Clogherhead
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
13.5°C
Chilly — most swimmers want a wetsuit
Wave height
0.9 m
Significant wave height offshore; inshore conditions vary.
Tide
Coming in
- High water around UTC
- Low 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
Clogherhead beach is a large open sandy beach that is gently sloping facing mainly to the east. There is an area of dunes and an area of rocks to the north. There are two small rip currents at the north end of the beach. There are areas of sand dunes and rocks. There are a variety of marine wildlife including crabs, jellyfish, sea beet and limpets. The Foreshore Byelaws 2003 are in existence to exclude motorized vehicles from the beach. The average daily visitor numbers to this beach estimated during the bathing season is 200. The bathing area is approximately 1430m in length. The beach at the bathing area is gently sloping into the sea.
This spot’s record
Clogherhead is in Louth, about 11 km from Drogheda. Clogherhead 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), E. coli counts ranged from 10 to 479 per 100 ml. The highest was taken on 25 August 2026. A classification is calculated from percentiles across four seasons, so no single reading decides how this water is rated.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Sept | 10 | 1 | Excellent |
| 31 Aug | 63 | 24 | Excellent |
| 25 Aug | 479 | 65 | Good |
| 24 Aug | 134 | 39 | Excellent |
| 18 Aug | 10 | 3 | Excellent |
| 17 Aug | 10 | 4 | 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
- No
- Dogs
- YesDuring the bathing season dogs are prohibited from the beach between 11am and 6pm
- Public transport
- YesPublic bus
Official water quality
Classified Excellent in 2025.
Clogherhead is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Clogherhead 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 Clogherhead right now?
- Clogherhead 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 Clogherhead?
- the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) classified Clogherhead 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 Clogherhead?
- There are no active bathing restrictions published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) for Clogherhead. That is not a guarantee of safety — assess conditions yourself.
- Is there a lifeguard at Clogherhead?
- Yes — Clogherhead has lifeguard cover. Cover is seasonal; check locally before relying on it.
- What facilities are there at Clogherhead?
- Clogherhead has toilets, parking. 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 Drogheda — about 11 km away.