Ballydonegan (Allihies)

Co. Cork, Ireland

Water qualityNot monitored

Blue Flag 2026No

Green CoastNo

DogsTo be confirmed

Always verify the car-park location on arrival. Road and access conditions may change.

⚠ Safety first: The water at Ballydonegan has sudden underwater drop-offs. The car-park side of the beach is the safest for bathing; the sandy river channel on the far side suits small children under close supervision. Swim with care and keep children within their depth.

About Ballydonegan (Allihies)

Ballydonegan is one of Ireland’s most unusual beaches — a broad sweep of pale, quartz-white sand below the village of Allihies, made not by the sea alone but by crushed stone washed down from the 19th-century Allihies copper mines above it. That industrial legacy is the story here: the Copper Mine Museum and the old mine trails climb the hillside behind, and the Beara Barista coffee caravan often parks on the shore. There is a car park at the beach and a short walk from the village. Swimmers should know the water has sudden depth drops — the car-park side is safest — but on a calm day, with the mountains behind and the copper-sand underfoot, it is a genuinely special place on the Beara Peninsula.

Get directions to the car park

This searches for the named car park on Google Maps — a place-name match, not yet a GPS-confirmed pin.

📍 Find Ballydonegan Beach car park, Allihies, Cork on Google Maps

Named from official sources but not yet pin-verified — always confirm on arrival.

Map

Approximate location, auto-geocoded from a named car park — not yet a GPS-verified pin. Always verify on arrival.

Activity suitability

Walking — Short walk (under 1km)
Lifeguard (summer) — No
Not yet confirmed: Swimming, Surfing

Facilities

Car park — Free
Lifeguard — No
Not yet confirmed: Toilets, Disabled access, Shower, Café nearby

Facilities confirmed from Cork County Council and Fáilte Ireland.

Water quality

This is not an EPA-monitored bathing water, so no official water-quality rating is available. Take local conditions and signage into account and swim with care.

Where to stay nearby

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