• [Irish Mirror Icon]
• What's On
• Beaches

Ireland officially has 'one of Europe's best beaches' beating Spain and Portugal

Nobody would expect one of Europe's best beaches to be found on the southwest coast of Ireland, and yet here it is, in all of its natural glory, just waiting to be explored

[Derrynane House, situated on the tip of the Iveragh Peninsula at Caherdaniel in County Kerry,]

View 3 Images

Paradise exists in this beautiful Irish County(Image: 2017 Vincent Hyland)

While popular holiday hotspots like Majorca, Ibiza and Santorini seem to dominate the conversation when it comes to Europe's best beaches, there's more that sits closer to home.

In order to uncover those hidden gems, Iglu Cruise researched the most popular beaches in each European country, based on TripAdvisor data, and ranked them. Their rankings were done by the percentage of five-star (excellent) reviews and gave each destination a rating out of 100.

Derrynane Beach on the Ring of Kerry made the top 10, at an impressive number three, and the only Irish destination on the entire list. With an overall score of 87.1% based on five-star reviews and an average summer temperature of 19 degrees, it's a no-brainer that this should be your next swim spot.

Derrynane is an extensive sandy beach in County Kerry, Ireland, known for being a safe and sheltered beach perfect for families - solidified by its Blue Flag status.

[DERRYNANE BEACH, KERRY]

View 3 Images

There's no denying the beauty of the place (Image: GOOGLE EARTH)

Writing about their recent visit, one review reads: "Fine white sandy beach, definitely worth visiting at low tide to appreciate the naturalistic context of the place, characterised by green meadows that suddenly become a long and wide stretch of sand. Although visited on August 15, with a sunny day, the beach was not crowded at all."

Another person shared: "I spend a few weeks every year in Derrynane/Caherdaniel. Derrynane Beach is one of the most spectacular beaches in the world."

The sand is framed by rolling hills dotted with rich historical sites, so there's plenty more to explore than just the waves. In fact, the beach sits within the Derrynane National Historic Park and is located nearby the Derrynane House, home to Daniel OConnell.

Daniel OConnell, known to many as 'The Liberator', was a lawyer, politician and statesman, and this was his ancestral home for generations. Nowadays, the property is included within the National Park and is available for members of the public to visit and discover the history of the place.

[DERRYNANE BEACH]

View 3 Images

It's also surrounded by a rich history

The house displays a unique array of relics of OConnells life, including the very bed in which he passed away in. For history buffs, it certainly offers a great insight into his life and also happens to offer expansive views of the bright blue coastline.

One visitor dubbed it a "must-see", writing on Tripadvisor: "Now this is a fantastic place to visit. Firstly, to our great surprise, it is free! Secondly, to our even greater surprise, much of what you will see is original.

"We thought it amazing that the likes of the gloves that he wore, the pistols that he used to shoot someone, the table he played cards on and the chairs he sat in were all originals. When visiting you get a great sense of how it was back in the day."

For more history, travellers can take a walk over to Abbey Island, only accessible by foot at low tide. Here, they'll uncover the dramatic ancient ruins of the Derrynane Abbey, as old as the 6th century. People have claimed that this short excursion is very much "worth adding" to your visit, as one person described it as "a lost corner, but a dream corner".

[Irish Mirror Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Irish Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.