Dog's Bay is located close to Roundstone village , Co Galway and has a horseshoe shape with more than a mile long stretch of white sandy beach. The beach is naturally protected by the headland which it faces to the south and this is a popular destination for holidaymakers in the summer. The area has international importance for its rare and interesting ecological, geological and archaeological features. The sand and grassland habitats are of particular interest as the sand was not formed from rocks, but rather from the shells of tiny sea creatures known as foraminifera. The grasslands, made up of machair vegetation is considered rare and is found only on the west coast of Ireland and Scotland.