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Beaches & Water Quality

Beach information, bathing-water quality, coastal conditions, environmental monitoring and practical updates for communities and visitors around Ireland.

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DONEGAL • IDENTIFIED BEACH

Marble Hill

Donegal County Council

Excellent
SWIMMING STATUS TODAY

No active EPA restriction shown

EPA alert data last synced 24 Aug 2026, 03:20.

NO ACTIVE ALERT SHOWN
Can I swim here?No active EPA restriction shownCurrent EPA alert/restriction status
Current restrictionNone shown in current EPA alertsThis is not a guarantee of swimming conditions. Always check local signs, lifeguard instructions and the latest official advice at the beach.
Latest sampleExcellentIndividual sample result only
Last tested10 Aug 2026Latest sample stored from EPA

Current restrictions and beach signage take priority over annual classifications and individual sample results. Conditions can change between samples.

Annual EPA classification · 2025ExcellentLonger-term annual classification
Latest available sampleExcellent10 Aug 2026
E. coli<10Latest sample result
Intestinal enterococci2Latest sample result
Next monitoring24 Aug 2026EPA schedule where available
Short-term pollution riskYesEPA location profile field

EPA annual assessment

Marble Hill is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Marble Hill has achieved an Excellent Water Quality rating for the four consecutive years 2022 to 2025. 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.

Annual water quality history

2025Excellent
2024Excellent
2023Excellent
2022Excellent

Recent water samples

DateSample statusE. coliIntestinal enterococci
10 Aug 2026Excellent<102
4 Aug 2026Excellent<104
27 Jul 2026Excellent<10<1
13 Jul 2026Excellent10<1
6 Jul 2026Excellent<101
22 Jun 2026Excellent<10<1
8 Jun 2026Excellent<10<1
2 Jun 2026Excellent<10<1
25 May 2026Excellent<102

Facilities & access

Blue FlagYes
Green CoastNo
LifeguardYes
First aidYes
LifebuoyNo
ToiletsYes
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Beach wheelchairYes
Public transportYes
Information boardYes
Litter binYes
RecyclingNo
Natural sensitive areaNo

About this bathing water

Marble Hill beach consists of a sandy beach with two rock outcrops at the east of the beach. These are exposed at times during the tidal phase during the day. Marble Hill beach consists of sand dunes which support a vast variety of plant species. There is also a wide variety of wildlife at Marble Hill beach. It is part of the Sheephaven SAC. This northern site is of high conservation value because of the extensive area of relatively unspoilt coastal habitats and the range of plant and animal species that these habitats support. Activities at Marble Hill beach include swimming, kayaking, boating, windsurfing and other land-based activities such as football, kite flying, etc. The bathing area is designated and is approximately 0.4415km2 and the extent along the water is approximately is 1330m. The depth of the water on the shoreline increases within 2 meters off the shore to a depth of 1 meter and gradually increases to greater than 2 meters with the slope of the shore.