by Paul McElwee
WITH summer in full swing and days at the beach enjoyed, even in the topsy-turvy Irish weather, a new study has rated 12 of Donegal’s beaches as some of the top sea swimming destinations in the country.
The study, undertaken by the Lagoon Activity Centre in Cork which marked beaches out of 300, ranks the Donegal locations within the top 80.
Top of the Donegal listings was Rossnowlagh at number 17 with an impressive 274 points, followed by Bundoran in 19th spot (272 points).
Culdaff came in at number 24, harnessing 267 points, followed by Fintra with 265 points. Murvagh garnered 260 points, Portsalon 255 points, Marble Hill, 252 points and Carrickfin, 251 points.
Killahoey garnered 238 points, while Downings scored 236 points.
Also popular in Donegal was Narin, which scored 230 points while Stroove in Inishowen garnered 190 points, according to the study.
A wide range of factors were used to determine just what makes a beach so special including, average temperature, rainfall and, for the social media savvy among us ‘Instagrammability’, ensuring that if a beach was good enough to make memories, then it was certainly good enough to share with the world.
Those who undertook the study at the Lagoon Activity Centre say that, whilst beaches in the west and north-west were excellent places for a dip in the sea, a couple of factors were key in their not being ranked higher; unsurprisingly the weather played a part.
The study outlined that beaches located in climes such as Donegal and Mayo were in the mid-lower ranking range due to potentially higher rainfall and lower temperatures throughout the year.
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