Ireland Opens First Nudist-Friendly Beach

Travelers don’t necessarily think about nude beaches when picturing Ireland, but that notion is about to change.

Scheduled to open in April, the island’s nudist-friendly beach will debut at Hawk Cliff in Dalkey, Dublin, and is expected to build on the rise of naked sunbathing in the country, according to the Evening Standard.

The Irish Naturist Association has been working with government officials to open a nude beach and was granted permission when the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council agreed to place signage around Hawk Cliff warning of nude sunbathers.

Pat Gallagher from the Irish Naturist Association told the BBC that most other European countries have the signs in place and that Hawk Cliff was already a place where nudists could be found, so officials don’t expect any issues.

Nudists in Ireland also struck a victory recently when the government changed its law regarding public nudity, saying it was only breaking the law if the person who was nude intended on causing fear, distress or alarm, or engages in sexual activity.

While the decision to place the sign is the first of its kind for Ireland, the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said the beach is not an official nude beach.

“We are not designating this beach as a nudist beach,” a government spokesperson told CNN.com. “However, we are arranging for signage at this location, to advise the public that they may encounter nude bathers.”