Barleycove Beach in West County Cork

Barleycove Beach in West County Cork, Ireland

Barleycove Beach is one of Ireland’s more popular Southwest beaches in summer months, with it’s long stretch of sand dunes and diverse marshland wildlife.

The sand dunes were created in 1755 after an earthquake in Lisbon, Portugal, triggered a tsunami with 15-foot waves depositing sand in Barleycove.

Located close to County Cork’s Mizen Head near the villages of Crookhaven and Goleen on the Mizen Peninsula, this beach has an interesting variety of wildlife and habitats.

Barleycove includes the ocean beach with a tidal stream winding through a saltwater marsh and grasslands to a lagoon. A golf course claims an area between the beach and the tidal stream.

A unique floating bridge provides access from a car park over the tidal stream to the beach.

Designated as a Special Area of Conservation by The European Union, the area’s conservation efforts are funded both by The EU and Cork’s County Council.