Lady's Bay, Buncrana
Co. Donegal, Donegal County Council. Sea bathing water.
Icy.ie is a data aggregator, not a safety assessment.
Swim status: CAUTION
- No temperature sensor within 25 km, so the water temperature here is unknown.
- It is dark or close to dark here (sunset 18:26, first light 07:28).
- No lifeguard is listed for this beach.
Conditions can change. Check flags and signs, never swim alone, know how to Float to Live. Float to Live | Cold water checklist
EPA alert details
Short-term pollution risk. The EPA lists this water as prone to short-term pollution, for example after heavy rain. Wait at least 48 hours after heavy rain. Icy.ie does not check rainfall.
Before you go in
- Water qualityLast sample 14 September 2026, rated Excellent.
- Water temperatureNo nearby sensor within 25 km. Assume it is cold: cold water shock can occur below 15°C.
- LifeguardsNo lifeguard is listed for this beach.
- DaylightSunrise 08:05, sunset 18:26 today. It is dark or close to dark now.
- TideModelled as rising, high water about 23:50. Confirm with local tide tables.
- Waves and windNo nearby sensor. Check the Met Éireann marine forecast.
Read before you swim: cold water safety checklist, cold water shock and Float to Live, bathing water quality, tides and currents, jellyfish and stings.
Latest water quality sample
Excellent
Sampled 14 September 2026 (34 days ago)
- E. coli
- 52 per 100 ml
- Intestinal enterococci
- 8 per 100 ml
Routine monitoring runs from 22 May to 15 September. There is no routine testing in winter, so a sample can be months old. A sample shows one moment, and conditions can change quickly after rain.
Icy.ie checked 18 Oct, 21:49. Sample date 14 September 2026. Source: EPA.
Tide at the beach
Rising
Modelled height now 0.1 m at 21:50
- Next high water
- 23:50, 0.3 m
- Next low water
- 06:10 tomorrow, -0.5 m
Next 24 hours
- High23:500.3 m
- Low06:10-0.5 m, tomorrow
- High13:000.7 m, tomorrow
- Low19:50-0.5 m, tomorrow
Times are Irish local time. These are modelled predictions at the nearest model point, 1.2 km from the beach. They are not a substitute for local tide tables, and do not include weather effects such as surge and wind. Heights are relative to the model's mean level, not chart datum. See tides and currents.
Icy.ie checked 18 Oct, 21:49. Source: Marine Institute model.
Sea temperature
No nearby sensor
No Marine Institute sensor is within 25 km, so we do not give a headline figure that would not describe this beach.
Water near the shore, in shallow bays and in estuaries can be several degrees colder or warmer than a sensor offshore. More at Irish sea temperature today.
Icy.ie checked 18 Oct, 21:49. Source: Marine Institute.
Waves and wind
No nearby sensor
No wave or wind sensor within 80 km. Use the Met Éireann marine forecast.
Offshore sensors differ from your beach. Waves and wind at a buoy far out can be stronger or weaker than at the shore, and a beach sheltered from one direction may be exposed to another.
Icy.ie checked 18 Oct, 21:49. Source: Marine Institute.
Daylight today
After sunset
- First light (civil twilight)
- 07:28
- Sunrise
- 08:05
- Sunset
- 18:26
- Last light (civil twilight)
- 19:03
Plan to be out of the water before sunset. Read dawn, dusk and night swimming safety.
Calculated by Icy.ie for this beach's position. Irish local time. No data feed is used.
Not checked by Icy.ie
These matter for your safety and are not in our data. Check them yourself before you go in.
- Beach flags. Obey lifeguard and red flags. Safety checklist
- Rip currents. Tides and currents
- Met Éireann warnings. Check current weather warnings and the marine forecast. Storms and swell
- Jellyfish and algal bloom. Marine hazards
- Storm overflow and sewage discharge. Bathing water quality
Facilities
- Blue Flag
- No
- Green Coast
- No
- Toilets
- Yes
- First aid
- No
- Lifebuoy
- No
- Lifeguard
- No
- Parking
- Yes
- Dogs
- On a lead
- Accessible
- Yes
- Beach wheelchair
- No
Icy.ie checked 18 Oct, 21:49. EPA record last updated 19 June 2026.
Water quality class by year
| Year | Annual class |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Sufficient |
| 2024 | Poor |
| 2023 | Poor |
| 2022 | Poor |
Lady's Bay, Buncrana is classified as achieving a Sufficient Water Quality rating in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Lady's Bay had a Poor Water Quality rating for the years 2022 to 2024. Significant improvement works carried out by Uisce Eireann at the wastewater treatment plant in Buncrana which has improved the water quality at Lady's Bay. 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.
An annual class summarises four years of testing. It does not describe the water today.
Icy.ie checked 18 Oct, 21:49. EPA record last updated 19 June 2026.
About this water
Lady's Bay beach consists of a sandy beach in Lough Swilly confined by Buncrana pier to the South and a small rocky outcrop 550m to the North. It is one of a series of beaches along the West of Inishowen. Lady's Bay beach supports a number of different plant and wildlife species. Important wildlife species include otters and Mallard, while important plant species include Lady's fern and wood sage. Lady's Bay beach is part of The Lough Swilly SAC which is of conservation importance and contains good examples of at least four habitats listed on Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive. Activities at Lady's Bay beach include swimming, boating, power boating, jet skiing and other land-based activities on the beach. The designated bathing area is approx. 0.02633 km2 and the extent along the water is approximately 550m. There is a medium gradient off Lady's Bay Beach continuing out at a medium slope before beginning to get gradually deeper until it reaches the channel.
Profile for Lady's Bay, Buncrana for 2026
Icy.ie checked 18 Oct, 21:49. EPA record last updated 19 June 2026.
Where the data comes from
Bathing water details, classifications, samples and alerts: Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence (EPA bathing water API).
Modelled tide, inshore and offshore buoy readings: Marine Institute (Ireland), published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence via ERDDAP. Readings are provisional and can be missing or delayed. Icy.ie refreshes this page about every 10 minutes.
Sunrise, sunset and twilight are calculated by Icy.ie from the beach position.