Beach · County Kerry
Ballybunnion South
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 7 September 2026, was excellent. Live status on beaches.ie, which the EPA updates hourly in season.
Ballybunnion South is an exposed sandy beach facing due west onto the Atlantic ocean, thus the beach can be rough at times. There is a narrow strip of vegetation separating the beach from the road and the footpath which connect the beach and Ballybunnion town. The bathing water of Ballybunnion South is located within the Lower River Shannon, site code SAC 002165. Activities include walking, swimming, surfing and angling. The bathing area is approximately 250 m wide.
Excellent (2025): The highest standard: results over four years were consistently very clean.
The record, year by year
| Year | EPA classification | Samples | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | — | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Excellent | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Excellent | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Excellent | 15 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | Excellent | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Facilities
| Lifeguards | Yes | |
|---|---|---|
| Toilets | Yes | |
| Parking | Yes | |
| Wheelchair access | Yes | Ramp |
| Beach wheelchair | No | |
| Public transport | No | |
| First aid | Yes | Available from Lifeguard hut |
| Lifebuoy | Yes | |
| Information board | Yes | |
| Activity zones | No | |
| Litter bins | Yes | |
| Recycling | Yes |
Dogs and cars
- Dogs are not allowedDogs are not allowed on the Blue-Flag section of the Beach (ie. within the Lifeguard Patrol area) between 11am and 7pm each day from the 1st June to 15th September inclusive.
- No cars on the beach
Latest sample (2026-09-07): E. coli 64, intestinal enterococci 6 (cfu/100 ml).
The EPA's bathing water profile
Outdoors in County Kerry this week
Best day outdoors: Fri, 9 Oct — a little daytime rain, windy, up to 13°C
- Fri, 9 Oct13° / 11°Drizzle
- Sat, 10 Oct13° / 11°Grey cloud
- Sun, 11 Oct15° / 14°Light rain
Make a day of it
The nearest trails, beaches, woods and heritage within 25 km.
Trails & walks
Beaches & bathing waters
Forests & woodlands
Parks, gardens & islands
Nature spot · 7.8 km awayBeale StrandBeachStroll the 3km rocky, sandy beach of Beale Strand in County Kerry around the 'dog-leg' of the Shannon estuary.
Nature spot · 16 km awayGarden of EuropeGardenDating back to 1995, the Garden of Europe is a splendid space found in Listowel, County Kerry. It features more than 3,000 trees and shrubs and has 12 sections that represent the 12 members of the EU when the project commenced.