TAKE a look at some of Ireland’s best beaches for sea swimming as mercury is set to soar to 23C over the coming days.
The Irish bathing season runs right up until September 15 – when Irish waters are at their warmest.
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The Lagoon Activity Centre recently ranked Ireland’s top sea swimming beaches.
There was a range of factors examined such as the average temperature, the rainfall level, and the “Instagrammability”.
Researchers ranked ‘Blue Flag’ beaches – meaning to be considered for the ranking each beach must already have been awarded one.
They said: “Beaches are only awarded Blue Flag status if they adhere to a strict number of criteria, including environmental info & education, water quality, safety & services and environmental management.”
The average rainfall was based on Met Eireann data from nearby weather stations.
While the “Instragrammability” was determined by the number of hashtag mentions each area received.
The Lagoon Activity Centre believes this factor to be just as important as the weather based components.
They said: “Sea swimming has become hugely popular in recent years, especially amongst the younger cohorts – It seems like every Instagram influencer and TikTok star are organising sea swimming sessions with their followers on a Saturday morning, so when calculating our findings we made sure that we factored in the “Instagram quality” of each beach.”
Each contender was given a mark out of 300 and it was a close call within the top 10.
Killiney beach in south county Dublin took the number 1 spot with an impressive score of 295.
This did not come as a big surprise considering Killiney beach is home to the popular Vico baths.
And it wasn’t the only Dublin beach topping the charts as Portmarnock beach came in a close third at 289.
An honourable mention to Seapoint beach in Co. Dublin with a humble score of 285 earning them 7th place.
Although there was one destination that seemed to really turn heads.
According to Paul Melody, Director of The Lagoon Activity Centre, Kerry is the new place to be.
He said: “Despite often experiencing more adverse weather conditions, Munster beaches scored quite well on the report – Co. Kerry boasts three beaches in the top 10 alone.
Kerry beaches feature ten times in total on the report and with an average score of 258, the Kingdom’s beaches reign supreme overall.”
People are also being urged to take extra care in the water this summer.
The activity centre said: “If you’re heading out on the water this year, it is absolutely crucial to prioritise safety in order to prevent accidents.
“Always swim within designated areas, be aware of the weather and water conditions, never swim alone and be mindful of rip currents and tides.”
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