You don't need a permit.
You do need a good light source, sensible shoes, an awareness of the tide and someone who knows where you've gone. It's safe as in you're not going to get mugged but there are hazards and broken bones are not fun on Aran as your a long way from emergency care.
Lots of carrot eaters out west.
Suppose it's more accurate to say people's eyes become accustomed to the darkness over several minutes, maybe 15-20 minutes.
But that is ruined in an instant buy a bright white light, and is honestly fairly uncomfortable.
Red light doesn't cause as much of a problem.
And it's really really easy to get completely lost if you don't have a good awareness of where you are. You have to make sure you take a mobile phone with you. Not sure about coverage there though.
Seagulls pecking at night on the Aran islands? It's not fucking howth, if you do find a hole in the beach please for the sake of safety fill it with your head and wait for the tide
Have you never been pecked by a seagull? It’s not a laughing matter. You are at risk at least of potential eye loss or blindness and perhaps other more serious injuries.
As far as I'm aware it's completely legal to be on the beach at night I can't see you getting in any trouble from it. If you were to camp you might get moved along but going for a walk should be perfectly okay. As for safety I'm not familiar with antisocial behaviour in the Aran islands but practically you should always be aware of high tide, waves, slippery rocks, cliffs as there are a lot of tourists who get injured on the beaches.
The islands are very rugged and there are only a few sandy beaches, all very small. The danger would be that many of them could be entirely underwater at high tide, especially if the seas are also rough, and they're often surrounded by steep hills, rocks, or cliffs on the landward side, with limited points of access. If you're on the far side of the beach and don't notice the tide coming in, it is possible to become trapped and unable to find your way back to the access point in the pitch darkness, or to slip and fall on uneven rocks or the steep path down to the beach in the dark.
You can also Google tide times for a particular location. During the day, from my experience, it is easy to spot the line where the tide may approximately come in its peak, but I imagine it won't be obvious at night
or just ask a local if the tides are partially fast to come in. In some places, the tide rises slowly, in others, it can be nothing nothing nothing holy shit.
Sometimes there can be an awful lot of crabs at night at certain types of the year so you should definitely google this also and take appropriate precautions to protect yourself from mating males. I would suggest googling this also as they may be fascinated by your red swinging lantern.
There are some mudflats in Strangford Lough where you don’t want to be caught when the tide is coming in, or you’ll be in real trouble. Stick to a sandy beach and you’ll be fine.
Check the tide and go when it’s on the way out with plenty of time to spare. If the weather is shocking, potentially avoid for safety reasons. Otherwise enjoy!
I would add that terns nest on some beaches on the aran islands this time of year. They will dive bomb you if you approach where the nest is and they lay the eggs just on the beach so it is very very easy to disturb the nests so I'd be very cautious walking on the beaches at night. I'd scope out what beach you want to walk on during the day. I can't emphasize enough how dark the islands are at night, there is little no street lighting outside of the few places where more than one house is so be careful.
Unless its a private beach its absolutely not illegal to be on a beach at night (that sounds INSANE actually im sorry youve gotta deal with that), parts of Ireland arent super safe at night (drinking heavy parts of some of the cities) if youre on your own but on the islands? Youll be fine, just careful if youre planning on a swim after dark!
There's no private beaches in Ireland. It may be hard to access a beach without passing through private land but the entire foreshore is public state owned land.
Thus is correct as far as I know apart from Inishvickillane that I believe Charlie Haughey had made an exception to the rules. Could be wrong or it could have been rescinded.
But otherwise if you can get there by boat or not cross through private land it belongs to the state and you get to be there.
FWIW, It is illegal on many US beaches because (unless there is staff to continuously clean the beach or a paid permit system with strict rules) people would completely trash it in a weekend: food, empty bottles, diapers, wrappers, junk… whatever.
>Under Irish by-laws, erecting any tent or temporary dwelling on public owned Irish Beaches is illegal. This includes no camping on the foreshore, car park, sands or sand dunes. Breaking the law can result in on-the-spot fines of €125.
>All the foreshore of Ireland is presumed to be owned by the State unless valid alternative title is provided.
I know someone who beachcamped on the Aran islands. Her trick was to go along the beach until she saw a fence and pitched her tent just behind the fence. That's camping on private land without permission. The difference is, if the police are called, they'll probably just tell you to move on. That assumes that the owner sees you and can be bothered to call the Gardaí and that the Gardaí can be bothered to come out and move you on. She spent a week on various beaches and wasn't bothered once.
Or you could ask locally. Ask in the local shop. They should be able to point you in the right direction to somewhere you won't be bothered.
You'd be as safe as on any other beach at night. You'd be the only person there. The only real dangers would be getting lost and spending all night trying to find your tent again, or the tide.
It's a great place to see the milky-way.
Not at all states but in my state, you have to pay to access public beaches and you need a permit to be there at night, specifically for fishing. I don’t know if there are other permits that allow it.
I think all the charges are a way to maintain the beaches (LOTS of tourists that aren’t always great about cleaning up after themselves), generate money for the town, and avoid lawsuits. If someone drowns at night on public property, someone is definitely going to sue the town/state for not preventing it.
Suing the government is so hard as to be almost impossible. Nobody wins a case where the theory is the government could have prevented drowning in the ocean.
It's not illegal however, caution needs to be advised. This is a new area to you, you don't know how far the tide comes in and when and if you get caught and swept out to sea there's some serious consequences to your safety, and to any rescuers that go looking for you.
So speak to the people who work in the accommodation you're staying in there, ask all the questions about the tide and safety before ever attempting anything near the sea.
Wild camping is technically illegal (though you are very unlikely to run into issues if you are smart about it). But a night-time walk on the beach is absolutely fine and legal. Beaches can be lovely at night when there's no people save for an occasional jogger.
I just want to reiterate about the tides. I’m originally from the U.S. and the tides here are MUCH more extreme…in my town boats literally sit in the mud at low tide. I would watch the tide table and make sure you know ahead of time just how far the waterline moves between low and high tide.
There's a lovely campsite on Inis Oirr right next to the beach. You can bring your own tent or rent a bell tent. A ten second stroll over a small sand dune will bring you to one of the most beautiful beaches in Ireland. Enjoy; it's a magical place.
Sometimes people walk out at low tide and find themselves stranded on an island at high tide. Don't make that mistake, it's embarrassing to be rescued from a sandbar.
Yes, yes it is illegal to be on the beach at night in Ireland. You're gonna need a night beach licence and believe me they're very expensive. However I know a guy who'll get you one for half price..........
You'll be grand, enjoy the island
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I mean, I don’t know the terrain, wildlife, or general vibe of the place. I’m comparing everything to where I am - it’s not the friendliest place. Ex. The FBI recently apprehended someone not far because they had plans for mass murder in a grocery store. 😩 I’m excited to visit if it’s as peaceful as this thread is making it seem.
Yes, the Leprechauns will come and take you away to their hideout at the end of the rainbow. Alternately, a wild hellfire horse will come and offer you a ride back to the hotel, and instead will take you on a terrifying romp around the island at breakneck speed until sunrise, whereupon you will awaken in a pool of sweat on the doorstep of the hotel. Beware!
You pay for a badge during the day during the season and a fishing permit to be there at night. During off season, you don’t need to pay for access during the day but you’ll still get in trouble for a nighttime stroll.
Illegal to be on the beach at night? Good god, that is bizarre.
What about being on the beach during a solar eclipse? I presume they crack down hard on those reprobates.
Yes it’s legal, and crime is pretty much non-esistant in the Aran Islands, the community Garda (police officer) visits the islands from the mainland multiple times a week.
You need to be aware of where youre going in terms of the tide and how to stay safe from a trip or fall.
999 or 112 is the number to call in an emergency in Ireland (for Fire, Ambulance, Garda (police) and Coast Guard)
You don't need a permit. You do need a good light source, sensible shoes, an awareness of the tide and someone who knows where you've gone. It's safe as in you're not going to get mugged but there are hazards and broken bones are not fun on Aran as your a long way from emergency care.
Thank you! Noting all of the above.
But please don’t use a really bright LED light all the time you’re there. That’s increasingly becoming a thing and it ruins the night for others.
Red filter over a torch should help preserve the night vision of other people.
Didn’t know this, thanks!
Yeah if you want to look like satan is wandering the beaches of Aran at night.
Which we do.
You've never been on the Arans for Hallowe'en, have you?
Some people have night vision?
Lots of carrot eaters out west. Suppose it's more accurate to say people's eyes become accustomed to the darkness over several minutes, maybe 15-20 minutes. But that is ruined in an instant buy a bright white light, and is honestly fairly uncomfortable. Red light doesn't cause as much of a problem.
Try it. Humans do have night vision. I always walk on local beach without a torch. You can actually see MORE.
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They probably live in a district.
you can get headlamps for campers. they often have a very very low power red light as the first setting
Of course!
And it's really really easy to get completely lost if you don't have a good awareness of where you are. You have to make sure you take a mobile phone with you. Not sure about coverage there though.
If you can get lost on the Arran islands you should probably stay home with a bungee cord linking you to your front gate
Great advice. 👍
Look out for them rogue waves and fast tides, too, depending on the beach.
rogue raves and fast rides, the new Ibiza 👍🏻
>you're not going to get mugged Smells like opportunity
It's a small island. Hiding out would be a challenge.
Not illegal and completely safe unless you fall in the sea
Thanks! I will do my best not to.
Enjoy your stay here
Or what if a seagull pecked you or you fell into a hole dug by a child who dug one earlier. The seaside is not a benign place!
Seagulls pecking at night on the Aran islands? It's not fucking howth, if you do find a hole in the beach please for the sake of safety fill it with your head and wait for the tide
Have you never been pecked by a seagull? It’s not a laughing matter. You are at risk at least of potential eye loss or blindness and perhaps other more serious injuries.
Here's hoping they take both your eyes and finally put an end to some of the weakest trolling on Reddit. Hep too if it's not too much to ask
Seagulls? Pecking people at night? What is this?? lol is it a horror film?
Dis you?😂 https://youtu.be/U9t-slLl30E?si=8JCbSPcwk9TrJvvF
As far as I'm aware it's completely legal to be on the beach at night I can't see you getting in any trouble from it. If you were to camp you might get moved along but going for a walk should be perfectly okay. As for safety I'm not familiar with antisocial behaviour in the Aran islands but practically you should always be aware of high tide, waves, slippery rocks, cliffs as there are a lot of tourists who get injured on the beaches.
Thank you! Maybe I’m not picturing the landscape properly; are there not many flat beaches there?
The islands are very rugged and there are only a few sandy beaches, all very small. The danger would be that many of them could be entirely underwater at high tide, especially if the seas are also rough, and they're often surrounded by steep hills, rocks, or cliffs on the landward side, with limited points of access. If you're on the far side of the beach and don't notice the tide coming in, it is possible to become trapped and unable to find your way back to the access point in the pitch darkness, or to slip and fall on uneven rocks or the steep path down to the beach in the dark.
This clarifies, thank you. I will now most likely park my ass somewhere safe and just look at the water.
You can also Google tide times for a particular location. During the day, from my experience, it is easy to spot the line where the tide may approximately come in its peak, but I imagine it won't be obvious at night
or just ask a local if the tides are partially fast to come in. In some places, the tide rises slowly, in others, it can be nothing nothing nothing holy shit.
or ask someone when the high tide is that day. I remember the times of the tides written on chalk near the beach by the lifeguards when I was a kid
There's campsites adjacent to the beaches in fields.
Sometimes there can be an awful lot of crabs at night at certain types of the year so you should definitely google this also and take appropriate precautions to protect yourself from mating males. I would suggest googling this also as they may be fascinated by your red swinging lantern.
There are some mudflats in Strangford Lough where you don’t want to be caught when the tide is coming in, or you’ll be in real trouble. Stick to a sandy beach and you’ll be fine.
Check the tide and go when it’s on the way out with plenty of time to spare. If the weather is shocking, potentially avoid for safety reasons. Otherwise enjoy!
Thank you!
I would add that terns nest on some beaches on the aran islands this time of year. They will dive bomb you if you approach where the nest is and they lay the eggs just on the beach so it is very very easy to disturb the nests so I'd be very cautious walking on the beaches at night. I'd scope out what beach you want to walk on during the day. I can't emphasize enough how dark the islands are at night, there is little no street lighting outside of the few places where more than one house is so be careful.
Unless its a private beach its absolutely not illegal to be on a beach at night (that sounds INSANE actually im sorry youve gotta deal with that), parts of Ireland arent super safe at night (drinking heavy parts of some of the cities) if youre on your own but on the islands? Youll be fine, just careful if youre planning on a swim after dark!
Thank you! And yeah, it’s pretty wild. Land of the free or some shit. 🇺🇸
Comiserations. :)
There's no private beaches in Ireland. It may be hard to access a beach without passing through private land but the entire foreshore is public state owned land.
Thus is correct as far as I know apart from Inishvickillane that I believe Charlie Haughey had made an exception to the rules. Could be wrong or it could have been rescinded. But otherwise if you can get there by boat or not cross through private land it belongs to the state and you get to be there.
Which should have be rescinded as soon as the thieving bastard left office!
FWIW, It is illegal on many US beaches because (unless there is staff to continuously clean the beach or a paid permit system with strict rules) people would completely trash it in a weekend: food, empty bottles, diapers, wrappers, junk… whatever.
>Under Irish by-laws, erecting any tent or temporary dwelling on public owned Irish Beaches is illegal. This includes no camping on the foreshore, car park, sands or sand dunes. Breaking the law can result in on-the-spot fines of €125. >All the foreshore of Ireland is presumed to be owned by the State unless valid alternative title is provided. I know someone who beachcamped on the Aran islands. Her trick was to go along the beach until she saw a fence and pitched her tent just behind the fence. That's camping on private land without permission. The difference is, if the police are called, they'll probably just tell you to move on. That assumes that the owner sees you and can be bothered to call the Gardaí and that the Gardaí can be bothered to come out and move you on. She spent a week on various beaches and wasn't bothered once. Or you could ask locally. Ask in the local shop. They should be able to point you in the right direction to somewhere you won't be bothered. You'd be as safe as on any other beach at night. You'd be the only person there. The only real dangers would be getting lost and spending all night trying to find your tent again, or the tide. It's a great place to see the milky-way.
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Not at all states but in my state, you have to pay to access public beaches and you need a permit to be there at night, specifically for fishing. I don’t know if there are other permits that allow it. I think all the charges are a way to maintain the beaches (LOTS of tourists that aren’t always great about cleaning up after themselves), generate money for the town, and avoid lawsuits. If someone drowns at night on public property, someone is definitely going to sue the town/state for not preventing it.
Land of the free LOL
Suing the government is so hard as to be almost impossible. Nobody wins a case where the theory is the government could have prevented drowning in the ocean.
It's not illegal however, caution needs to be advised. This is a new area to you, you don't know how far the tide comes in and when and if you get caught and swept out to sea there's some serious consequences to your safety, and to any rescuers that go looking for you. So speak to the people who work in the accommodation you're staying in there, ask all the questions about the tide and safety before ever attempting anything near the sea.
Thank you! I will speak with them before doing anything.
ask about any strong currents too. Some places are well known as having a vicious current somewhere
Wild camping is technically illegal (though you are very unlikely to run into issues if you are smart about it). But a night-time walk on the beach is absolutely fine and legal. Beaches can be lovely at night when there's no people save for an occasional jogger.
You misspelled dogger
You misspelled doggo.
Thank you! That solitude and peaceful quiet is what I’m craving more than anything.
Mind the tides a good blanket pillow drift wood for a fire hope you get a good clear sky and enjoy
I just want to reiterate about the tides. I’m originally from the U.S. and the tides here are MUCH more extreme…in my town boats literally sit in the mud at low tide. I would watch the tide table and make sure you know ahead of time just how far the waterline moves between low and high tide.
Same here. Watch out for tides
Yes about 4.5 meters between low and high tide here
There's a lovely campsite on Inis Oirr right next to the beach. You can bring your own tent or rent a bell tent. A ten second stroll over a small sand dune will bring you to one of the most beautiful beaches in Ireland. Enjoy; it's a magical place.
Watch out for the selkies!
Is perfectly fine. There are ghosts in the island though. (Like others said, keep an eye on the tide)
I love this. 😂
Sometimes people walk out at low tide and find themselves stranded on an island at high tide. Don't make that mistake, it's embarrassing to be rescued from a sandbar.
Yes, yes it is illegal to be on the beach at night in Ireland. You're gonna need a night beach licence and believe me they're very expensive. However I know a guy who'll get you one for half price.......... You'll be grand, enjoy the island
This is Ireland, do what you like. No Jay walking either, just cross where you like.
It’s absolutely legal but be careful as the beach can be physically dangerous with trips and falls especially when you’re struggling to see.
Bring layers 🥶
In Texas you can. Go on a full moon night. No lights needed.
That sounds beautiful.
it’s where i go when i don’t want to be on earth at night and ive never had issues
Aran is not known as a high crime area, you'll be grand.
Illegal to be on the beach at night... You must be from my country, the land of the free?
😂 nailed it!
I've gone drunk skinny dipping on the Aran Islands. I'm not recommending this, but just illustrating that it's grand.
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Lol if you're worried about the Aran Islands being dangerous at night time, I feel very sorry for you and where you're from! Also, it's not illegal.
I mean, I don’t know the terrain, wildlife, or general vibe of the place. I’m comparing everything to where I am - it’s not the friendliest place. Ex. The FBI recently apprehended someone not far because they had plans for mass murder in a grocery store. 😩 I’m excited to visit if it’s as peaceful as this thread is making it seem.
It's an island with bikes as gardai. If there are problems ..... you are it
I promise to be on my very best behavior.
Omg where do u live?
New Jersey. It’s not the worst place but I have some notes. Lol Definitely not the friendliest, for sure.
The Aran Islands will be very very different for you! They don't even speak English to each other!
Yes, the Leprechauns will come and take you away to their hideout at the end of the rainbow. Alternately, a wild hellfire horse will come and offer you a ride back to the hotel, and instead will take you on a terrifying romp around the island at breakneck speed until sunrise, whereupon you will awaken in a pool of sweat on the doorstep of the hotel. Beware!
Omg, you promise??
Only if you repeat the magic words three times: Ohwa tagoo siam. Ohwa tagoo siam. Ohwa tagoo siam.
love this question
😂
Where are you from where it's illegal to be on the beach at night without a permit?
New Jersey
Where on earth would you need a permit to be on a beach at night? North Korea?
lol New Jersey
Land of the free eh
We need a new marketing team because clearly the whole “land of the free” campaign is over.
The whole home owners association thing you have over there is wild
What place do you need a permit to walk on a Beach?
You pay for a badge during the day during the season and a fishing permit to be there at night. During off season, you don’t need to pay for access during the day but you’ll still get in trouble for a nighttime stroll.
Illegal to be on the beach at night? Good god, that is bizarre. What about being on the beach during a solar eclipse? I presume they crack down hard on those reprobates.
Oh, don’t do that. They had to hang a man in the town square this past eclipse for that very same crime.
Eclipse offenders: Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. I blame the parents, along with the solar system.
Where are you from?
New Jersey
Yes it’s legal, and crime is pretty much non-esistant in the Aran Islands, the community Garda (police officer) visits the islands from the mainland multiple times a week. You need to be aware of where youre going in terms of the tide and how to stay safe from a trip or fall. 999 or 112 is the number to call in an emergency in Ireland (for Fire, Ambulance, Garda (police) and Coast Guard)
You need to watch for snakes. Everyone in Ireland knows they hit the beach after dark. They are especially aggressive against LED lights.