In The Nude On Irish Beaches

At last we have the opportunity to dust off the Bermuda shorts and lather on the sun cream as our tiny island temporarily turns tropical.

For me, pulling on the shorts and letting the air get between those paler-shade-of-white toes, is sheer ecstasy in weather like this. However, that doesn’t cut it for everyone.

The Irish Naturist Association (INA) has been in existence for over 40 years and is currently campaigning for the provision of officially approved clothing optional beaches. Roughly 5,000 people in this country are calling for town and city councils to erect signage at designated “nude beaches.”

Pat Gallagher is a naturist and he tells me about the status of Irish naturism, which beaches are unofficially “nudist” and why stripping off appeals to him.

JOE: So Pat, why do you like being nude on a beach?

Pat Gallagher: At this stage of my life I don’t feel comfortable having to wear a bathing suit on a beach. I’m gone past that stage in my life.

I just don’t want to do that and I don’t feel like I have to. That’s why I wouldn’t pick a (holiday) destination where I couldn’t go on a beach (nude).

JOE: You say, “at this stage of your life.” Does that mean there is a particular age bracket for naturists?

PG: Somewhere between 25 and 65 I suppose. And then you can have younger and older. But I suppose around the 50 mark would be the mainstay.

JOE: So you think people in their fifties are the most comfortable with nudity? Why is this the case?

PG: I think people discover later on in life, after they’re married, after they’ve had one or two children, they go abroad on holidays, they find a beach down in the canaries or somewhere. They are a bit amused for a day or two, then by the end of the week or the end of the holiday they’re lying on the beach. They’re the nudies on the beach then.

They’re more comfortable because they’ve grown into it more if they started it when they were 25 or 30. By the time they are 50 they are well into and they insist on going to places where they can go nude on holidays. They won’t go to regular destinations. They will only go regular destinations if there is a naturist beach nearby.

I wouldn’t consider a holiday anywhere in the world unless I knew there was a nude beach nearby within a taxi ride that I could use.

JOE: What beaches allow nudity in Ireland?

PG: We are the only EU country not to have an official nudist beach specifically designated by any local authority or council.

Not all beaches in Ireland are used by the general public so we (the INA) go to areas that members have sussed out for themselves. There are a number of them around the country and anyone can view the list and get directions by going to www.irishnaturism.org.

JOE: Are peeping toms a problem?

PG: Well you know I’ve been on beaches all over Europe and I’ve even been to Brazil, it isn’t a problem. Sure, you might get the odd one here and there and I know some of the beaches we use in Ireland from time you look up to the sand dunes and you see their heads popping up and down. So some days we just look back at them and point the camera for the craic of it.

JOE: And you’re not breaking any laws by letting it all hang out on these beaches?

PG: Well, you know, we consider this to be a bit of a grey area because a number of laws to a specific community go back to the 1840s and they wouldn’t stand up in court these days anyway.

The one law that may stand up in court is the Public Order Act of 1935 but under that it would have to be shown that there was intent to offend. So going down to Dollymount Strand, stripping off and running up and down flashing yourself would probably be deemed as intent to offend!

JOE: So what does the INA want the authorities to do about it?

PG: One of the avenues we’ve been approaching has been writing to various councils. At the moment we have written to Kerry and Wicklow again, trying to prompt them to help us with signage for beaches.

We sent them some facts and figures on naturist tourism. We’re not saying people will come here for naturism. They’ll come to Ireland for fishing, play a bit of golf, have the craic in the pubs and see the scenery but they will (also) come to Ireland provided that there may be somewhere they can enjoy a day on the beach without clothing and without facing prosecution.

We carried out an online survey recently to the European naturist communities on all their websites and 82% responded yes to the question, ‘Would you consider Ireland as a naturist tour destination?’

JOE: Thanks for all the information Pat. Enjoy the summer.

PG: Oh we will. Bye.