Beach · County Sligo
Mullaghmore Beach
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.
Mullaghmore Beach is a sheltered sandy beach, backed by sand dunes. Mullaghmore beach forms part of the Bunduff Lough and Machair Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The beach consists of sandy dunes which support a wide variety of plant species. There is a wide variety of wildlife and also reefs are located off the coast. Mullaghmore beach forms part of the Bunduff Lough and Machair Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Mullaghmore Sailing Club is nearby and they provide sailing courses during the summer off shore. The bathing area is approximately 300m in length however the beach is approximately 2km in length.
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 | — | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Excellent | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Good | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Sufficient | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Sufficient | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | — | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 | — | 9 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2019 | — | 9 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Facilities
| Lifeguards | No | |
|---|---|---|
| Toilets | Yes | Toilets in the vicinity of the beach |
| Parking | Yes | |
| Wheelchair access | No | |
| Beach wheelchair | Yes | Available during the Bathing Season, booking through the Environment Section of Sligo County Council |
| Public transport | Yes | Local Link bus operates between Sligo to Ballyshannon (route 982) stopping at a number of villages including Mullaghmore. |
| First aid | No | |
| Lifebuoy | Yes | |
| Information board | Yes | |
| Activity zones | No | |
| Litter bins | Yes | Litter Bin near beach |
| Recycling | No |
Dogs and cars
- Dogs on a leadA person in charge of a dog on any of this beach shall keep such dog on a leash of fixed length of less than 2 metres, and otherwise under adequate control from 10am each day, throughout the year. Before 10am dogs must be kept under effective control.
- No cars on the beachNo access for cars onto the beach
Latest sample (2026-09-14): E. coli <10, intestinal enterococci <1 (cfu/100 ml).
The EPA's bathing water profile
Outdoors in County Sligo this week
Best day outdoors: Sun, 11 Oct — dry by day, breezy, up to 13°C
Status Yellow - Rain warning for Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo
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° / 8°Medium rain showers
- Sat, 10 Oct11° / 6°Light rain
- Sun, 11 Oct13° / 12°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 · Co. Donegal · 12 km awayTrá na dTulánTullan StrandBeachBundoranPopular with serious surfers, Tullan Strand is a 2km beach stretching from the north end of Bundoran Town to the Erne Estuary at Ballyshannon.
Nature spot · 14 km awayInishmurray IslandIslandInishmurrayRemote and mystical Inishmurray Island, off the County Sligo coast, was a secluded retreat for St Molaise who founded a monastery here in the 6th century.