Bathing water warnings in Ireland right now
3 bathing waters are under an active do-not-swim notice, and 8 more carry a caution. Every notice here was issued by an official monitoring body — this site relays them and assesses nothing itself.
Checked .
Do not swim — 3
An active pollution incident, or a standing restriction for the whole bathing season.
- Ballyallia Lake, EnnisClareBathing is temporarily prohibitedWater quality affected due to the presence of algal bloomPublished by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) · In force since
- Dun Laoghaire BathsDublinWater quality classification Poor. DLR are committed to maintaining the classification of the Dun Laoghaire Baths at a compliant level and are implementing a plan to rectify the situation that has resulted in the Poor classification for DLB.Published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland)
- Strandhill BeachSligoSligo County Council advises that Strandhill is unsafe for swimming, bathing or paddling. Permanent rip currents run here and are strong even in calm conditions, and there is no lifeguard service. The beach is not a designated bathing water, so its water quality is not monitored and no water-quality reading applies.
Caution — 8
An elevated short-term pollution forecast, a recent poor sample, or a classification below Good. Not a prohibition, but worth reading before you go.
- Lady's Bay, BuncranaDonegalThis spot is classified Sufficient — it meets the minimum bathing-water standard, but it's the lowest passing grade.Published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland)
- Murder Hole Beach (Boyeeghter Strand)DonegalSwimming is widely reported as not advised at Boyeeghter Strand, because of strong rip currents and difficult, remote coastal terrain with no rescue cover. We have found no statement from an official body, so this is not an official prohibition. It is not a designated bathing water and is not monitored.
- Balbriggan, Front Strand BeachDublinThis spot is classified Sufficient — it meets the minimum bathing-water standard, but it's the lowest passing grade.Published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland)
- Claremont BeachDublinThis spot is classified Sufficient — it meets the minimum bathing-water standard, but it's the lowest passing grade.Published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland)
- Sandymount StrandDublinThis spot is classified Sufficient — it meets the minimum bathing-water standard, but it's the lowest passing grade.Published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland)
- Grattan Road BeachGalwayThis spot is classified Sufficient — it meets the minimum bathing-water standard, but it's the lowest passing grade.Published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland)
- Carrowmore Beach, LouisburghMayoThis spot is classified Sufficient — it meets the minimum bathing-water standard, but it's the lowest passing grade.Published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland)
- Silver StrandWicklowThis spot is classified Sufficient — it meets the minimum bathing-water standard, but it's the lowest passing grade.Published by the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland)
What this list does not cover
A beach missing from this page has no published warning against it. That is not the same as being safe. Bathing-water monitoring measures bacteria and nothing else — it is silent on tides, rip currents, swell and cold-water shock, which cause far more harm than water quality does. Some spots are not monitored at all. And Natural Resources Wales and DAERA publish no pollution-incident feed, so a Welsh or Northern Irish beach cannot appear on this list however bad its water is on the day.
Common questions
- How many beaches in Ireland are closed to swimming right now?
- 3 bathing waters are under an active do-not-swim notice, and 8 more carry a caution. Both figures come from the monitoring bodies' own published data and are rechecked hourly.
- Why is a beach put under a do-not-swim notice?
- Either an open pollution incident — a sewage discharge, an algal bloom, an oil spill — or a standing restriction, which is what happens when a water has been classified Poor and the agency advises against bathing for the whole season. Each entry on this page states which, in the agency's own words.
- Does no warning mean a beach is safe?
- No. A monitoring body publishes a warning when it knows of a problem, and bathing-water monitoring covers bacterial quality only. It says nothing about tides, rip currents, swell, water temperature or cold-water shock, which are what most often cause harm. Some places are not monitored at all, and one agency here publishes no incident feed, so its waters can never appear on this list however bad the water is.
- Who issues these warnings?
- the Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland). This site relays what they publish and does not assess any location itself.