Even with the winter sunshine, this news is a good excuse for a trip to the seaside.

The TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards have named Ireland’s best beaches for 2018, with two Donegal beaches making the list.

Located just outside Ardara, Maghera Beach and Caves came in at number 6 on the list; followed by Silver Strand beach in Malin Beg.

The Maghera Beach and Caves has scores of rave reviews, with a visitor from the UK commenting: “A delightful and quiet beach and – no matter which way you come – the scenery is magnificent.

“The beach is spotless and the surroundings unspoiled.”

Visitors to the Maghera beach spoke of passing the breathtaking Assaranca Waterfall on their way to the west Donegal beauty spot.

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A little further south in Malin Beg lies Silver Strand beach which boasts a five-star rating on TripAdvisor.

A tourist from Manchester commented: “So fortunate to find this gem on a gloriously sunny day – brilliantly blue, clear water and shining silver sands.

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“We stayed for hours swimming in the sea and playing on the beach, although sunny it wasn’t a particularly hot day yet the cliffs sheltered us and made the sea and beach warmer.

“Children will love the shallow waters, so it’s well worth the steps and the drive.

“Our favourite beach – ever!”

Other visitors wrote of the stunning Malin Beg Mortello Tower and the 140-step ‘stairway to heaven’!

Here’s the full list of Tripadvisor’s top 10 beaches in Ireland:

  1. Inch Beach, Inch
  2. Inchydoney Beach, Clonakilty
  3. Dog’s Bay Beach, Roundstone
  4. Barleycove Beach, Schull
  5. Coumeenoole Beach, Dingle
  6. Maghera Beach and Caves, Ardara
  7. Silver Strand Beach, Malin Beg
  8. Derrynane Beach, Caherdaniel
  9. Strandhill Beach, Strandhill
  10. Banna Strand, Tralee

Over 350 of the worlds’ best beaches were named in the 2018 TripAdvisor awards.The gorgeous Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos won the top honor as the best beach in the world this year. Florida’s Clearwater Beach was the number one beach in America.