Bathing water quality in Border, Ireland
Border has 27 official bathing waters in the EEA dataset for the 2025 season (25 coastal, 1 lake and 1 transitional (lagoon/estuary)). 81.5% were classified Excellent — 3.1 points above the 78.4% across Ireland — and 0 were Poor. 15 sites have been Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025.
official bathing waters
Excellent in 2025
Poor in 2025
Map of official bathing waters in Border
Sea, lakes and rivers in Border
| Water type | Sites | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor | Not classified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal | 25 | 21 (84%) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Transitional (lagoon/estuary) | 1 | 0 (0%) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Lake | 1 | 1 (100%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Coastal waters are assessed against stricter bacterial limits than lakes and rivers but are diluted far more; see how the classes are calculated.
Most consistent Excellent sites
15 sites were Excellent in all eleven seasons. Ordered by the length of the unbroken Excellent run ending in 2025.
- BALLYHIERNAN, FANAD 11 seasons
- CARRICKFINN 11 seasons
- CULDAFF 11 seasons
- DOWNINGS 11 seasons
- DRUMNATINNY 11 seasons
- FINTRA 11 seasons
- KEELDRA LOUGH 11 seasons
- KILLAHOEY 11 seasons
- MARBLE HILL 11 seasons
- MURVAGH 11 seasons
- NARAN 11 seasons
- ROSSES POINT BEACH 11 seasons
- ROSSNOWLAGH 11 seasons
- STREEDAGH BEACH 11 seasons
- STROOVE 11 seasons
- DOOEY 8 seasons
- MAGHERAROARTY 8 seasons
- BUNDORAN 7 seasons
- DUNMORAN BEACH 4 seasons
- ENNISCRONE BEACH 3 seasons
- PORTARTHUR, DERRYBEG 3 seasons
- MULLAGHMORE BEACH 1 season
Rated Poor in 2025
None of the 27 official bathing waters in Border was classified Poor in 2025.
Changes from 2024 to 2025
Improved (2)
- LADY'S BAY, BUNCRANA Poor → Sufficient
- MULLAGHMORE BEACH Good → Excellent
Declined (1)
- PORTSALON Excellent → Good
How Border rated since 2015
Counts for the sites in today’s 2025 inventory; the Excellent share is calculated over classified sites only.
| Season | Classified | Excellent | Excellent share | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 27 | 22 | 81.5% | 0 |
| 2024 | 27 | 22 | 81.5% | 1 |
| 2023 | 27 | 22 | 81.5% | 1 |
| 2022 | 27 | 20 | 74.1% | 1 |
| 2021 | 27 | 20 | 74.1% | 1 |
| 2020 | 27 | 20 | 74.1% | 0 |
| 2019 | 27 | 20 | 74.1% | 0 |
| 2018 | 27 | 19 | 70.4% | 0 |
| 2017 | 25 | 18 | 72% | 0 |
| 2016 | 25 | 19 | 76% | 0 |
| 2015 | 25 | 21 | 84% | 0 |
All 27 official bathing waters in Border
Grouped by water type, alphabetical within each group. Open a site for its 2015–2025 history, nearby alternatives, weather forecast and the national profile link.
Download all 27 sites as CSV (classes 2015–2025, coordinates, nearest place; EEA data, CC BY 4.0)
Coastal 25 sites · 84% Excellent
- BALLYHIERNAN, FANAD Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- BUNDORAN Excellent Excellent 7 seasons in a row
- CARRICKFINN · Derrybeg Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- CULDAFF Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- DOOEY Excellent Excellent 8 seasons in a row
- DOWNINGS Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- DRUMNATINNY Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- DUNMORAN BEACH Excellent Excellent 4 seasons in a row
- ENNISCRONE BEACH · Inishcrone Excellent Excellent 3 seasons in a row
- FINTRA · Killybegs Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- KILLAHOEY Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- LISFANNON · Buncrana Good
- MAGHERAROARTY Excellent Excellent 8 seasons in a row
- MARBLE HILL Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- MULLAGHMORE BEACH Excellent Good → Excellent since 2024
- MURVAGH · Donegal Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- NARAN Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PORTARTHUR, DERRYBEG Excellent Excellent 3 seasons in a row
- PORTNABLAGH Good
- PORTSALON Good Excellent → Good since 2024
- RATHMULLAN · Buncrana Good
- ROSSES POINT BEACH · Strandhill Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- ROSSNOWLAGH · Ballyshannon Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- STREEDAGH BEACH Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- STROOVE Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
Transitional (lagoon/estuary) 1 site · 0% Excellent
- LADY'S BAY, BUNCRANA Sufficient Poor → Sufficient since 2024
Lake 1 site · 100% Excellent
- KEELDRA LOUGH Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
Compared with other regions in Ireland
| # | Region | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South-West | 30 | 86.7% | 0 |
| 2 | Mid-West | 15 | 86.7% | 0 |
| 3 | West | 33 | 81.8% | 0 |
| 4 | Border | 27 | 81.5% | 0 |
| 5 | Dublin | 19 | 52.6% | 1 |
Regions with at least 15 official bathing waters. Size, water type and how densely sites are designated differ, so the table is context rather than a verdict.
Quick answers
- How many bathing waters in Border were rated Excellent in 2025?
- 22 of 27 (81.5%) in the official EEA 2025 classification; 4 were Good, 1 Sufficient and 0 Poor. That ranks Border 4 of 5 Ireland regions by Excellent share.
- Which beaches in Border have the best long-term record?
- 15 sites were Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025, for example BALLYHIERNAN, FANAD, CARRICKFINN, CULDAFF. See the ranking.
- Were any bathing waters in Border rated Poor?
- No. None was classified Poor in 2025.
- Where do I check whether swimming is allowed today?
- On Beaches.ie (EPA) (Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local authorities). Temporary bans, pollution alerts and closures are published there and on signs at the water, not in the annual EEA class.
Ireland overview · All regions of Ireland · Bathing season dates
Sources and method
Bathing-water records: European Environment Agency (EEA), data and coordinates reported by Ireland, licensed CC BY 4.0. Region and area boundaries: Eurostat NUTS 2024 (© EuroGeographics for the administrative boundaries). Place names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). A site belongs to the area that contains its reported coordinates; a site up to 10 km off the generalised coastline is placed in the nearest area of Ireland. Counts, shares and rankings are calculated by BathingWaterFinder from the official records.