{"id":1137,"date":"2026-05-22T15:36:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T14:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/?p=1137"},"modified":"2026-05-18T14:54:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:54:48","slug":"forget-portugal-these-wexford-beaches-with-turquoise-water-are-reopening-their-cafes-for-may","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/forget-portugal-these-wexford-beaches-with-turquoise-water-are-reopening-their-cafes-for-may\/","title":{"rendered":"Forget Portugal: these Wexford beaches with turquoise water are reopening their caf\u00e9s for May"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Sea air tastes different when the first beach caf\u00e9s roll up their shutters. In County Wexford, that moment arrives with <strong>May<\/strong>, when turquoise shallows meet the soft fizz of a <strong>coffee<\/strong> machine.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>The coastline here is long, low, and <strong>golden<\/strong>, rinsed by calm tides and a famously sunny <strong>microclimate<\/strong>. On bright days, the water turns a milky, almost Mediterranean <strong>blue<\/strong>, and the only hard choice is where to spread your <strong>towel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Where the water turns sapphire<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Along the eastern arc, wide strands like <strong>Curracloe<\/strong>, Ballinesker, and Rosslare unfurl in dazzling, dune-backed <strong>ribbons<\/strong>. The sand is pale and <strong>powdery<\/strong>, the shallows luminous and made for <strong>paddling<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Head north and you hit Morriscastle\u2019s so-called \u201clongest beach\u201d <strong>vibes<\/strong>, a horizon-to-horizon stretch with sky-high <strong>dunes<\/strong>. On clear mornings the water can look shockingly <strong>clear<\/strong>, the kind that begs for an <strong>unplanned<\/strong> swim.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Further south, Carne and the Kilmore Quay coast promise quiet <strong>coves<\/strong>, seals on cool blue <strong>swells<\/strong>, and that hush you only get away from <strong>roads<\/strong>. \u201cBring time,\u201d whispers the sea, \u201cand leave the rest to the <strong>tide<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>The caf\u00e9 comeback in May<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>When May clicks in, shutters rise on <strong>kiosks<\/strong>, pop-up hatches, and beachfront coffee <strong>carts<\/strong>. Espresso mingles with brine and fresh-cut <strong>lemon<\/strong>, and sandy queues form like migrating <strong>lines<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Some spots trade year-round, but May is when the seasonal <strong>windows<\/strong> swing open and the menus rediscover soft-serve <strong>joy<\/strong>. \u201cOrder early, linger <strong>late<\/strong>,\u201d goes the unspoken beach <strong>rule<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Think flat whites and flaky pastries for breezy <strong>mornings<\/strong>, or toasted sandwiches that taste better with salt on your <strong>lips<\/strong>. On weekends, the chowder-and-chips crowd returns, steaming cups against the <strong>wind<\/strong>, backs to the <strong>sun<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>What to try between swims<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Go simple first: a hot <strong>flat<\/strong> white in the cool, or an iced coffee when the dunes feel like <strong>July<\/strong>. The classic Irish \u201c99\u201d cone\u2014vanilla spiral, chocolate <strong>Flake<\/strong>\u2014is non-negotiable <strong>bliss<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>If there\u2019s chowder on the board, follow your <strong>nose<\/strong>. Local seafood sings in creamy bowls with a peppery <strong>kick<\/strong>. Crab on toast often makes a May <strong>appearance<\/strong>, especially near working <strong>harbours<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Watch for Wexford strawberries as the month <strong>matures<\/strong>, with the earliest punnets in late May, more reliably <strong>June<\/strong>. Until then, cherry scones and jam feel perfectly <strong>sunny<\/strong>, crumbs catching the sea <strong>breeze<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Mini-itineraries that write themselves<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Dawn walks at <strong>Curracloe<\/strong> glow silver-blue, with coffee in hand and gulls tracing <strong>scribbles<\/strong> across the sky. Low tide stretches the strand into a painter\u2019s <strong>palette<\/strong>, every footstep a soft <strong>brushstroke<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Midday at Morriscastle means bright <strong>horizons<\/strong>, sea-kayaks skimming pools the color of minted <strong>glass<\/strong>. \u201cFind your patch and stay,\u201d says the quiet, dune-sheltered <strong>air<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Late afternoon around Kilmore Quay brings whitewashed <strong>cottages<\/strong>, nets drying in patient <strong>rows<\/strong>, and that end-of-day iced latte you promise to sip <strong>slowly<\/strong>. By then, the water has the look of bottled <strong>light<\/strong>, green drifting into <strong>blue<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>How the color happens<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Part of the magic is the pale <strong>sand<\/strong>, part is the shallow shelving of the <strong>seabed<\/strong>. Add clean Atlantic water and a sunny <strong>angle<\/strong>, and the surface throws back tropical <strong>tones<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Locals sometimes call this corner the \u201cSunny South <strong>East<\/strong>,\u201d a nickname with numbers to back its extra <strong>rays<\/strong>. When the wind drops, the water calms, and the color goes <strong>electric<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Practical notes for easy days<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Parking near popular access points fills <strong>fast<\/strong>, especially on blue-sky <strong>Saturdays<\/strong>. Early arrivals win the shaded dune <strong>lanes<\/strong>, and the first warm scones from the <strong>oven<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Dress for layers: sea breezes can flip from soft to sharp in <strong>minutes<\/strong>, even under bold <strong>sun<\/strong>. \u201cWarm core, bare feet,\u201d is a good packing <strong>mantra<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Tides matter more than maps: a high tide can pinch the <strong>strand<\/strong>, while low tide unlocks pools and glassy <strong>paddles<\/strong>. Check the local table before setting your <strong>pace<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>One list to pocket<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<ul><\/p>\n<li>Arrive early, check tides, carry layers, bring a keep-cup, respect the dunes, and pay it forward with a spare <strong>towel<\/strong> for a shivering new <strong>swimmer<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<p>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>If you only have a weekend<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Pick one strand for <strong>morning<\/strong>, another for late <strong>light<\/strong>, and let the caf\u00e9s bookend your sandy <strong>hours<\/strong>. Breakfast overlooking foam, sunset with a last <strong>cone<\/strong>, and an unhurried walk back under lilac <strong>skies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Travel-wise, Wexford sits an easy coastal <strong>drive<\/strong> from Dublin, the road skimming hedgerows and big-sky <strong>fields<\/strong>. The first hint of salt arrives before the first proper <strong>view<\/strong>, and then the dunes take over the <strong>horizon<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeave your plans at the car,\u201d says the day, \u201cand follow the <strong>breeze<\/strong>.\u201d May is for reopening rituals, turquoise <strong>water<\/strong>, and simple pleasure served from a small, smiling <strong>hatch<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1137"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1147,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137\/revisions\/1147"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}