Blue flag beaches - Gifts we must cherish

THIS island – and those of us lucky enough to live on it despite everything – has many of the most beautiful beaches on the Atlantic seaboard.

It is a pity, though, that we do not cherish them as we should.

Yesterday’s news, despite a growing awareness of the elemental need to protect our environment, that only 72 Irish beaches were awarded Blue Flag status is an indictment of us all and our bad habits.