Dog's Bay Beach
Bá an Mhadaidh · Co. Galway
Just outside the fishing village of Roundstone, two perfect horseshoe beaches sit back to back on a narrow neck of land jutting into the Atlantic. Dog's Bay and its twin Gurteen Bay are unlike almost any other beaches in Ireland: dazzling white sand, water of Caribbean turquoise, and a mile-long walk between the two along a grassy tombolo.
Why the sand is white
The sand here is not ground-down rock but almost entirely biological: the tiny shells of foraminifera and fragments of shell and coralline algae, built up over millennia. The result is brilliant white sand that stays compact underfoot and gives the shallows their extraordinary colour on a sunny day.
The dune grassland of the tombolo is a protected machair habitat, rich in wildflowers in early summer — keep to paths, as the thin turf erodes easily.
Swimming and walking
Between them the two bays face opposite directions, so one is nearly always sheltered whatever the wind — locals simply switch sides. The water is clear, clean and gently shelving, making this one of Connemara's favourite swimming spots. The loop walk around the headland between the beaches takes under an hour and delivers views to the Twelve Bens and Errisbeg hill above Roundstone.
Getting there
The beaches are 3 km west of Roundstone on the R341, about 20 minutes from Clifden. Roundstone itself — working harbour, craft studios, pubs looking across to the mountains — is one of Connemara's most charming villages and well worth lingering in. Climb Errisbeg behind the village for one of the best low-effort viewpoints in the west of Ireland.
Where it is
53.3860°N, 9.9045°W
Nearby stops
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