The Blue Flag Programme is now one of the most widely known, most recognised and valued eco labels throughout Europe and beyond. It is awarded to beaches and marinas with excellent environmental management.
The international jury awarded the Blue Flag to over 90 beaches and marinas in Ireland for 2024. The Blue Flag beaches in Co. Wicklow are:
- Brittas Bay South
- Brittas Bay North
- Greystones South
Blue Flag criteria
The Blue Flag emblem guarantees visitors a very high environmental quality, not just in terms of bathing water quality but also in terms of the range of facilities offered such as litter and recycling bins, disabled access, toilet facilities, dog control, car parking and educational projects. Councils assist community groups with beach management plans for their local areas and works with local schools on awareness-raising projects. The Blue Flag programme is organised by the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (FEEE) and co-ordinated by An Taisce.
Read more about the Blue Flag scheme
2024 Results
Wicklow County Council welcomes the awarding of Blue Flags for Greystones South, Brittas Bay North and Brittas Bay South beaches by An Taisce in recognition of the excellent water quality and facilities available at these bathing areas.
The An Taisce Blue Flags programme demands consistently excellent water quality over a four-year period.
The maritime coastline of Wicklow is one of the county’s prize assets in our tourist attraction. Our beaches combined with the harbours are a focal point for an array of activities including surfing, swimming, angling, sailing and day trippers.
The Council is delighted that, along with our three Blue Flag beaches listed above, two other bathing locations in Co. Wicklow have achieved excellent status. This brings the number of bathing locations in Co. Wicklow with the status Excellent to five:
- Brittas Bay South
- Brittas Bay North
- Arklow South
- Clogga
- Greystones South
New bathing water classification quality now includes all monitoring data for the previous four bathing seasons (2014-2018 inclusive) rather than focusing just on the most recent bathing season. A new classification of ‘Excellent’ has also been introduced for the highest quality waters. The minimum required standard is ‘sufficient’.
These excellent results could not be achieved without the assistance of the public. There can be pressure points on the Brittas Bay beaches outside of the bathing season of 1 June to 15 September, resulting in traffic and litter problems. The local authority continues to liaise with local and community representatives. The assistance of An Garda Siochana is appreciated in this regard.