More than three-quarters of bathing sites in Ireland have been judged “excellent” with only one single beach in the whole country failing to make the grade.
Every year, the European Environment Agency (EEA) gathers together data on water quality at more than 22,200 bathing sites across Europe.
Dún Laoghaire Baths south of Dublin was the only site in Ireland where water was judged to be “poor” in 2025.
It is the first time the baths have been included in the EEA data and it is a disappointment for Dún Laoghaire which has spent money restoring the site, including with EU funding.
Across Ireland, water was routinely tested at 153 bathing sites, mainly around the coastline.
The EU concluded that a large majority of Irish locations – 78 percent – had “excellent” bathing water, down slightly on last year. At 15 percent, the standard was “good” and just seven sites scraped through with a “sufficient” rating.
Across Europe, 96 percent of all EU sites monitored met the minimum quality standards.
The highest share for “excellent” quality bathing waters is found in Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece — with a total of 95 percent or higher, the EEA said
The European Commission pointed at strong environmental law and stringent standards as key to explaining the broadly high standards.
“Europe’s bathing water results once again demonstrate the value of EU environmental legislation and decades of investment in wastewater treatment and water management,” said European Environment Commissioner, Jessika Roswall.
“Thanks to these efforts, Europeans can enjoy some of the world’s highest bathing water standards. At the same time, protecting our waters requires continued action on wider challenges such as pollution, biodiversity loss and the impacts of climate change, which are at the heart of our work to strengthen Europe’s water resilience.”