Marble Hill
Good to go
No current pollution alerts — always assess conditions yourself.
Checked against the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) · data last changed 2 months ago.
Sea conditions
Water temperature
13.8°C
Chilly — most swimmers want a wetsuit
Wave height
1.1 m
Significant wave height offshore; inshore conditions vary.
Tide
Going out
- Low water around UTC
- High water around UTC
Modelled values, not measurements — coastal water often differs from the open-sea model, and tide times are approximate to within about half an hour. Use official tide tables for anything that depends on precise timing.
About this spot
Marble Hill beach consists of a sandy beach with two rock outcrops at the east of the beach. These are exposed at times during the tidal phase during the day. Marble Hill beach consists of sand dunes which support a vast variety of plant species. There is also a wide variety of wildlife at Marble Hill beach. It is part of the Sheephaven SAC. This northern site is of high conservation value because of the extensive area of relatively unspoilt coastal habitats and the range of plant and animal species that these habitats support. Activities at Marble Hill beach include swimming, kayaking, boating, windsurfing and other land-based activities such as football, kite flying, etc. The bathing area is designated and is approximately 0.4415km2 and the extent along the water is approximately is 1330m. The depth of the water on the shoreline increases within 2 meters off the shore to a depth of 1 meter and gradually increases to greater than 2 meters with the slope of the shore.
This spot’s record
Marble Hill is in Donegal, about 14 km from Falcarragh. Marble Hill has been rated Excellent in each of the 4 bathing seasons classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), 2022 through 2025. Across the 12 most recent samples published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), every E. coli count came back at 10 per 100 ml.
Recent sample results
The last 12 bacterial samples published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), most recent on the right. Counts are per 100 ml of water.
Dashed line: 500 E. coli per 100 ml, the Bathing Water Directive guide value for coastal / transitional waters.
| Date | E. coli | Enterococci | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Sept | 10 | 1 | Excellent |
| 24 Aug | 10 | 1 | Excellent |
| 10 Aug | 10 | 2 | Excellent |
| 4 Aug | 10 | 4 | Excellent |
| 27 Jul | 10 | 1 | Excellent |
| 13 Jul | 10 | 1 | Excellent |
A bathing water's official classification is calculated from percentiles across four bathing seasons, not from any single sample — so one high reading doesn't mean a spot is unsafe, and one low reading doesn't mean it's clean today.
Quality over the last 4 years
- Excellent2022
- Excellent2023
- Excellent2024
- Excellent2025
This water has been rated Excellent in each of the last 4 years.
Facilities & access
- Lifeguard
- Yes
- Parking
- Yes
- Toilets
- Yes
- Accessible entry
- Yesvia slipway to North main beach or laneway before parking on the right.
- Dogs
- YesDogs are not permitted in the Blue Flag Area of this beach from 12 pm to 7 pm (1st June - 15th September annually). Dogs are permitted on leads outside the Blue Flag Area at all times.
- Public transport
- Yes
Official water quality
Classified Excellent in 2025.
Marble Hill is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Marble Hill has achieved an Excellent Water Quality rating for the four consecutive years 2022 to 2025. Annual water quality ratings are generally calculated using monitoring results over a four-year period and are assessed against stringent bacterial limits to protect bather health.
Official bathing-water profileCommon questions
- Can you swim at Marble Hill right now?
- Marble Hill is currently marked "Good to go". No current pollution alerts — always assess conditions yourself. This reflects the latest data published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland). Conditions change quickly — always assess the water yourself before entering.
- What is the water quality like at Marble Hill?
- the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) classified Marble Hill as Excellent in 2025. Classifications are a rolling assessment of bacterial samples taken over four bathing seasons, measured against E. coli and intestinal enterococci limits set by the EU Bathing Water Directive.
- Is there a swimming ban or warning at Marble Hill?
- There are no active bathing restrictions published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) for Marble Hill. That is not a guarantee of safety — assess conditions yourself.
- Is there a lifeguard at Marble Hill?
- Yes — Marble Hill has lifeguard cover. Cover is seasonal; check locally before relying on it.
- What facilities are there at Marble Hill?
- Marble Hill has toilets, parking, accessible entry. Facility information is published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland).
This spot is also in
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Nearby swimming spots
See all swimming spots near Falcarragh — about 14 km away.