80 bathing areas and three marinas have been given Blue Flag awards for 2007.
Mayo and Kerry now have 13 Blue Flags each, but the total number of flags is down one on last year.
The three beaches which lost their Blue Flag status are Enniscrone, Co Sligo, which lost out for water quality; Culdaff in Co Donegal, due mainly to environmental management issues; and Doonbeg, Co Clare, which lost out due to safety issues related to coastal erosion and access to the beach.
Galway County Council received an extra Blue Flag for Céibh an Spidéil, Co Clare regained two of its Blue Flags at Mountshannon and Ballycuggeran and Co Donegal also regained the Blue Flag for Killahoey beach.
The awards were presented in Greystones, Co Wicklow, today by the Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche (left).
Earlier, An Taisce revealed that strict rules on recycling almost lost Ireland 20 of its International Blue Flags this year.
Local authorities in counties Kerry, Mayo, Donegal, Cork and Clare moved swiftly to install recycling facilities in order to comply with the new standards for Blue Flag status.
The International Blue Flag Programme awards beaches and marinas with its ecolabel for excellent environmental management.
