Kingdom flies flag for Irish bathing with best beaches

KERRY has been crowned the bathing capital of Ireland following the publication of the prestigious Blue Flag awards.

The Kingdom has the highest number of the cleanest beaches in the country. Two other western seaboard counties paid the price for serious declines in bathing water quality.

Galway lost Blue Flag status on two of its four designated beaches while three top strands in Mayo forfeited the international award for clean beaches.

Marked improvements in coastal waters in Dublin and Wicklow contrasted with a deterioration in basic water standards at beaches such as Spiddal in Galway and Keem on Achill Island in Mayo, where community leaders are putting the blame on local authorities fore their lack of environmental protection measures.

Spiddal parish council has called for an investigation into a build-up of deposits from a sewage pipe laid by Galway County Council.

Overall, six beaches have lost their Blue Flags for 2004 for breaches of environmental management criteria.

They are: Owenahincha near Rosscarbery, Co Cork (litter); Trá na mBan, An Spideal and Trá Mór, Caol Rua in Galway (water quality failure); Keem beach at Achill, Carrowmore beach at Louisburgh and Mullaghroe beach at Belmullet, all in Mayo (failed guide limits on waste disposal).

Waterford, Dublin and Wicklow increased the number of Blue Flag beaches for the 2004 season. Councillors Strand in Dunmore East along with Portrane, Killiney and Brittas Bay, all recovered their status as environmentally clean beaches.

The number of awards for Ireland - 73 - remained unchanged from last year.

Among the beaches which failed to be designated were Tramore and Spiddal Pier.

New applicants have to demonstrate pristine water quality for two successive years before a flag is awarded.

The International Blue Flag campaign is coordinated in Ireland by An Taisce with support from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Kerry, with 13, received the highest number of Blue Flags in the country while Donegal retained all its 12 Blue Flags. The number in Cork decreased from eight to seven while Clare was unchanged with eight flags.