Thirteen blue flags again

WINNER ALRIGHT The beach on Clare Island has retained its Blue Flag status.

Thirteen blue flags again

Anton McNulty

NOT content with having 13 blue flag beaches in the county, Mayo County Council are now planning to increase the number and are looking at Lacken Strand to join the illustrious list.
The announcement of the An Taisce Blue Flag awards for 2007 was made by the Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche TD last week, and it confirmed that 13 Mayo beaches retained their blue flag status, putting Mayo joint top of the national blue flag list along with Kerry. The 13 beaches to receive the award were: Old Head, Beltra, Carramore, Elly Beach, Keem, Dugort, Golden Strand, Keel, Killala, Dooega, Mulranny, Clare Island and Mullaghroe.
Mr Seán Smith, Senior Executive Officer in the Environment section of Mayo County Council, told The Mayo News that it was a magnificent achievement for the county to continue to hold on to its 13 blue flag beaches, ten years after they were the first county to do so. He said the priority for next year was to hold on to the 13 flags, while bidding to add Lacken Strand to the list in the future. There is a number of restrictions to be overcome before other beaches are given blue flag status, however.
“We are looking for a blue flag at Lacken Strand but it takes years to get them on the list and then tested. Lacken has been earmarked but you have to make sure the water quality from the year before is good and the next year you have to work on the infrastructure. If the water isn’t right it is a non-starter but if it is okay you then have to look at accessibility and be careful the beach is not damaged by cars or animals. We would also love to have a blue flag at the Silver Strand in Louisburgh, it is a fantastic beach but there is no way the accessibility would satisfy the criteria,” he said.
For beaches to be awarded a blue flag they must meet a range of criteria, including water quality, facilities, cleanliness and safety. A number of beaches which passed the water quality standards failed on other minor details and Mr Smith explained that new criteria requiring recycling facilities at beaches almost cost four beaches in Mayo their flags, including Clare Island and Mullaghroe. He said the criteria from An Taisce change all the time, but despite this, he said An Taisce continue to do a professional job.
Achill, with five listed beaches, continues to have the greatest number of blue flag beaches in one area with two in the village of Dugort alone. Achill councillor Micheal McNamara said the presence of the blue flags on the island was a significant factor in attracting tourists to the island and praised the people who helped to retain the blue flags. However, he said that visitors were continuing to demand higher standards and called on Mayo County Council to improve the facilities around the beaches.
“I would like to see the Council avail of grants from Fáilte Ireland to help improve the facilities around all the beaches. There needs to be proper accessibility to all the beaches – car parks, toilets and changing facilities. The days of people just coming to the beach for the sand are long gone and visitors are demanding proper facilities when they are on holidays,” he said.