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 articleGalway 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.
Trá Inis Oírr (Main Beach) is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Trá Inis Oírr (Main Beach) 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 | <2 |
| 13 Jul 2026 | Excellent | <10 | 1 |
| 15 Jun 2026 | Excellent | <10 | 1 |
| 27 May 2026 | Excellent | <10 | 1 |
Inis Oírr is situated 17km off the Galway coast and 9km off the Clare coast. The beach is on the northern coast of the island and is known as Trá Inis Oírr. Traditional farm practices have helped maintain the high ecological status of the island. The birdlife of Inis Oírr is of international importance due to the presence of species listed under Annex 1 of the Birds Directive. Choughs breed on the island. Other protected birds on the island include Little Tern, Artic Tern and Sandwich Tern.
Managed by Galway County Council.
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