Eleven beaches here, and they fall into three rough groups. North of Wexford town the coast runs as one near-continuous strand: Curracloe and Ballinesker, both Blue Flag, both backed by protected dunes and the pine forest of the Raven reserve, and both used by Spielberg for the D-Day opening of Saving Private Ryan. Curracloe is about fifteen minutes’ drive from the town. Further north, Morriscastle takes the middle stretch of the Golden Mile, over 2km of soft dune-backed sand lifeguarded from June to the end of August, and Ardamine curves off Courtown’s South Beach, where a build-up of sand breaks the waves and leaves a shallow, stoneless pool.
The southeast corner is the calmer side. Carne is 1.5km of firm sand facing the Irish Sea rather than the open Atlantic, with free parking and a working fishing pier, and Rosslare Strand sits a few kilometres from the ferry harbour.
The Hook Peninsula and the south coast need a drive. Duncannon puts a mile of strand beneath a star fort built for Elizabeth I in 1587 and reopened in 2026; Baginbun and Dollar Bay are small sheltered coves with tight parking and, at Dollar Bay, no facilities at all. Blackhall Strand and Cullenstown, either side of Bannow, are the quiet ones, cliff-backed and largely unserviced.
A long Blue Flag strand backed by the Raven's pine forest, fifteen minutes from Wexford town, and the beach Spielberg used for the D-Day landing.
A mile of strand firm enough to drive onto at low tide, sitting below a star fort built for Elizabeth I and restored in 2026.
Sand builds up off Courtown's South Beach to leave a shallow, stoneless pool, which makes this the county's safest swim for small children.
A sheltered crescent on the Hook where the Normans won in 1170, with kayaking straight off the sand and parking for about ten cars.
A small golden cove reached by a short path off the Duncannon to Hook Head road, gently shelving and workable at most states of the tide.
10 of 11 shown — tap a pin for the place.
Curracloe, wexford
Curracloe is a long Blue Flag strand backed by the pine forest of the Raven reserve, an easy 15-minute drive from Wexford town. It's a fine spot for swimming, beginner surf lessons and forest-and-dune walks, with red squirrels and grey seals about – and it's where Spielberg shot the D-Day landing in Saving Private Ryan.
Duncannon, wexford
Duncannon pairs a mile of beach with a star-shaped artillery fort built for Elizabeth I in 1587. The fort reopened in 2026 after a major restoration; the strand below is firm enough to drive onto at low tide and has a beach wheelchair for loan.
Ardamine, wexford
Ardamine's strand curves off Courtown's South Beach, where a build-up of sand breaks the waves early and leaves a shallow, stoneless pool that's genuinely safe for small children. Behind it sit the ruins of George Edmund Street's 1862 church and Árd Ladhran, the mound folklore names as the grave of the first man to die in Ireland.
Hook Peninsula, wexford
A sheltered crescent of sand on the Hook Peninsula where Raymond le Gros and his Normans dug in and won the Battle of Baginbun in 1170. A 19th-century Martello tower stands on the headland above, there's kayaking and paddleboarding straight off the beach, and parking is the catch – room for roughly ten cars.
Templetown, wexford
Dollar Bay is a small, sheltered cove of golden sand on the Hook Peninsula, facing across the mouth of Waterford Harbour and reached by a short path down from a signed lane off the Duncannon–Hook Head road. It shelves gently for a quiet swim and works at most states of the tide, but there are no facilities and the parking is tight. The name comes from a hoard of Spanish silver dollars buried here in 1765 by the mutineers of the Earl of Sandwich.
Morriscastle, wexford
Morriscastle is the middle stretch of Wexford's Golden Mile, a run of sand often claimed to be the longest in Ireland. Over 2km of soft, dune-backed beach, lifeguarded from June to the end of August, with a Blue Flag, clean water and some of the best shore angling in the southeast. Grey seals are a regular sight just off the shore.
Rosslare, wexford
Rosslare is really two places a few kilometres apart: Rosslare Strand, a relaxed Blue Flag beach resort, and Rosslare Harbour, a working Europort running 36 sailings a week to Britain and continental Europe.
Ballinruan, wexford
Bannow, wexford
Carne, wexford
Cullenstown, wexford
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