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County KerryGreen Coast

Béal Bán

Béal Bán is on the EPA's list of places people swim, though not one of the waters it tests in County Kerry, 1 km east of Gortadoo. The State does not test the water here, so there is no grade. The register records a lifebuoy. It leaves 2 of the questions on this page unanswered, and those are shown as not recorded rather than as a no.

No
Blue Flag
No
lifeguard
1 km
from Gortadoo
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 Kerry
Managed by
Kerry County Council
Nearest town
Gortadoo, 1 km east of it, in a straight line
From that town
5.5 km by road, about 8 min drivingor 1.2 km on foot, about 14 minutes at 4.8 km/h
Lifeguard
No
Toilets
No
Parking
No
Access
No
Dogs
Allowed on a lead
Cars on the beach
No
Public transport
No
Position
52.1809° N, 10.4068° W
Record changed
2023-09-16
Beach on Cuan Ard na Caithne geograph.org.uk 447757
Beach on Cuan Ard na Caithne geograph.org.uk 447757·Espresso Addict, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Beach on Cuan Ard na Caithne geograph.org.uk 447757·Espresso Addict, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Beach on Cuan Ard na Caithne, view WNW geograph.org.uk 460023
Beach on Cuan Ard na Caithne, view WNW geograph.org.uk 460023·Espresso Addict, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Beach on Cuan Ard na Caithne, view WNW geograph.org.uk 460023·Espresso Addict, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

What the EPA says about it

Béal Bán is located near Smerwick Harbour in the village of Ballyferriter in Co Kerry. The beach is sheltered from the wind, and is known for its horse and pony races.

Where it is

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

Getting to Béal Bán

Your journey, your way

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Going toBéal BánDestination: the mapped location
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3 When are you going?

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

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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

Béal Bán is in Gortadoo, County Kerry. 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 Gortadoo, 1 km 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.
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Stops near it

The nearest scheduled stop is B an Fheirtéaraigh (636971), 1.6 km away in a straight line. Use the planner to check walking connections for your journey.

  • B an Fheirtéaraigh 1.6 km
    bus 277a
    Scheduled departures from this stop

Getting to Gortadoo covers the journeys into the town itself.

Other places to swim in County Kerry

Questions people ask

Is the water clean at Béal Bán?
Béal Bán 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 Béal Bán?
The register leaves this blank for Béal Bán, which it does for the 89 waters it does not monitor. A blank is not a no. Check with Kerry County Council.
Does Béal Bán 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 Béal Bán?
No. The register records no lifeguard here, so nobody is watching the water.
How do you get to Béal Bán without a car?
The nearest stop in the national timetable is B an Fheirtéaraigh, 1.6 km from the beach in a straight line, and bus 277a call there, run by TFI Local Link Kerry. 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 Kerry