Beach · County Sligo
Rosses Point 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.
Rosses Point Beach is a sheltered sandy beach, backed by sand dunes. The beach lies between the Drumcliff Bay Special Protection Area (Ref. SPA 004013) to the north which contains the Drumcliff Bay Designated Shellfish Area, and the Cummeen Strand/Drumcliff Bay (Sligo Bay) Special Area of Conservation (Ref. SAC 000627) to the south which contains the Sligo Bay Designated Shellfish Area. There is a nice coastal walk along Rosses Point Penninsula and harbour which continues along the headland to Rosses Point beach. The beach is popular for running, walking and kite surfing. Rosses Point beach is approximately 1.5km in length however the bathing area is approximately 300m 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 | — | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Excellent | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Excellent | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Excellent | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Excellent | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 10 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Facilities
| Lifeguards | Yes | |
|---|---|---|
| Toilets | Yes | |
| Parking | Yes | |
| Wheelchair access | Yes | 2 no. designated parking spaces, footpath to beach, concrete access ramps in place |
| Beach wheelchair | No | |
| Public transport | Yes | Bus Eireann service to and from Rosses Point - Sligo -Strandhill |
| First aid | Yes | First Aid kit and AED available in bathing season, during lifeguard patrol hours |
| Lifebuoy | Yes | |
| Information board | Yes | Beach information board in the car park |
| Activity zones | No | |
| Litter bins | Yes | |
| Recycling | Yes |
Dogs and cars
- Dogs are not allowedDogs are not permitted in the bathing area between 10am and 7pm from 1st June to 15th September
- No cars on 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 · 1.8 km awayConey IslandIslandConey IslandConey Island, off the coast of Sligo, is so named because of the vast quantity of rabbits that call it home. It is accessible by boat from the pier at Rosses Point, or you can make your way over across Cummeen Strand at low tide.
Nature spot · 4.9 km awayStrandhill BeachBeachStrandhillStrandhill Beach in County Sligo is a popular surf beach featuring a number of schools catering for both novices and experienced surfers.