Beach · County Clare
Carraig an Chabhaltaigh
Carrigaholt
Water quality: Excellent (2025)Parking
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 1 September 2026, was excellent. Live status on beaches.ie, which the EPA updates hourly in season.
The Carrigaholt bathing area is located on the west shore of Carrigaholt Bay.
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 | — | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Excellent | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Excellent | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Excellent | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Excellent | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Facilities
| Lifeguards | No | |
|---|---|---|
| Toilets | No | |
| Parking | Yes | Parking available in village and along road near bathing area. |
| Wheelchair access | No | |
| Beach wheelchair | No | |
| Public transport | No | |
| First aid | No | |
| Lifebuoy | Yes | Lifebuoy located near steeps to the bathing area. |
| Information board | No | |
| Activity zones | No | |
| Litter bins | No | |
| Recycling | No |
Latest sample (2026-09-01): E. coli 74, intestinal enterococci 10 (cfu/100 ml).
The EPA's bathing water profile
Outdoors in County Clare this week
Best day outdoors: Sat, 10 Oct — dry by day, breezy, up to 13°C
- Fri, 9 Oct14° / 11°Drizzle
- Sat, 10 Oct13° / 8°Sun with grey cloud
- Sun, 11 Oct15° / 14°Drizzle
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 · Co. Kerry · 6.3 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 awayVandeleur Walled GardensGardenKilrushWalk, explore, and relax in the enchanted Vandeleur Walled Garden, one of County Clare's most beautiful botanical tributes to Ireland's rich natural history.