A total of 85 beaches and nine marinas have been awarded Blue Flag status - one of the most internationally recognised and prestigious accolades in eco-tourism around the world.
The awards are designed to reflect excellent levels of water quality, information provision, environmental education, safety and beach management for the duration of the bathing season.
Bettystown Beach in Co Meath has been awarded a Blue Flag for the first time since it lost the award 28 years ago.
The Bettystown Tidy Towns Group, which was set up just seven years ago, was instrumental in raising the standards of their beach along with input from local schools, Youth Reach, and ground crew from Meath County Council.
Enniscrone beach in Co Sligo has also achieved Blue Flag Status this year for the first time since 2014.
Eighty-two of the 85 beaches awarded a Blue Flag in 2023 have retained that status for the 2024 bathing season.
Three beaches awarded the status in 2023 have not retained it this season. They are Rush South Beach in Fingal, Ballymoney North Beach in Wexford and Tramore in Waterford.
The Blue Flag Programme requires that beaches being awarded for the upcoming season have achieved "Excellent" bathing water quality in the most recent annual classification.
Each of the sites to lose their Blue Flag status received a bathing water classification of "Good", the second highest classification available based on analysis of bathing water samples over the past four bathing seasons.
Ten marinas were awarded Blue Flag status in Ireland in 2023 - nine of these have retained it for the coming season.
The Blue Flag awarded to Greencastle Marina in 2023 was withdrawn by Donegal County Council in July 2023 as construction works at the harbour on a breakwater necessitated closure of the seasonal marina there.
There was no application for Greencastle Marina for 2024.
An Taisce is responsible for the operation of the Blue Flag programme in Ireland on behalf of the Foundation of Environmental Education.
Forty-eight countries operate the Blue Flag programme globally and more than 5,000 beaches, marinas and tourism boats will be awarded the Blue Flag this year.
An Taisce is also responsible for the awarding of the separate Green Coast Awards which recognise a combination of a clean environment and natural beauty in addition to excellent water quality.
An important aspect of the Green Coast Awards is the involvement of voluntary Clean Coasts groups who participate in community clean-ups and help manage the beaches in co-operation with local authorities.
A record breaking 70 beaches were awarded Green Coast awards for the 2024 bathing season. That is four more than last year.
However, two of this year's new Blue Flag entrants, Bettystown in Co Meath and Enniscrone in Co Sligo have also been awarded the Green Coast Award.
They are on a list of just ten beach locations around the country that have been awarded both the Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards.
A total of five sites that were not awarded a Green Coast Award last year were added to the award list for 2024.
These are Quilty Beach in Seafield, Co Clare, Cross and Portacloy in Co Mayo, Enniscrone Beach in Co Sligo, and Arklow South Beach in Co Wicklow.
Among these, Quilty Beach is being awarded a Green Coast Award for the first time. Cross Louisburgh is being awarded for the first time since 2013.
Enniscrone is being awarded the Green Coasty Award for the first time since 2014.
Apart from Bettystown and Enniscrone, the eight other beaches awarded both The Blue Flag and Green Coast Beach are:
Fountainstown and Inchydoney East Beach in Co Cork Balcarrick, Donabate in Fingal Salthill and Silverstrand Beaches in Galway City Trá Inis Oirr (Main Beach) in Co. Galway Baile an Sceilg, in Co. Kerry Rosses Point Beach in Sligo
The announcement of the 2024 recipients of the International Blue Flag and Green Coast Award recipients was held in the Galway Bay Hotel overlooking Salthill Blue Flag beach
The awards were presented by Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of Education Hildegarde Naughton.
