Blue Flags have been awarded to 81 beaches and five marinas around the State’s coastline - six more than last year.
Six of the 81 beaches are also among 58 locations conferred with national Green Coast status by Minister for Environment Alan Kelly on behalf of An Taisce.
Portmarnock, Portrane and Donabate in north Dublin, Salthill and Silver Strand in Galway and Rosses Point in Sligo have secured this "dual status", according to the environmental organisation.
Wexford's Ballinesker beach has been given a Blue Flag for the first time, as has the marina at Kinsale Yacht Club, Co Cork, while the coveted status has been regained at Cork's Redbarn and Garretstown beaches.
Five beaches which lost out last year due to works associated with severe winter storm damage have also regained their flags: Miltown Malbay and Spanish Point in Co Clare, Mulranny and Bertra in Co Mayo and Rossbeigh, Co Kerry.
Wicklow’s Brittas Bay North, Enniscrone, Co Sligo and Skerries south beach in the Fingal area of north Dublin lost their flags due to failure to comply with water quality requirements.
Beaches have to meet a total of 33 criteria for the Blue Flag status, which is administered by An Taisce on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education. In the North, 10 beaches and two marinas have been awarded blue-flag status.
Kerry and Donegal are leading counties with a total of 13 Blue Flags, while Mayo has a total of 12 and Clare has a total of nine.
Co Galway’s five beaches retaining Blue Flags include Loughrea lake in the east of the county, while the city retained its two flags at Salthill and Silverstrand.
The five marinas which hold Blue Flags are Killinure in Co Westmeath, Kilmore Quay and New Ross in Co Wexford, the Royal Cork Yacht Club at Crosshaven, and Kinsale, Co Cork.
Green Coast awards, which are given to areas classified as “exceptional places to visit”, were conferred on Bishop’s Quarter and Seafield in Co Clare, for the first time, while Ballyhealy, Ballmoney, Booley Bay, Grange and St Helen’s Bay in Co Wexford also secured this status.
Fingal’s The Burrow and Cork’s Inchydoney East have received Green Coast awards for the first time.
Donegal’s Rathmullan and Sligo’s Enniscrone failed to meet the Green Coast water quality standards, while Ballycastle in Co Mayo and Skerries in north Dublin did not apply to retain their 2014 Green Coast designations.
Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly, who presented at total of 144 awards at Ballinskelligs beach, Co Kerry, paid tribute to the “sterling efforts of local authorities, An Taisce and local communities” in ensuring that their beaches “meet the standards of excellence required for a Blue Flag or Green Coast award”.
An Taisce’s coastal programmes manager Annabel FitzGerald noted that those beaches and marinas which “achieved the accolade” had complied with “strict criteria relating to water quality, safety, facilities for visitors, beach management, environmental education and the provision of information”.
She also paid tribute to the volunteers involved in 440 “clean coast” groups, noting that over 500,000 pieces of litter and other items were removed from the marine environment during some 800 beach cleans last year.
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Blue Flag beaches 2015
LOUTH
CARLINGFORD
1. Templetown
CLOGHERHEAD
2. Port
3. Clogherhead
DUBLIN
FINGAL
4. Portrane
5. Balcarrick, Donabate
6. Portmarnock
DÚN LAOGHAIRE
RATHDOWN
7. Seapoint
8. Killiney
WICKLOW
NORTH WICKLOW
9. Greystones
ARKLOW
10. Brittas Bay South
WEXFORD
COURTOWN
11. Courtown
MORRISCASTLE
12. Morriscastle
CURRACLOE
13. Ballinesker
14. Curracloe
ROSSLARE
15. Rosslare
WATERFORD
DUNMORE
16. Counsellors’ Strand
17. Dunmore East
TRAMORE
18. Tramore
DUNGARVAN
19. Clonea
CORK
PILMORE
20. Redbarn
BALLINSPITTLE
21. Garrylucas
22. Garretstown
CLONAKILTY
23. Inchydoney
ROSSCARBERY
24. Owenahincha
SKIBBEREEN
25. Tragumna
BARLEYCOVE
26. Barleycove
KERRY
CAHERDANIEL
27. Derrynane
BALLINSKELLIGS
28. Ballinskelligs
CAHERCIVEEN
29. White Strand
30. Kells
ROSSBEIGH
31. Rossbeigh
INCH
32. Inch
33. Ventry
CASTLEGREGORY
34. Magherabeg
FENIT
35. Fenit
ARDFERT
36. Banna
BALLYHEIGUE
37. Ballyheigue
BALLYBUNION
38. Ballybunion South
39. Ballybunion North
CLARE
KILRUSH
40. Cappa Pier
KILKEE
41. Kilkee
DOONBEG
42. Doonbeg
SPANISH POINT
43. Spanish Point
MILTOWN MALBAY
44. Miltown Malbay
LAHINCH
45. Lahinch
BALLYVAUGHAN
46. Fanore
KILLALOE
47. Ballycuggeran
MOUNTSHANNON
48. Mountshannon
GALWAY
LOUGHREA
49. Loughrea Lake
KINVARA
50. Traught
GALWAY CITY
51. Salthill
52. Silver Strand
INDREABHÁN
53. Trá Mhór
AN CHEATHRÚ RUA
54. Trá an Dóilin
CILL RÓNÁIN, ARAN
55. Cill Mhuirbhigh
MAYO
LOUISBURGH
56. Carrowmore
MURRISK
57. Bertra
CLARE ISLAND
58. The Harbour
MULRANNY
59. Mulranny
ACHILL
60. Dooega
61. Keel
62. Keem
63. Dugort
64. Golden Strand
BELMULLET
65. Mullaghroe
66. Elly Bay
67. Ross Killala
SLIGO
SLIGO
68. Rosses Point
DONEGAL
BUNDORAN
69. Bundoran
ROSSNOWLAGH
70. Rossnowlagh
LAGHY
71. Murvagh
KILLYBEGS
72. Fintra
NARAN
73. Naran/Portnoo
ANAGARY
74. Carrickfinn
DUNFANAGHY
75. Killahoey
76. Marblehill
ROSGUILL PENINSULA
77. Downings
78. Magherwarden
Portsalon
FAHAN
79. Lisfannon
CULDAFF
80. Culdaff
STROOVE
81. Stroove
Blue Flag marinas 2015
WEXFORD
1. Kilmore Quay
Marina
2. New Ross ‘Three
Sisters’ Marina
CORK
3. Royal Cork Yacht
Club
4. Kinsale Yacht Club
WESTMEATH
5. Killinure Point marina
Northern Ireland Blue Flag beaches
DERRY
LIMAVADY
1. Magilligan (Benone)
CASTLEROCK
2. Downhill
3. Castlehill
PORTSTEWART
4. Portstewart
ANTRIM
PORTRUSH
5. Portrush (Mill) West
6. Portrush (Whiterocks
BANGOR
7. Crawfordsburn
DOWNPATRICK
8. Tyrella
NEWCASTLE
9. Murlough Beach
KILKEEL
10. Cranfield Bay
Northern Ireland Blue Flag marinas
ANTRIM
BALLYCASTLE
1. Ballycastle Marina
DERRY
MAGHERAFELT
2. Ballyronan Marina
