Irish bathing water quality by county
The EPA's 2025 ratings counted county by county, with the one Poor water named, and what the ratings do and do not tell a swimmer.
120 of 153 rated Excellent
In the EPA's 2025 report, 78% of identified bathing waters were Excellent and 98% (150) met at least the Sufficient standard. One was Poor: Dún Laoghaire Baths, Co. Dublin.
The national picture in 2025
| Rating | Bathing waters | Share of 153 |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 120 | 78% |
| Good | 23 | 15% |
| Sufficient | 7 | 5% |
| Poor | 1 | 1% |
The four counts add to 151. The EPA's infographic says about 1% of waters were newly identified or not classified, and the report names Belmullet Tidal Pool in Co. Mayo as a new bathing water that needs another season of sampling. The report also records 79 temporary closures after pollution incidents or sewer overflows, up from 34 in 2024, and 205 bathing water warnings, up from 113. Its authors point to heavy rainfall and urban wastewater as the main pressure.
County by county
The table below counts every identified bathing water in each county using the EPA's live data feed, the same one behind our conditions pages. It was read on 29 October 2026 at 21:40 and the classifications are for the 2025 season. A county with only a few bathing waters can swing a long way on one rating, so treat shares with care. Blue Flag and lifeguard columns show what the EPA record lists for each water, not live cover on the day.
| County | Waters | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor | Not rated | Blue Flag | Lifeguard listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clare | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11 |
| Cork | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
| Donegal | 21 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 14 |
| Dublin | 19 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 15 |
| Galway | 18 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 14 |
| Kerry | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 12 |
| Leitrim | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Louth | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Mayo | 16 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 10 |
| Meath | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sligo | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Tipperary | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Waterford | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Westmeath | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wexford | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| Wicklow | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Ireland | 154 | 120 | 23 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 84 | 116 |
Waters rated Sufficient or Poor
- Donegal: Sufficient, Lady's Bay, Buncrana.
- Dublin: Poor, Dun Laoghaire Baths. Sufficient, Balbriggan, Front Strand Beach, Claremont Beach, Sandymount Strand.
- Galway: Sufficient, Grattan Road Beach.
- Mayo: Sufficient, Carrowmore Beach, Louisburgh.
- Wicklow: Sufficient, Silver Strand.
Download the county table as CSV
How to read a rating
The EPA bases each annual rating on the results from the previous four bathing seasons, so a water can hold an Excellent rating and still carry a pollution notice this week. Councils sample before the season and at least monthly during it, and results take roughly one to two days to come back. Beaches.ie advises waiting 48 hours after heavy rain. Our guide to checking bathing water quality before you swim explains the notices, and the sea swimming spots by county guide covers where to go.
Winter swimmers should note the gap. Ratings use bathing-season samples only, so they say little about water in December. Pair them with the live sea temperature readings and local advice from the swimmers who use the place daily.
Frequently asked questions
How many Irish bathing waters were rated Excellent in 2025?
The EPA's 2025 report counts 120 of 153 identified bathing waters as Excellent (78%), 23 Good and 7 Sufficient. One, Dún Laoghaire Baths in Co. Dublin, was rated Poor. In all, 150 met at least the Sufficient standard (98%).
Does an Excellent rating mean the water is clean today?
No. The rating reflects results from the last four bathing seasons. Sewage overflows and run-off after heavy rain can make an Excellent beach unsafe for a day or two, so check the current notice on beaches.ie.
Do the ratings cover winter swimming?
The EPA classifies waters on samples taken in the bathing season, which runs from 1 June to 15 September at a minimum. Outside it, a missing notice does not prove the water is clean.
Cite or share this data
Cite this page: Icy.ie (29 October 2026). Irish Bathing Water Quality by County. https://www.icy.ie/bathing-water-quality-by-county. Data: Environmental Protection Agency, Bathing Water Quality in Ireland 2025 and beaches.ie data.
Free to quote with a link back. Please keep the source line with any figure or chart you reuse.
- EPA, Bathing Water Quality in Ireland: A report for the year 2025, national counts, closures and warnings
- EPA, Bathing water quality 2025 infographic
- EPA bathing water data feed (locations), county table, read live
- EPA, Bathing Water Quality in Ireland in 2025 (publication page)
- beaches.ie, the national bathing water site
Last updated 29 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will correct it.