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Where to go in August / Ireland in August / The south of Ireland / August

Ireland · Beach

The south of Ireland
in August.

Illustration of Derrynane coast on the Ring of Kerry
Derrynane coast, County KerryDestination view, not month-specific.

Is August a good time?

Temperature unit

Mild days.
More overnight stays than July.

August averages 67°F afternoons and 60°F seas, with about 10 rain days.

Afternoons
67°F
Sea
60°F
Visitor demand
100%of August peak

Historical Southern regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Cork, Kerry, Ring of Kerry and Cliffs of Moher; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

4.2/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#7 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather5.3/10Good
CrowdsPeak seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, busier than most of Europe this month
CostExpensivefor Europe; Ireland-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your August

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 67°F (20°C): light layers; nights around 52°F (11°C): a sweater and a light jacket. Bring rain gear: about 10 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 15 hours of daylight.

Can I swim in August?

The sea averages 60°F. Our swimming guide: cold: short dips, or a wetsuit. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 15 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 06:15Sunset 21:0252°F67°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 06:15 and sets about 21:02 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 52°F (11°C); afternoons reach about 67°F (20°C). Expect rain on about 10 days in a typical August.

Typical afternoon
67°F (20°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Augusts
Night low
52°F (11°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
60°F (16°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
14h 46m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late August?

Early and late August have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 67°F on the 1st, versus 66°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 38% to 29% between those dates.

Early August 1 August

67°F

Typical afternoon high

38% historical wet-day frequency

Mid August 15 August

68°F

Typical afternoon high

34% historical wet-day frequency

Late August 31 August

66°F

Typical afternoon high

29% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Public holidays · 2027: 2 Aug August Holiday.

Daily calendar & holiday datesAugust 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

August 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
167°
267°367°467°568°668°768°868°
968°1068°1168°1268°1368°1468°1568°
1668°1768°1868°1967°2067°2167°2267°
2367°2467°2567°2666°2766°2866°2966°
3066°3166°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons cool from about 67°F (20°C) in the first week to 66°F (19°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 29–38%.

School-holiday dates for August 2027 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open. Public holidays: 2 Aug August Holiday. Elsewhere in August 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 73%, Italy 100%, Spain 100%, Netherlands 90%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds, cost and getting there

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Peak season. August averages 100% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than July.

Overnight stays across Southern do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier than most of Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

Well above usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Ireland as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 129 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
Recorded this month
from New York JFK, Boston, Newark and Chicago; 2024 schedule, Eurostat

Year-to-year variation

How much does August vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 64°F (18°C) and 71°F (22°C); in 13 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 67°F (20°C). Rain days ranged from 4 to 18; half the years had 9–13.

Rain days in each August

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 10 rain days1020112012: 18 rain days182013: 7 rain days72014: 12 rain days122015: 11 rain days112016: 9 rain days92017: 11 rain days112018: 7 rain days72019: 16 rain days162020: 16 rain days162021: 10 rain days102022: 4 rain days42023: 13 rain days132024: 10 rain days102025: 9 rain days92025
Rain days
10
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 16 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
1 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no August in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
7 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded AugustHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201164°F10
201267°F18
201368°F7
201465°F12
201565°F11
201668°F9
201766°F11
201867°F7
201967°F16
202068°F16
202168°F10
202271°F4
202367°F13
202467°F10
202570°F9

Checked against 29 local weather stations. How we check

Compare dates

July, August
or September?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsJulAugSep
Afternoons68°F67°F64°F
Sea60°F60°F60°F
Rain days91011
Overnight demand68%100%34%

July: Less overnight demand. July guide →

September: Cooler afternoons than August. Less overnight demand. September guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with August Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. August stays as your reference.

June to July have fewer overnight stays than August, with a similar or higher Weather score.

Your comparison

August or July?

Overnight stays are 68% of the busiest month.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest well above usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the July guide →
August compared with another month
Typical conditionsAugustJuly
Afternoons67°F68°F
Nights52°F52°F
Sea60°F60°F
Rain days109
Visitor seasonPeak seasonBusy season
Overall / 104.25.2
Month rank#7#3
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January3.0#948°F37°F49°F131.0Low season
February3.0#1050°F38°F49°F141.0Low season
March3.1#852°F38°F49°F111.1Low season
April4.4#556°F40°F50°F92.5Moderate season
May5.1#461°F44°F53°F93.7Moderate season
June5.3#266°F49°F57°F114.8Moderate season
July5.2#368°F52°F60°F95.5Busy season
August4.2#767°F52°F60°F105.3Peak season
September5.5#164°F50°F60°F114.3Low season
October4.3#658°F47°F57°F132.3Moderate season
November3.0#1152°F42°F54°F141.0Low season
December3.0#1250°F40°F52°F151.0Low season

Near here

Nearby places in August

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Better August weather than The south of Ireland

The south of Ireland's weather ranks 76 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Ireland have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with The south of Ireland.

All of Ireland in August · Everywhere in August

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's peak season, 100% of the busiest month and 145% above its average month. That means about 105,000 overnight visitors on a typical August night across the region, 54% of them from Ireland itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 18,000 more: 17 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)61
How our weather was checked29 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.1°C), night lows within 1°F (0.7°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day59
Busiest month hereAugust · 59
Visitors as share of people present5.6%
Rank among Europe's regions this month81st percentile
Domestic share of nights54%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights17
Visitor share if every platform night were extra6.5%
National hotel-price seasonIreland historical 2024–2025 index: Well above usual (+11% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used1.8 million
Statistical regionIE05 · Southern

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.