Ireland has the highest failure rate when it comes to meeting minimum bathing water quality standards, according to a survey of Atlantic coastal beaches by the European Commission.
The Commission found that Ireland has a failure rate of at 6.6%, whereas Spain has the lowest rate at 0.4%.
The other countries with Atlantic coastal beaches are France, Portugal, and UK.
Just under 7% of Ireland's beaches fail the minimum ‘mandatory’ standard, compared to 2% in Spain, 3% in the UK and 4% in France.
They are the top three EU destinations for Irish tourists, according to CSO figures.
When it comes to higher guideline standards, Greece scored the highest with 99.8%, followed by Cyprus (99.1%), and France (95.7%).
Ireland's bathing places score 82.4% at ideal standards. Spain had 84%, the UK secured 79%.
The information is contained on a new EU interactive map, which covers 20,000 beaches.
Environment Minister John Gormley will announce which Irish beaches have secured Blue Flags for the summer on Monday.
