Extra Blue Flag for Wexford this year
COUNTY Wexford has gained an extra Blue Flag beach this year.
Ballymoney North Beach will now for the first time proudly hold the award alongside beaches at Courtown, Morriscastle, Ballinesker, Curracloe, and Rosslare Strand, which all retained their flags.
The county also retained its Green Coast awards for eight beaches at: Old Bawn; Cahore; Culleton’s Gap; Ballyhealy; Ballymoney; Booley Bay; Grange; and St Helen’s Bay.
And the marinas in Wexford and New Ross also retained their Blue Flag status.
The announcements were made last week in advance of the bathing season by An Taisce. A total of 141 awards were presented by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Simon Coveney TD, at a ceremony on the Velvet Strand, Portmarnock in Fingal.
An Taisce paid tribute to the local authorities for all their efforts in ensuring that the sites being awarded achieved the excellent standards required by the Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards. The Blue Flag is one of the world’s most recognised eco-labels. The programme aims to raise environmental awareness and promote sound environmental practices and behaviours among beach and marina users.
The 79 Irish beaches and 6 marinas that achieved Blue Flag status met a specific set of criteria related to water quality, information provision, environmental education, safety and beach management.
The bathing water at Blue Flag beaches must meet the highest standards of bathing water quality.
Some 56 Beaches received the Green Coast Award for the 2016 Bathing Season
Reacting to the news, Cllr Malcolm Byrne said that it is very welcome that Ballymoney North Beach has been awarded a Blue Flag for the first time.
‘Wexford County Council has made a great effort in recent years to ensure water quality is up to standard,’ he said. ‘Ballymoney now joins the excellent beaches at Courtown and Morriscastle in North Wexford as well as Curracloe, Rosslare and Ballinesker.
‘Our beaches are one of our greatest tourist efforts. We should promote and protect them.’