Most of this list sits in West Cork, and a good part of it within a few miles of Rosscarbery. Long Strand runs for kilometres of open Atlantic sand off the N71, too rough for swimming but made for walking and surfing, with the Kilkeran Lake lagoon penned in behind its dunes. Owenahincha takes the same south-westerly swell a little along the coast, while Red Strand, a horseshoe cove near Ardfield, is the calmer choice when the wind is up. Inchydoney, four kilometres from Clonakilty and joined to the mainland by two causeways, is the busiest of them.
The two ends of the county read differently. Ballydonegan, below the copper mines at Allihies on the Beara Peninsula, is a near-white strand of crushed quartz, with no lifeguard and a full Atlantic swell. Barleycove on the Mizen is a golden curve behind dunes thrown up by the 1755 Lisbon tsunami, now a Special Area of Conservation. At the eastern end, Youghal’s Front Strand carries an accessible boardwalk east along five kilometres of connected shore.
Three of these can be reached on foot: Front Strand from Youghal town, Ballydonegan on a 25-minute walk south of Allihies village, and Duneen on a 20-minute walk from the Dunmore House car park. Everything else means a drive, and the exposed strands change character entirely with the wind.
Copper-mining village at the far end of the Beara Peninsula, where stone engine houses, a museum in the old chapel and a quartz beach sit together.
Crushed quartz washed down from the mines gives this remote, free strand its near-white sand, a 25-minute walk south of Allihies village.
Dunes raised by the 1755 Lisbon tsunami back this golden curve on the Mizen, now a conservation area with family swimming and surfable waves.
A sheltered West Cork cove under a ruined O'Driscoll castle, better known now for kayaking, a holy well and grey seals at Reen Pier.
Blue Flag town beach at Youghal, wide and lifeguarded in summer, with an accessible boardwalk running east along five kilometres of connected shore.
17 of 17 shown — tap a pin for the place.
Allihies, cork
Allihies sits at the far end of the Beara Peninsula, its skyline broken by the stone engine houses of 19th-century copper mines. A museum in the old Methodist chapel tells that story, a waymarked trail walks you through the ruins, and Ballydonegan beach below is made of quartz sand washed down from the mine dressing floors.
Allihies, cork
Ballydonegan's near-white sand is crushed quartz, washed down to the shore over decades from the Allihies copper mines. It is a remote, free, unspoilt strand a 25-minute walk south of Allihies village, with no lifeguard and a full Atlantic swell, so swim with care.
Barleycove, cork
Ancient dunes formed by the 1755 Lisbon tsunami dominate Barleycove, yet today the beach offers family-friendly swimming and surfable waves. Protected as a Special Area of Conservation, the golden curve of sand is backed by rolling dunes and wildlife-rich cliffs.
West Cork, cork
Castlehaven is a sheltered cove and civil parish on the West Cork coast, about 45 miles south-west of Cork City. Its name comes from the ruined O'Driscoll castle at the harbour mouth, and in 1601 it was the scene of a Spanish landing and a sea battle during the Nine Years' War. Today the draw is the water: sea-kayaking on the bay and at Lough Hyne, a hidden holy well, and grey seals around Reen Pier.
Youghal, cork
Front Strand is Youghal's Blue Flag town beach – wide, sandy and backed by a promenade, with an accessible boardwalk that carries walkers and wheelchairs east onto Claycastle and Redbarn along a connected 5 km (3-mile) shore. Lifeguarded in summer, and free.
Old Head of Kinsale, cork
Garrylucas White Strand faces straight into the prevailing south-west wind, which is exactly why it’s one of the best kitesurfing beaches in Ireland. It’s a wide Blue Flag strand of pale sand backed by dunes, with summer lifeguards, near the Old Head of Kinsale and its Lusitania story.
Inchydoney Island, cork
Inchydoney's Blue Flag beach is split by the Virgin Mary headland four kilometres from Clonakilty, joined to the mainland by two causeways. It has Cork's longest-running surf school, Ireland's first seawater spa at the four-star lodge, and the grim history of several hundred rebels drowned by the tide here in 1642.
Red Strand, cork
A sheltered horseshoe cove near Ardfield, calmer and better for swimming than the surf-battered Long Strand around the headland. The sand is mostly golden-white despite the name; the ‘red’ is in the sandstone and an old battle legend. Galley Head lighthouse stands 2.5 km down the coast.
Rosscarbery, cork
St Fachtna's, the smallest cathedral in Ireland, sits above Rosscarbery's market square on the N71 in West Cork. Below it run a tidal lagoon and five beaches; east of the village stand the Bohonagh stone circle and the 1875 Galley Head Lighthouse.
Youghal, cork
Youghal keeps its 13th-century town walls and the Clock Gate Tower that straddles its main street, and backs them with a three-mile run of sandy beaches and the Midleton–Youghal Greenway. Once briefly a busier port than Cork, it is a compact town you can cover on foot in a day.
Duneen, cork
Rosscarbery, cork
Long Strand, cork
Owenahincha, cork
Ardfield, cork
Rosscarbery, cork
Kilcrohane, cork
← All things to do in County Cork
Book tours & tickets
We may earn a commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you.
Book tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips with GetYourGuide. Free cancellation on most experiences.
See tours & tickets in County Cork →