Nothing adds up as crystal clear waters lose out

It sounds like a typical Irish conundrum — a beach that fails to achieve blue flag status because its water is too clear.

Yet this apparent contradiction is more rightfully laid at the hand of that other regular fall-guy — the EU official.

A mini-storm has erupted in Clare after two of the main tourist beaches in the county, Lahinch and White Strand Miltown Malbay, lost their coveted blue flag status in the 2013 list.

The local authority has blamed “a mathematical anomaly” in the methods used to calculate the results of stricter EU guidelines introduced for the first time this year.

A senior engineer with Clare County Council insists both Lahinch and White Strand have excellent bathing water.

He claimed the inclusion of single-figure e-coli results from both beaches — which typifies crystal-clear bathing conditions — has distorted the overall results.

There’s a complex matrix in there somewhere which hasn’t been fully explained by either Clare County Council, An Taisce or the European Commission.

An Taisce, which oversees the administration of the scheme in Ireland, acknowledges there is an anomaly, but waves its hands in the air like a drowning person about its ability to restore the blue flag to the two beaches in Clare.

Understandably, the issue has raised considerable concerns for business interests in both towns because of their high dependency on tourism.

Environment Minister Phil Hogan might be a much maligned political figure through his lead role in introducing the local property tax, but the Kilkenny man yesterday metaphorically donned his bathing shorts to tog out for the Banner.

Speaking at the Blue Flag Award ceremony in Dun Laoghaire, Big Phil declared he would personally have no problem swimming in the waters around Lahinch.

While such a declaration was obviously made with the best of intentions, it could raise a whole new range of concerns for the local tourist industry.

Then there is the other great Irish anomaly — there is plenty of reason to head to the nation’s beaches as 74 bathing areas here were granted the prestigious blue flag status in the 2013 list….if we ever get good weather long enough to enjoy them.