Donegal has 12 of Ireland's top sea swimming spots - but weather impacts rankings

The Lagoon Activity Centre in Cork has released the results of a new study ranking Ireland's top sea swimming beaches.

Donegal has 12 beaches in the top 80, which were marked out of 300, with Rossnowlagh highest at 17 and 274 points, followed by Bundoran at 19 (272), Culdaff 24 (267), Fintra 27 (265), Murvagh 32 (260), Portsalon 35 (255), Marble Hill (252) and Carrickfinn (251) are 38th and 29th respectively, Killahoey at 52 (238)  and Downings at 54 (236), Narin 60 (230) and Stroove 77th (190).

The study examined a range of factors, including average temperature, rainfall, and 'Instagrammability' to determine the best spots for a refreshing dip in the sea and the Lagoon Activity Centre said beaches in the west and north-west saw their positions lower because of two factors.

They said: “Beaches in Donegal and Mayo, located more northerly, tended to appear in the mid-lower range, potentially due to higher amounts of rainfall and slightly lower temperatures.”

The top three sea swimming beaches in Ireland, according to the study, are Killiney in Co Dublin, Inch Beach in Co Kerry, and Portmarnock Beach, also in Co Dublin.

“The study, conducted by the team at The Lagoon Activity Centre, ranked Blue Flag beaches across the country by calculating their average temperature and rainfall based on Met Eireann data from the nearest weather station,” they said. “In addition to these factors, the 'Instagrammability' of each beach was determined by examining the amount of hashtag mentions each area received on the Meta platform, giving each beach a score out of 300.”