Beach · County Donegal
Lisfannon
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 8 September 2026, was excellent. Live status on beaches.ie, which the EPA updates hourly in season.
Lisfannon beach consists of a sandy beach along the Swilly Estuary. Lisfannon is estuarine in character, with shallow water and intertidal sand and mud flats being the dominant habitats. These are exposed at times during the tidal phase during the day. These habitats support a wide variety of plant species and wildlife, including otters. This site is of high conservation value because of the extensive area of relatively unspoilt coastal habitats and the range of plant and animal species that these habitats support. Activities at Lisfannon Beach include swimming, surfing and other land-based activities such as football, kite flying, etc. The bathing area is designated and is approx. 0.6217 km2 and the extent along the water is approximately is 2020 m. The depth of the water on the shoreline increases within 2 meters off the shore to a depth of 0.5 meters and gradually increasing.
Good (2025): A good standard over four years.
The record, year by year
| Year | EPA classification | Samples | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | — | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Good | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Good | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Good | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Good | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Facilities
| Lifeguards | Yes | |
|---|---|---|
| Toilets | Yes | |
| Parking | Yes | |
| Wheelchair access | Yes | |
| Beach wheelchair | No | |
| Public transport | Yes | |
| First aid | Yes | |
| Lifebuoy | No | |
| Information board | Yes | |
| Activity zones | No | |
| Litter bins | Yes | |
| Recycling | No |
Dogs and cars
- Dogs on a leadDogs are not permitted in the proposed Blue Flag Area of the beach from 12 pm to 7 pm (1st June to 15th September annually). Dogs are permitted on leads outside the Blue Flag Area at all times.
- No cars on the beach
Latest sample (2026-09-08): E. coli 135, intestinal enterococci 17 (cfu/100 ml).
The EPA's bathing water profile
Outdoors in County Donegal this week
Best day outdoors: Sun, 11 Oct — dry by day, breezy, up to 13°C
Status Yellow - Rain warning for Donegal
From Thu, 8 Oct, 09:00 until Fri, 9 Oct, 04:00
Heavy spells of rain.
Be aware of potential impacts:
- Difficult travelling conditions
- Localised flooding possible
Issued by Met Éireann · met.ie/warnings
- Fri, 9 Oct12° / 10°Medium rain showers
- Sat, 10 Oct12° / 9°Medium rain showers
- Sun, 11 Oct13° / 11°Sun with grey cloud
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 · 11 km awayIOSAS CentreGardenThe IOSAS Centre and Celtic Prayer Garden, in Muff, County Donegal, depicts the lives of Ireland's Celtic saints. It is a place of incredible natural beauty and peace away from today's hectic pace of life.