Narin / Portnoo Beach (Naran)

  • Narin / Portnoo Beach - County Donegal
    © Bernard Gagnon and licensed for reuse under this Licence
  • Narin / Portnoo Beach - County Donegal
    © Grace Smith and licensed for reuse under this Licence
  • Narin / Portnoo Beach - County Donegal
    © Richard Webb and licensed for reuse under this Licence
  • Narin / Portnoo Beach - County Donegal
    © Richard Webb and licensed for reuse under this Licence
  • Narin / Portnoo Beach - County Donegal
    © Richard Webb and licensed for reuse under this Licence
  • Narin / Portnoo Beach - County Donegal
    © Richard Webb and licensed for reuse under this Licence
  • Narin / Portnoo Beach - County Donegal
    © Kenneth Allen and licensed for reuse under this Licence
  • This expansive beach is one of the most beautiful on Ireland’s Atlantic coast. Stretching over a mile, this golden-white sand beach is backed by low dunes. Beyond these are a couple of caravan sites which have very little impact on the beach and provide a range of facilities.

    As a Blue Flag beach you are assured of clean water and safe swimming within the summer months as the beach has lifeguards on duty during the summer.

    The views from the beach at Portnoo are panoramic. A little way off the coast of Narin beach is the island of Inishkeel (Inis Caoil). At low tide it is possible to walk from Narin out to the island where you will find the remains of two churches. It is said the island was where the 6th century St Conall Cael founded a monastery.

    The dunes along this part of the coast are designated a Natural Heritage Area (NHA) owing to the particularly diverse range of both coastal and terrestrial habitats.

    Also known as:

    Naran

    Type of beach

    Sandy

    Lifeguard service

    Yes

    Dogs friendly beach?

    We do not have information on this beach but restrictions may apply (usually from Easter until the end of Summer)

    County Donegal dog friendly beaches »

    Activities

    • Swimming/bathing

    Facilities

    • Cafe/restaurant
    • Toilets
    • Disabled facilities
    • First aid point
    • Shop

    Nearest town

    Ardara

    OS grid ref.

    Awards

    Blue Flag Award

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    Narin / Portnoo Beach Reviews

    Narin, Portnoo, both beautiful

    Siobhan
    Jul 06th 2020

    I’ve been visiting this beach since childhood and now my children love swimming there, racing round the sand dunes and walking out to Inishkeel island at low tide. The smaller Portnoo beach is gorgeous too with rocks to climb, pools to explore and the Fairy Caves.

    Family perfect

    Anne Marie
    Aug 16th 2022

    Safe, flat, sandy, clean ocean water makes this perfect for young kids to spend all day messing about in waves.  The beach itself is a 1 mile walk to the rocks at the end; an ideal daily walk in stunning surroundings with views that include Arranmore and Mount Errigle.
    It’s a much-loved and cared-for place of local pride, quite rightfully, with excellent facilities for anyone with disabilities; while they have a beach wheelchair, the local community are currently raising funds to buy Ireland’s first floating wheelchair.

    Undiscovered gem

    Daniel
    May 17th 2022

    Portnoo has a beautiful clean beach and thoroughly deserves its Blue Flag status. Amazingly, there are even better beaches nearby that remain mostly undiscovered by tourists, such as Dooey.

    Gorgeous

    Emily
    Apr 23rd 2022

    Beautiful sandy beach, clean water, no rubbish whatsoever. Been visiting the strand since 2001 and now three generations of our family have been able to enjoy it along with our dogs. Some seaweed…. obviously, it’s the North Atlantic, be a bit weird if there wasn’t! Highly recommend. Gorgeous views.

    Beautiful

    Carmel
    Aug 02nd 2020

    Really beautiful beach. Locals are always so friendly.
    Lovely town of Glenties nearby not to be missed for tasty meals & the craic. Social distancing applies.

    Nicky Humphreys
    Jul 14th 2020

    Fantastic safe beach for swimming! Beautiful!

    bad

    Clay
    Aug 02nd 2021

    jellyfish and seaweed and dirty rubbish from BBQs