Ireland naturist beaches

Baltray lies on the north shore of the Boyne estuary in County Louth, a few kilometres east of Drogheda, beside the links of County Louth Golf Club. Beyond the village a long, shallow, mostly sandy strand runs along the Irish Sea, backed by an intact dune system. The Irish Naturist Association lists the stretch around the wreck of the MV Irish Trader as a place where naturism is tolerated. The wreck's hull, worn down by years of tide and storms, is the beach's landmark and is visible as soon as you come out of the dunes, though reaching it takes about half an hour on foot. The beach is long and secluded, which suits naturists, but walkers also use it, so the association advises discretion when others pass. There is no designated nude area and no facilities on the strand. The water is shallow a long way out.

Brittas Bay is one of Wicklow's best-known beaches, a long sweep of sand backed by high, protected dunes about an hour's drive south of Dublin. The northern and central parts, near the main car parks, are busy with families and caravan-park visitors in summer. Naturists use Sallymount, the southern stretch about 2 miles further on towards Buckroney, where the dunes are higher and fewer people walk. The Irish Naturist Association calls it one of the most popular naturist beaches in Ireland and says naturists have used it for more than fifty years. The beach is fine, pale sand that shelves into the Irish Sea, with marram-grass dunes behind and no shade. Strong currents are a known hazard, so the INA advises not swimming alone, and there is no lifeguard at the Sallymount end. Being so close to Dublin, it gets lots of visitors on warm weekends. The association asks visitors to be discreet at busy times and to keep well south of the family beach. There are no facilities at the naturist end.

Caliso Bay is a beach on the coast of west County Waterford, between Youghal and Dungarvan, about 5 km off the N25 at Clashmore Cross. The Irish Naturist Association lists it as a naturist location: arriving at the beach car park, the naturist section is to the right. The bay is on an exposed stretch of the south coast, and the INA warns specifically of dangerous currents and rip tides here, so it is better for sunbathing and paddling than for serious swimming. There are no facilities at the beach; the nearest towns for supplies are Youghal (about 13 km) and Dungarvan (about 12 km).

Clogher Strand is a small, dramatic beach on the far western tip of the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, about 10 miles from Dingle along the R559 Slea Head Drive, below Clogher Head and facing the open Atlantic. The Irish Naturist Association lists the area as a naturist location. Naturists use the southern side of Clogher Head and a beach about a mile north of Clogher Beach, around the Head; a small bay between Clogher Head and Sybil Point is also mentioned as suitable. The coast here is rugged, with dark rocks and big Atlantic swells, and the water is cold and often rough. There are no facilities at the beach; Ballyferriter and Dingle have shops and pubs.

Corballis is the southern end of the long sandy beach at Donabate in north County Dublin, on the coast between the Rogerstown and Malahide estuaries. The Irish Naturist Association lists this southern stretch as suitable for naturism, and the Irish Post has described it as a fine sandy beach near the village of Donabate with the naturist area about a twenty-minute walk along the sand from the main access. The beach is a public strand shared with walkers and other beachgoers, and there is no designated nude zone, so naturists keep to the quieter southern end. Donabate village, with its commuter rail station, is close by. Expect a flat walk on sand and no facilities at the naturist end.

Dog's Bay is a popular sandy beach about 4 km west of Roundstone on the Connemara coast of County Galway. The main beach is a family beach where clothing is expected. The naturist spot the Irish Naturist Association lists is a small, secluded sandy cove beyond it, which the INA calls Puppy's Cove, reached by going to the far end of Dog's Bay, climbing the slope on the right and following a cliff path through a gate in a fence. Because it is tucked out of sight of the main beach, it suits quiet nude sunbathing and swimming on fine summer days. There are no facilities at the cove, and like all of this Atlantic coast it is exposed and remote, so the INA warns not to swim alone and to remember that currents and rip tides may not be visible. Expect very few people; this is a spot for those who like solitude rather than a social naturist beach.

Duneen is a small, secluded cove on the coast south of Clonakilty in West Cork, on the western side of the Clonakilty Bay area. The Irish Naturist Association lists it among the quiet coves around Clonakilty Bay used by naturists, noting that the cove ends at a rocky cliff and that very few people pass by. That seclusion is its main appeal. There are no facilities; Clonakilty, a short drive away, has shops and food. Simon's Cove on the opposite side of the bay and the Long Strand to the west are other naturist spots nearby.

The Forty Foot is a rocky promontory and deep-water bathing place at Sandycove, just south of Dún Laoghaire and about 13 km south of Dublin city centre, beside the Martello tower made famous by the opening of Joyce's Ulysses. Swimmers enter the sea from rock ledges and steps into deep, clear and cold water, and people swim here all year round. For generations it was a men-only bathing place where nude swimming was the tradition. It has long been open to everyone, and the Irish Naturist Association notes that nude bathing now happens only very early in the morning. During the day and at weekends it is very busy with clothed swimmers and is not a naturist spot. There is no sand: it is all rock and concrete, with limited shelter. A visit suits experienced sea swimmers who want a traditional early-morning dip rather than anyone looking for a nude beach to spend the day on.

Hawk Cliff is a small rocky bathing place just outside Dalkey on the coast of south County Dublin, below Vico Road and overlooking Killiney Bay. It is shared by naturists and clothed bathers, and in 2018 it was widely reported as Ireland's first nudist beach after notices went up telling the public they might encounter nude bathers there. A path from the road leads down to small changing shelters and a diving board on the rocks; naturists also use a small cove around the rocks to the south. There is no sand: you sunbathe on rock and swim straight into deep, clear water, with views across the bay toward Bray Head. The Irish Naturist Association warns of strong currents, especially when ships are entering or leaving Dublin Port. Nearby White Rock beach, a little further along Vico Road, is a sandy alternative whose north end is popular with naturists.

Inch Strand is a sand spit about 5 km long that juts out from the southern shore of the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry into Castlemaine Harbour, with open Atlantic beach on one side and mudflats and salt marsh on the other. It is backed along its whole length by a broad system of high, rolling dunes, designated a Special Area of Conservation, which shelter natterjack toads, choughs and rare plants such as petalwort. The beach shelves gently, which makes it popular with surfers, kitesurfers and kayakers near the access point by Inch village, where most clothed visitors stay. The Irish Naturist Association, which calls it one of the best beaches in Ireland and the main naturist spot in Kerry, advises walking about half a mile out along the strand until you are past the textile bathers; beyond that the beach and dunes empty out quickly and naturists from Ireland and abroad spread along the remaining kilometres toward the tip. There is no shade on the strand, and the Atlantic water stays cool even in summer.

National naturist organization for Ireland.

Long Strand is a long, open Atlantic beach in West Cork, west of Clonakilty Bay between the holiday village of Owenahincha and the Galley Head peninsula. The beach is backed by sand dunes. According to the Irish Naturist Association, naturists use both the beach and the dunes behind it, without any separate marked section. The Association stresses discretion, especially at weekends, when local families and surfers use the strand. It is one of a cluster of West Cork spots favoured by naturists, alongside the small coves around Clonakilty Bay such as Duneen and Sands Cove, and Prison Cove further west near Glandore. There are no facilities along the strand itself; Owenahincha has a hotel and caravan park at the eastern end.

Lough Ennell is a large lake about 3 km south of Mullingar in County Westmeath, in the Irish midlands. The Irish Naturist Association lists its north-west shore around the Ladestown shore car park as a naturist location. This is not a beach in the coastal sense: from the car park a paved lane runs one way along the shore and a pebble path the other, and naturists look for quiet spots along the water's edge on either side. The main public swimming area on the lake is elsewhere, at Lilliput, which is a designated bathing water and draws families; Ladestown is quieter. The lake is a protected wetland site whose shoreline is partly managed for visitor access. Expect a lakeshore with pebble paths rather than a sandy beach. Little else has been published about naturist use here, so treat it as a discreet spot rather than an established nude beach.

Magheramore is a sheltered, cove-like beach on the County Wicklow coast a few kilometres south of Wicklow town, reached down a lane of about 500 m from the main road. The Irish Naturist Association lists it as a naturist location. The beach is fine golden sand without pebbles and shelves gently, so the shallow water warms up more than on more exposed beaches and is safe for swimmers of all levels. Its seclusion is the attraction, though on holiday weekends it can get crowded with clothed visitors and may not suit naturists then. For more privacy the INA points to Magherabeg, a smaller and quieter beach to the south reached by a path across the fields. Magheramore made headlines in June 2018 when 2,505 women skinny-dipped here for breast cancer awareness, setting a Guinness World Record for the most nude swimmers at one event. There are no facilities at the beach.

County Donegal beach with naturist-friendly atmosphere and dramatic Atlantic coastline. One of Ireland's few recognised naturist beaches since the 2017 decriminalisation.

Prison Cove, also known as Reenogrena Bay, is a small, sheltered rocky cove near Glandore in West Cork, about 4 km from the village, at the western end of the stretch of coast that runs from Clonakilty Bay toward Glandore Harbour. It has been used by West Cork naturists for years and is listed by the Irish Naturist Association. The beach is stony and slopes into a well-protected bay, which makes it a good spot to sunbathe and swim on calm days, but it is too small to walk along. At low tide a lot of seaweed is exposed, and regulars say beach shoes are a must because of the stones. The cove feels very secluded, although houses stand about half a kilometre away and families occasionally turn up, so a little awareness is wise. It is one of several West Cork places that the Association has proposed for naturist signage.

Curracloe is the great strand of County Wexford, a sand beach of roughly 11 km running north from the mouth of Wexford Harbour, backed by high dunes and, at its southern end, by the pine forest of the Raven Nature Reserve. The Irish Naturist Association lists the secluded southern end, alongside Raven Wood, as a beach regularly used by naturists. From the most southerly car park, naturists walk south along the edge of the wood for 10 to 15 minutes; beyond that the beach continues for several more kilometres to Raven Point, the sandy spit facing Rosslare across the harbour mouth, where INA members have held nude hikes. The sand is wide and firm, the water shallow and cold, and the dunes give shelter from wind. The beach was used to film the D-Day landing scenes of Saving Private Ryan and its northern sections are busy family beaches in summer, so the INA asks for discretion at weekends and in high season. The INA has asked Wexford County Council to designate a naturist section here; the council's mayor in 2016 took a 'live and let live' line, but no designation has been made. There are no facilities at the naturist end.

Remote beach used by naturists.

Silver Strand is a sheltered sandy beach on the north shore of Galway Bay at Barna, about 6 km west of Galway city on the R336 coast road toward Spiddal. The strand itself is a popular family beach and is not used for nude bathing. The Irish Naturist Association's naturist spot, which it calls Barna Strand, is a rocky outcrop on the shore roughly halfway between Silver Strand and Barna Pier, to the west. Visitors sunbathe on the rocks and swim from the sandy patch beside them on the Barna side; when the tide is in there is good swimming straight off the rocks. The shore is a mix of stones, rock and small sandy pockets rather than an open beach, with views across Galway Bay to the hills of the Burren in County Clare. There are no signs and no facilities at the outcrop; the association has said it hopes the area will one day be signed clothing-optional. Being so close to Galway city, it is one of the easiest naturist swimming spots in the west of Ireland to reach.

Simon's Cove is a small, reef-sheltered cove on the headland on the east side of Clonakilty Bay in West Cork, beyond the village of Ring and toward South Ring. The Irish Naturist Association lists the cove as a naturist location. It is reached by a signposted small lane off the hilly coast road, leading down to the sea, and the reef across its mouth breaks the Atlantic swell, giving calmer water than the open coast. The trade-off is seaweed: the INA warns that the cove can be thick with stringy weed, so conditions vary with the season and recent weather. There are no facilities; Clonakilty, a few kilometres away, has shops, pubs and food. Nearby alternatives used by naturists include Duneen on the other side of Clonakilty Bay and the Long Strand west of the bay.

White Rock is a small beach at the northern end of Killiney Bay in south County Dublin, below Vico Road between Dalkey and Killiney. It sits just south of Hawk Cliff, the better-known naturist bathing spot, and is a separate place: a pretty, partly rocky and partly sandy beach reached by steps down from a footbridge over the DART railway line. The Irish Naturist Association notes that the northern end of White Rock has become increasingly popular with naturists, while the rest of the beach, which runs on toward the long shingle sweep of Killiney, is used by ordinary swimmers and walkers. The setting is one of the most scenic near Dublin, with views across the bay to Bray Head and the Wicklow hills. The water is the cool Irish Sea; nude visitors keep to the northern end, away from the main beach.