Balcarrick Beach, Donabate
Donabate is situated in North County Dublin with easy access from the M50 and M1 motorways. The name Donabate has its origin in two Irish words. Domhnach is an old Irish word for church, often used for churches particularly associated with St. Patrick, as is the case in this area with its strong traditional associations with Ireland's patron saint. The remains of the original church are preserved in the graveyard of the current St. Patrick's church. Bate comes from the Irish word for boat or ferry.
Balcarrick Beach in Donabate is a long sandy beach, 3.4 km's in length, consisting of a large sandy dune area, which has formed over the last 25-30 years. There are a number of pedestrian accesses to the beach. Public toilets and a lifeguard station incorporating a First Aid Station are provided at the beach. Donabate also has five golf courses within its environs.
There is a large public car-park at the beach. Donabate village is served by the No. 33B bus service; the beach is about a 20-minute walk from the bus stop. Donabate train station is located in the centre of the town and again the beach is about a 20-minute walk from the train station.
Locate Donabate Beach on MapBlue Flag Beach
Balcarrick Beach has been awarded with a Blug Flag for the 2007 bathing season. The Blus Flag is a well-recognised eco-label awarded to beaches and marinas with excellent environmental managment. The Internationl Blue Flag Campaign is owned by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and operated by An Taisce in Ireland. This beach also achieved Blue Flag status in 2006 and 2005. One other beach in the Fingal area was awarded with a Blue Flag in 2007, this is Portrane, Burrow Beach. To gain a Blue Flag, beaches have to meet 29 criteria covering Environmental Education and Information, Water Quality, Environmental Management and Safety and Services. Further information on Blue Flags is available from An Taisce's website.
Bathing Water Quality
Balcarrick Beach in Donabate is one of the designated beaches under the Quality of Bathing Waters Regulations, 1992. Regular monitoring is carried out on the beach during the summer months as required by the Regulations.
You can download the charts below to view the Bathing Water Quality for Balcarrick Beach.
Lifeguard Information
All potential visitors to the beach are reminded of the dangers that exist along our coastline during the bathing season.
Balcarrick Beach in Donabate is guarded by Lifeguards during the bathing season. Lifeguard cover will be provided on weekends only for June and July.
Daily cover will be provided from Monday to Sunday during August (11.00 am to 7.00pm).
The presence of lifeguards on duty is indicated by the flying of the red/yellow flag.
The Sand Dunes
The sand dunes on Donabate beach are an important natural feature. Sand dunes are a sensitive habitat and depend on marram grass to stop the wind from blowing the sand away. The root system of the marram grass acts as a protective cover for the dunes. The dunes can be eroded by the action of the wind and tides and by excessive trampling. You can help to prevent erosion of the dunes by walking and playing on the strand rather than in the dunes.
The Rock Pools
There are plenty of interesting creatures to be seen in the rock pools when the tide is out. Visitors are asked to be careful, as the rocks can be slippy.
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