County CorkGreen Coast

Ballyrisode

Ballyrisode is on the EPA's list of places people swim, though not one of the waters it tests in County Cork, 3.9 km north-east of Goleen. The State does not test the water here, so there is no grade. The register records a lifebuoy and an information board. It leaves 2 of the questions on this page unanswered, and those are shown as not recorded rather than as a no.

Blue Flag

lifeguard

3.9 km

from Goleen

Water quality: Not monitored for a classification
Water testing: Not tested by the EPA on its list, but not sampled for a grade
Season restriction: Not recorded
Pollution after rain: Not recorded
Awards: Green Coast · the register does not say which year's award
County: County Cork
Managed by: Cork County Council
Nearest town: Goleen, 3.9 km north-east of it, in a straight line
From that town: 4.9 km by road, about 5 min drivingor 4.8 km on foot, about 60 minutes at 4.8 km/h
Lifeguard: No
Toilets: No
Parking: No
Access: Surfaced car park adjacent to beach with concrete level walkway
Dogs: Allowed on a lead
Cars on the beach: No
Public transport: No
Protected area: Recorded as a natural sensitive area
Position: 51.5119° N, 9.6613° W
Record changed: 2023-09-16

R591 approaching turnoff to Ballyrisode Beach·Mick Garratt, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
R591 approaching turnoff to Ballyrisode Beach·Mick Garratt, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Toormore west beach, looking north east.·Martin Southwood, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Toormore west beach, looking north east.·Martin Southwood, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

What the EPA says about it

Ballyrisode Beach is a sandy, sheltered beach located at Toomore in Co Cork and is within a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a National Heritage Area (NHA).

Where it is

Ballyrisode, and the other places to swim in County Cork. Share your position and the map will show how far each one is from you.

Getting to Ballyrisode

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

Ballyrisode is in Goleen, County Cork. 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 Goleen, 3.9 km north-east 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

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Stops near it

The nearest scheduled stop is Toormore (254251), 1.2 km away in a straight line. Use the planner to check walking connections for your journey.

Toormore 1.2 km
bus 237
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Altar 1.5 km
bus 265
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day

Getting to Goleen covers the journeys into the town itself.

Other places to swim in County Cork

Questions people ask

Is the water clean at Ballyrisode?

Ballyrisode is on the EPA's list but is not one of the waters it tests, so the State works out no grade for it and none exists. Nothing here says the water is clean or dirty, because nobody has published either.

Is swimming restricted at Ballyrisode?

The register leaves this blank for Ballyrisode, which it does for the 89 waters it does not monitor. A blank is not a no. Check with Cork County Council.

Does Ballyrisode 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 Ballyrisode?

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

How do you get to Ballyrisode without a car?

The nearest stop in the national timetable is Toormore, 1.2 km from the beach in a straight line, and bus 237 call there, run by Bus Éireann. The planner on this page works out the walk from that stop over real footways, and the whole journey from wherever you are starting, for the day and time you pick. Where no footway joins the stop to the beach it says so rather than making a number up.

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 2023-09-16. 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 Cork