your alley. Running alongside both towns the whole stretch must be at least 5 kilometres long so there is loads read more…

May 2013 Once you find Lilliput its well worth a visit. We looked in vain for a signpost when we came off the M6 and inevitably got lost. Eventually we got on the right road and found our way to read more…

Lough Gill was made famous by W.B. Yeats whose ‘Lake Isle of Innisfree’ inhabits one of its small corners. More recently, a popular Irish- American folk group, led by a Sligo troubadour, have taken the name. Unfortunately, on a cold read more…

June 2013 On a grey day in June we had the all too familiar experience of swimming alone in Ballywalter. The sea was choppy but the water was very refreshing. Just what we needed to clear out the cobwebs. Ballywalter read more…

June 2013 Cranfield is a popular holiday location with a couple of large caravan parks overlooking the beach. We visited on a good summer’s day and, while the beach was busy, there was still enough room for everyone, especially if read more…