County GalwayGreen Coast

Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach

Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach is one of the waters the EPA tests and grades in County Galway, 5.1 km west of Ballyconneely. The Environmental Protection Agency classified it excellent for water quality for the 2025 season. The register records a lifebuoy and an information board.

Excellent

water quality, 2025

Blue Flag

lifeguard

5.1 km

from Ballyconneely

Water quality: Excellent, 2025
Seasons before: 2024 Excellent, 2023 Excellent, 2022 Not classified
Water testing: Tested by the EPA sampled through the season and given a water quality grade
Season restriction: None in place
Pollution after rain: Prone to short term pollution
Awards: Green Coast · the register does not say which year's award
County: County Galway
Managed by: Galway County Council
Nearest town: Ballyconneely, 5.1 km west of it, in a straight line
From that town: 5.9 km by road, about 9 min driving
Lifeguard: No
Toilets: No
Parking: No
Access: No
Dogs: No
Cars on the beach: No
Public transport: No
Position: 53.4199° N, 10.1489° W
Record changed: 2026-03-05

Aillebrack Bay·Jonathan Wilkins, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Aillebrack Bay·Jonathan Wilkins, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Beach view, Creig an Duibh·Jonathan Wilkins, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Beach view, Creig an Duibh·Jonathan Wilkins, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

What the EPA says about it

<p dir="LTR" align="LEFT">Aillebrack/Silverhill is a beautiful sandy beach located on the Ballyconneely Peninsula in County Galway. The beach is located approximately 5 km west of the village of Ballyconneely and is accessed by a local road L1106. The area consists of several sandy strands and rocky headlands and its main aspect is to the south. The longest stretch of strand is approximately 340m. A golf course is located to the north and a caravan and camping site is located to the west. It has been awarded a Green Coast Award for many years in recognition of its excellent water quality and community involvement in the management of the area.

Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach achieved and Excellent Water Quality rating in 2024 and 2023. Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach was newly 'identified' in 2021 as a beach for monitoring, management, assessment and reporting under the requirements of the 2008 Bathing Water Quality Regulations. It was not possible to assign an annual water quality rating/classification in 2022 because the minimum number of required samples (at least 16) were not available to calculate the classification. Annual water quality ratings are generally calculated using monitoring results over a four-year period (or for less years in certain circumstances) and are assessed against stringent bacterial limits to protect bather health.

The EPA’s own beach profile

Where it is

Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach, and the other places to swim in County Galway. Share your position and the map will show how far each one is from you.

Getting to Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach

Going toAillebrack/Silverhill BeachDestination: the mapped location

1 Where are you starting?

Starting town or village

Type at least two letters, then choose a suggestion.

Nearby starting points

2 How would you like to travel?

3 When are you going?

All times are local to Ireland. Scheduled services, without live delay updates.

Journey preferences Transport type and sorting

TransportSort journeys by

Choose a starting point to plan your journey.

About these directions

Public transport times come from National Transport Authority. Timetables cover 2026-09-18 to 2027-09-19. These are scheduled services; check with the operator for cancellations and changes before travelling.

Walking and driving times are estimates. A town search starts at its centre; choose your location or a point on the map for a more precise starting point. Eircode search is not available.

How journey planning works

Destination, access and nearby stops

Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach is in Ballyconneely, County Galway. Routes here end at the point the map records for this place. The entrance has not been verified, so the last few metres are for you to judge.

The nearest settlement is Ballyconneely, 5.1 km west of the beach. The register records no parking here. Getting to the town is not getting to the beach, so the journey below is worked out to the beach itself and the last stretch on foot is measured rather than left out.

Get directions

Or open it inGoogle Mapsdirections Apple Mapsdirections Wazedriving satnav

Stops near it

No scheduled stop was found within 2.5 km of Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach. On-demand services may not be included.

Getting to Ballyconneely covers the journeys into the town itself.

Other places to swim in County Galway

Questions people ask

Is the water clean at Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach?

The EPA classified it Excellent for the 2025 season, which is worked out from four years of samples. Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach achieved and Excellent Water Quality rating in 2024 and 2023. Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach was newly 'identified' in 2021 as a beach for monitoring, management, assessment and reporting under the requirements of the 2008 Bathing Water Quality Regulations. It was not possible to assign an annual water quality rating/classification in 2022 because the minimum number of required samples (at least 16) were not available to calculate the classification. Annual water quality ratings are generally calculated using monitoring results over a four-year period (or for less years in certain circumstances) and are assessed against stringent bacterial limits to protect bather health. A classification is a record of seasons that have finished; it is not a reading of the water today.

Is swimming restricted at Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach?

The register records no season-long restriction. That is about the season, not about today: a short notice after heavy rain would not appear here, and this water is recorded as prone to short term pollution. Check with Galway County Council before swimming.

Does Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach have a Blue Flag?

No Blue Flag, but the register records a Green Coast award, which recognises clean water and an unspoilt shore rather than facilities.

Is there a lifeguard at Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach?

No. The register records no lifeguard here, so nobody is watching the water.

How do you get to Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach without a car?

No stop in the national timetable is within two and a half kilometres of Aillebrack/Silverhill Beach. That is what the published timetable holds rather than a statement that nothing goes near: services that run on demand, and routes that file no schedule, are not in the feed at all.

Where does this come from?

The Environmental Protection Agency's list of places people swim, which it calls the bathing water register, read on 2026-09-20, where this record was last changed on 2026-03-05. Water quality, awards, lifeguards and facilities are the EPA's own fields, and a field it leaves blank is shown as not recorded rather than as a no. The distance to the nearest town is this site's own measurement, in a straight line.

Water quality, awards, lifeguards, toilets, parking and access are the Environmental Protection Agency’s own fields, from its bathing water register, read 2026-09-20. The classification covers four years of sampling and is not a reading for today: after heavy rain the water can be worse than the classification suggests, and the EPA and the local authority post notices when it is. Positions are the EPA’s grid references, projected to latitude and longitude. Journeys are the National Transport Authority’s published timetable.

Beaches and bathing waters in Ireland·Beaches in County Galway