Beach information, bathing-water quality, coastal conditions, environmental monitoring and practical updates for communities and visitors around Ireland.
Ireland continues to have overwhelmingly high bathing-water standards, with 98 per cent of officially designated sites meeting the required standard in the latest national…
Read articleWaterford City & County Council
EPA alert data last synced 24 Aug 2026, 03:20.
Current restrictions and beach signage take priority over annual classifications and individual sample results. Conditions can change between samples.
Ardmore Beach is classified as achieving Good Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Ardmore Beach has achieved an Excellent Water Quality rating for the three consecutive years 2022 to 2024. 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.
| Date | Sample status | E. coli | Intestinal enterococci |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Aug 2026 | Excellent | <10 | 4 |
| 27 Jul 2026 | Excellent | 20 | 40 |
| 17 Jul 2026 | Excellent | 20 | 69 |
| 29 Jun 2026 | Excellent | <10 | 3 |
| 15 Jun 2026 | Excellent | 164 | 66 |
| 2 Jun 2026 | Excellent | 111 | 40 |
| 27 May 2026 | Excellent | <10 | 1 |
Ardmore is a sandy beach with a gentle slope down to the low water mark and beyond. Helvick Head to the east and Youghal harbour to the west of Ardmore beach are both special areas of conservation and/or special protected area. This is due to wildlife which is supported throughout the region. Activities include swimming, surfing, body-boarding and kayaking. While the beach is 1 km long, the designated bathing area is approximately 500 metres long and 100 metres wide (at low tide).
Managed by Waterford City & County Council.
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