WhereToSwim.eu

Beaches rated Excellent in Ireland

Every bathing water in Ireland holding the top Excellent classification under the EU Bathing Water Directive.

Excellent is the highest of the four classifications under the EU Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC), based on E. coli and intestinal enterococci measurements across the previous four bathing seasons. It describes a four-year record, not the water today: a beach rated Excellent can still be closed by a pollution incident, and this page shows each one's current status alongside its rating.

120 spots, grouped by county. Each shows its current swim status — an award or a classification is not the same as today’s water.

Clare

Cork

Donegal

Dublin

Galway

Kerry

Leitrim

Louth

Mayo

Meath

Sligo

Waterford

Westmeath

Wexford

Wicklow

Common questions

How many beaches rated excellent are there in Ireland?
120 — this page lists all of them, grouped by area, with each one's current swim status.
What does this mean?
Excellent is the highest of the four classifications under the EU Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC), based on E. coli and intestinal enterococci measurements across the previous four bathing seasons. It describes a four-year record, not the water today: a beach rated Excellent can still be closed by a pollution incident, and this page shows each one's current status alongside its rating.
Can I swim at all of these right now?
No. 1 of these 120 spots is currently flagged, including 1 under an active do-not-swim notice. A rating or an award describes a past assessment; the status on each spot page is today's. Neither is a safety clearance — bathing-water monitoring covers bacterial quality only, and says nothing about tides, currents, swell or cold-water shock.
Which areas of Ireland have the most?
Donegal (16), Kerry (16), Mayo (14). They are spread across 15 areas in total.

Where this data comes from and what it cannot tell you