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.
Barley Cove is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Barley Cove 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Aug 2026 | Excellent | <10 | <1 |
| 13 Jul 2026 | Excellent | 41 | <1 |
| 15 Jun 2026 | Excellent | 63 | 18 |
| 25 May 2026 | Excellent | <10 | <1 |
Barley Cove Beach is a south facing sandy beach backing onto extensive sand dunes. It is located in Barley Cove Bay which provides some shelter to the beach and there is an extensive sand dune to the rear of the beach. There is a large tidal lagoon (Lissagriffin Lake) to the rear of the beach. The beach is used to some extent by anglers, walkers, surfers and windsurfers.
Managed by Cork County Council.
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