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Irish Mirror

Lifestyle

Clara Murray

Ireland's 'best beach' agreed on by reviewers as Met Eireann forecast warm weekend weather

Ireland Co Mayo Co Donegal Irish Mirror

With Ireland finally in line to get some real summertime heatwave weather, beaches across the country will be packed out this weekend.

So it might be handy to know which strands are the best to soak up the sun and enjoy a dip in the good weather.

A trawl of Ireland’s top-rate beaches on Google Maps has found that one in Co Mayo has come out as the best in the country, with thousands of users awarding it five stars for its “breathtaking” beauty.

With temperatures set to soar above 20C this weekend the Irish Mirror analysed visitors’ ratings of almost 500 beaches across the country to discover which scored the highest. While our weather may not beat the Costa del Sol, Ireland’s world-class beaches received almost universal acclaim, scoring an average of 4.68 stars out of five – while 54 did not get a single rating of less than five stars.

One clear winner emerged after more than 1,504 visitors gave it full marks.

Keem Beach on Achill Island, Co Mayo, is a picturesque cove that can be reached only by winding cliff-top roads and holds a Blue Flag for its sparkling clear waters.

Online reviewers praised its “mesmerising views”, “golden sand” and “turquoise water” – but warned driving there is “not for the faint-hearted”.

Despite its remote location Keem is no stranger to acclaim and regularly appears on international round-ups. It was famously named the third-best beach in the world by the prestigious Conde Nast Traveller magazine in 2019.

The runner-up, according to Google Maps users, is Coumeenoole Beach on the Dingle Peninsula in Co Kerry, which racked up 1,352 five-star reviews.

The views from this secluded, rocky spot on the Wild Atlantic Way are so gorgeous it was chosen as a filming location for the recent Star Wars trilogy.

However, reviewers warn its rough waters are not safe for swimming.

Third place was taken by Silver Strand on Malin Beg in Co Donegal, which one user described as “a great place for lovers of hidden, calm and not very crowded beaches”.

The top 10 is rounded off by many more fantastic beaches around our coast, all of which got an overall rating of 4.9 stars. When compiling the list the Irish Mirror looked only at beaches with more than 50 reviews on Google Maps, ranking them by overall rating and percentage of five-star reviews.

Where are your favourite beaches - Ireland or beyond? Tell us in the comments below!

Ireland’s coastline is a major draw for locals and visitors alike and we were awarded a record 95 Blue Flags – an international prize for green, safe and clean beaches – this year. Failte Ireland told the Irish Mirror: “We are fortunate that Ireland has some of the most natural and unspoilt environments in the world.”

The figures also revealed that Co Donegal is the best county for beach-lovers, with its shores achieving an average rating of 4.8 stars. It is followed by Galway (4.78) and Sligo (4.77).

The most popular beach in Ireland is Tramore Strand in Co Waterford, which was reviewed 3,540 times.

Only four Irish beaches got an overall rating of less than four stars. Uggool Beach in Co Mayo emerged as the “worst”, scraping just 2.3 stars after reviewers complained of barbed wire and limited access.