Beach · County Dublin
Balbriggan, Front Strand Beach
Water quality: Sufficient (2025)Lifeguards in seasonToiletsParkingDogs on a lead
Can I swim here? Outside the bathing season
The bathing season runs from 1 June to 15 September. Outside it the water is not tested weekly and lifeguards are not on duty. The last sample, on 14 September 2026, was excellent. Live status on beaches.ie, which the EPA updates hourly in season.
Balbriggan Front Beach is a small flat sandy beach with an adjacent working harbour.
Sufficient (2025): Meets the minimum standard over four years.
The record, year by year
| Year | EPA classification | Samples | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | — | 18 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025 | Sufficient | 17 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2024 | Not classified | 16 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | Poor | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022 | Poor | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2021 | — | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 9 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2019 | — | 9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Facilities
| Lifeguards | Yes | 11am - 7pm weekends only in June and fulltime in July and August |
|---|---|---|
| Toilets | Yes | Public toilets (temp) at entrance to beach (near Harbour) |
| Parking | Yes | |
| Wheelchair access | No | |
| Beach wheelchair | Yes | Not available |
| Public transport | Yes | Adjacent to Balbriggan Train Station |
| First aid | Yes | In Lifeguard Hut when Lifeguard on duty |
| Lifebuoy | Yes | |
| Information board | No | |
| Activity zones | No | |
| Litter bins | Yes | |
| Recycling | No |
Dogs and cars
- Dogs on a lead
- No cars on the beach
- Car-free zone
Latest sample (2026-09-14): E. coli 31, intestinal enterococci 6 (cfu/100 ml).
The EPA's bathing water profile
Outdoors in County Dublin this week
Best day outdoors: Sun, 11 Oct — dry by day, light winds, up to 13°C
- Fri, 9 Oct14° / 8°Drizzle
- Sat, 10 Oct12° / 7°Scattered clouds
- Sun, 11 Oct13° / 13°Scattered clouds
Make a day of it
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