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County GalwayBlue Flag

Céibh an Spidéil

Céibh an Spidéil is one of the waters the EPA tests and grades in County Galway, 0.5 km south-west of Spiddal. The Environmental Protection Agency classified it excellent for water quality for the 2025 season. The register records a lifeguard, toilets, parking, bins, recycling, a lifebuoy, first aid and an information board.

Excellent
water quality, 2025
Yes
Blue Flag
Yes
lifeguard
0.5 km
from Spiddal
Water quality
Excellent, 2025
Seasons before
2024 Excellent, 2023 Excellent, 2022 Excellent
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
Blue Flag · the register does not say which year's award
County
County Galway
Managed by
Galway County Council
Nearest town
Spiddal, 0.5 km south-west of it, in a straight line
From that town
1 km by road, about 3 min drivingor 1 km on foot, about 12 minutes at 4.8 km/h
Lifeguard
Yes: 12-6 Seven days July & Aug, weekend June/Sept
Toilets
Yes
Parking
Yes
Access
Access to waters edge.
Dogs
No dogs allowed on designated Blue Flag Beaches during lifeguard hours. Dogs allowed on a lead at all other times
Cars on the beach
No
Public transport
No
First aid
lifeguard huts during lifeguard season
Protected area
Recorded as a natural sensitive area
Position
53.2406° N, 9.3097° W
Record changed
2026-04-08
The pier at Spiddal, County Galway, Ireland.
The pier at Spiddal, County Galway, Ireland.·User:O'Dea, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The pier at Spiddal, County Galway, Ireland.·User:O'Dea, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Beach, Spiddal/An Spideal Looking along the beach from the quay towards the town.
Beach, Spiddal/An Spideal Looking along the beach from the quay towards the town.·Arno-nl, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Beach, Spiddal/An Spideal Looking along the beach from the quay towards the town.·Arno-nl, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

What the EPA says about it

Céibh an Spidéil is a long sandy cove facing east. It is bound by a large stone fishing pier and an area of rocky shore. There is a variety of plants and wildlife to be seen. Otters and seals can be spotted on the shoreline. Activities include swimming and angling.

Céibh an Spidéil is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Céibh an Spidéil has achieved an Excellent Water Quality rating for the four consecutive years 2022 to 2025. Annual water quality ratings are generally calculated using monitoring results over a four-year period and are assessed against stringent bacterial limits to protect bather health.

The EPA’s own beach profile

Where it is

Céibh an Spidéil, 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 Céibh an Spidéil

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Going toCéibh an SpidéilDestination: the mapped location
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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

Céibh an Spidéil is in Spiddal, 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 Spiddal, 0.5 km south-west of the beach. The register records 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 An Spidéal (535221), 400 m away in a straight line. Use the planner to check walking connections for your journey.

  • An Spidéal 400 m
    bus 424
    Scheduled departures from this stop

Getting to Spiddal covers the journeys into the town itself.

Other places to swim in County Galway

Questions people ask

Is the water clean at Céibh an Spidéil?
The EPA classified it Excellent for the 2025 season, which is worked out from four years of samples. Céibh an Spidéil is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Céibh an Spidéil has achieved an Excellent Water Quality rating for the four consecutive years 2022 to 2025. Annual water quality ratings are generally calculated using monitoring results over a four-year period 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 Céibh an Spidéil?
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 Céibh an Spidéil have a Blue Flag?
The register records one. It does not record which year's award, and the flag is awarded each season, so it is worth checking the flag is flying when you arrive.
Is there a lifeguard at Céibh an Spidéil?
The register records one, 12-6 Seven days July & Aug, weekend June/Sept. Outside those hours nobody is watching the water.
How do you get to Céibh an Spidéil without a car?
The nearest stop in the national timetable is An Spidéal, 400 metres from the beach in a straight line, and bus 424 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 2026-04-08. 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