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 articleCork 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.
Owenahincha, Little Island Strand is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Owenahincha, Little Island Strand 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.
| Date | Sample status | E. coli | Intestinal enterococci |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Aug 2026 | Excellent | <10 | 7 |
| 27 Jul 2026 | Excellent | 10 | 5 |
| 20 Jul 2026 | Excellent | <10 | 2 |
| 29 Jun 2026 | Excellent | 20 | 3 |
| 8 Jun 2026 | Excellent | 63 | 1 |
| 26 May 2026 | Excellent | <10 | 5 |
Owenahincha is a relatively gently sloping, sandy beach and has sand dunes to the rear which extend between 70m & 100m. The beach can be subject to very strong wave action and rip tides/strong currents. There is a short pleasant cliff walk between the Warren Strand and Owenahincha. Approx. 1km to the east of the beach there is a Special Area of Conservation Kilkerran Lake & Castlefreke Dunes (SAC 001061). The beach is used by limited numbers of surfers, windsurfers, canoeists, and anglers.
Managed by Cork County Council.
Open EPA beach profile