Curracloe beaches Travel Guide
About Curracloe beaches
The Irish coast is a mix of pale strands, dramatic cliffs, and rich woods and marshland, with many fine places to do water sports such as surfing, waterskiing, sailing and canoeing. The beaches that lie close to the larger towns attract lots of local visitors, but there's more than enough sand to go around. Sun seekers are best off making their way to the area around Wexford, on the southeast coast - Ireland's sunniest region - which is beautiful, with some sublime stretches of sand, yet off the tourist trail.
Beach:
Curracloe beach is over 11km (7 miles) long and pure Blue Flag magnificence, backed by an ancient dune system. The pale gold deserted sands stretch from Raven Point to Ballyconigar near Blackwater. This is where the opening scenes (the Normandy landing) of Saving Private Ryan were filmed. There are few buildings near the beach, and Curracloe village is around 1km (0.6 miles) away. Lifeguards patrol the beach during weekends in June and daily in July and August.
Beyond the beach:
Around 3.5km (2 miles) northwest of Wexford is the marvellous Irish National Heritage Park (www.inhp.com), an outdoor theme park that vividly conjures up Irish history, complete with ancient dwellings, smoking fires, and monasteries.
