Newry, Mourne and Down has the Mourne coast, the dunes at Murlough and one of the best-known beaches in County Down at Newcastle, and the dog rules are not as simple as the postcards suggest. We checked 7 beaches. Newcastle has a seasonal ban on certain sections from 1 April to 30 September, and Tyrella has a summer restriction on its bathing area from 1 June to 15 September. Murlough has a National Trust lead rule. The other four are marked “check” because we found no dog rule that says what applies.
Mind the sources. We could not find a council beach page or a published Dog Control Order or byelaw naming these beaches’ dog rules, so the Newcastle and Tyrella dates come from the area’s official tourism website, not from the council itself. That is a weaker source than the order text, and the stretches of Newcastle where the ban applies are not described anywhere we could read. We say so on every card. If you are planning a longer trip, our dog walks by area guide will point you to walks near you, and the Belfast beaches guide covers the city just up the coast.
The rules in short
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s responsible dog ownership page says a dog is “under control” if it is on a lead held by someone able to control it, and that dogs must be kept on a lead in designated pedestrian zones and on land where livestock is present. It also says the council has byelaws showing where a lead is required, such as public parks and open spaces, but the page does not list locations or name any beach. The same page gives a fixed penalty of £80 for dog fouling, with a fine of up to £1,000 if it goes to court, and gives 0330 137 4047 for waste and enforcement. The page looks like it dates from the spring of 2020, so check it is current. A beach is not a ban or a free-for-all just because it is on this coast, so read each card. Our full list of UK area guides lists every area guide we have.
Seasonal rules
These two beaches have dates we could find. Neither source is the order text itself.
Newcastle Beach — Newcastle
Dogs are not allowed on certain sections of the beach from 1 April to 30 September. At other times dogs should be on a lead. We could not find which sections the ban covers, so look at the signs on the day. A 2012 party press release reported that Down Council had approved Dog Control Orders for the promenade, beach and foreshore, with dogs on a lead and fouling to be cleared, but we could not find the final order or its dates.
Source: Visit Mourne, Gullion and Strangford, Newcastle Beach page (area tourism website, not the order text) (checked 11 November 2026)
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Tyrella Beach — near Clough / Dundrum
The tourism page says dogs are allowed but restrictions apply during the bathing season. From 1 June to 15 September, dogs cannot enter the designated bathing area between 10am and 6pm. They can still use the western side of the beach and the eastern dunes beyond the bathing area, and must be under control at all times because the beach and dunes are protected areas for seals and seabirds. Other pages we saw disagree: a 2016 resident quoted in a council news item said Tyrella “does not permit dogs”, and Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful’s beach page showed both “dogs allowed” and “dogs not allowed” icons with no text. We have followed the most recent, most specific source, but please check the signs.
Source: Visit Mourne, Gullion and Strangford, Tyrella Beach page (area tourism website, not the order text) (checked 11 November 2026)
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Lead rule: Murlough Nature Reserve
A National Trust site with a lead rule rather than a dated ban.
Murlough Beach — Dundrum / Newcastle
The National Trust says dogs must be kept on leads at all times on the nature reserve, including the trails. Dogs are not allowed in animal grazing areas or ground-nesting bird sections, which the Trust says will be out of bounds. The page gives no rule for the beach itself and says signs will show if the beach has a dog ban, so look for them. It mentions a ground-nesting bird season but gives no dates. Keep your dog on a short lead around sheep.
Source: National Trust, Visiting Murlough NNR with your dog (checked 11 November 2026)
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Beaches with no clear dog rule
For these we found no source that says what dogs may do. Please do not read that as permission, and look at the signs.
Cranfield West Beach — Kilkeel
A beach guide says dogs are restricted at Cranfield Bay but does not say how, and the Discover Northern Ireland page does not mention dogs. We found no council rule. Cranfield is one of the three Blue Flag beaches the council named in June 2026, but that announcement says nothing about dogs. Check with the council or the signs before you go.
Source: The Beach Guide (third-party directory, weak source, no detail on the restriction) (checked 11 November 2026)
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Minerstown Beach — Minerstown / Ardglass
A 2016 council news item asks visitors to keep dogs under control and not let them chase birds, but it gives no lead rule, no dates and no ban. It also mentions byelaws on vehicles, kites, fires, personal watercraft and horses, with no dog rule. Treat the dog rule as unconfirmed, and keep your dog well away from wildlife.
Source: Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Help Protect the Wildlife at Minerstown Beach (July 2016) (checked 11 November 2026)
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Warrenpoint Beach — Warrenpoint
The area tourism site lists this beach with no dog statement, and we found no council rule.
Source: No source found; named on the Visit Mourne, Gullion and Strangford beaches page (checked 11 November 2026)
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Ballyhornan Beach — Ballyhornan / Downpatrick
The area tourism site lists this beach with no dog statement, and we found no council rule. A 2016 local news report has residents asking whether Ballyhornan could get the same wildlife byelaws as Minerstown and Murlough, but we found nothing to say it did.
Source: No source found; named on the Visit Mourne, Gullion and Strangford beaches page (checked 11 November 2026)
View on Google Maps
What we could not confirm
We show a Google Maps link for every beach instead of postcodes, and we have left dog bins and parking out rather than guess. We could not find a council beach page, byelaw or Dog Control Order that names any of these beaches for dogs, so we could not confirm which sections of Newcastle Beach the 1 April to 30 September ban covers, whether the 2012 Newcastle orders were finally made, or whether the council’s own byelaws match the tourism wording at Tyrella. We found no dog rule at all for Annalong, Kilkeel harbour or Rostrevor, and the area tourism site does not describe them as beaches, so we have not given them cards. Rossglass and Dundrum shore are also unconfirmed. We only read the Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful page for Tyrella, and the Blue Flag announcement for 2026 does not mention dogs. The council’s own site did not return a beach-by-beach dog list, and we did not check NI Direct for anything beyond the general dog law. After the sand, our guide to dog-friendly pubs and cafés in your area covers the places that welcome muddy paws.
Staying overnight? Our dog-friendly stays by area guide list places that publish their dog policy. The Causeway coast is a long drive north, and our Causeway Coast beaches guide has its own summer bans. For every area we cover, see our UK dog-friendly beaches guide.
Busy beaches can be exciting for a dog. If yours finds crowds unsettling, the Calmdogs calming bites are a complementary feed some owners keep for days out, though for ongoing anxiety it’s best to speak to your vet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are dogs allowed on Newcastle Beach in County Down?
According to the area tourism website, dogs are not allowed on certain sections of the beach from 1 April to 30 September, and should be on a lead at other times. We could not find which sections are covered, so check the signs.
Can dogs go on Tyrella Beach in summer?
The area tourism website says dogs are allowed, but from 1 June to 15 September they cannot enter the designated bathing area between 10am and 6pm. They can use the western side and the eastern dunes beyond the bathing area, under control. Other pages disagree, so check the signs.
Do dogs have to be on a lead at Murlough?
The National Trust says dogs must be kept on leads at all times on the nature reserve, including the trails, and are not allowed in grazing or ground-nesting bird areas. It gives no separate beach rule and says signs will show if the beach has a dog ban.
Written by Georgiana & Figo.
