County GalwayBlue Flag

Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór

Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór is one of the waters the EPA tests and grades in County Galway, 5.5 km west of Kilronan. 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

5.5 km

from Kilronan

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: Kilronan, 5.5 km west of it, in a straight line
From that town: 6 km by road, about 10 min driving
Lifeguard: Yes: 12-6 7 days July & Aug weekend June/Sept
Toilets: Yes
Parking: Yes
Access: No
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: 53.1317° N, 9.7491° W
Record changed: 2026-03-05

On Inishmore - The beach at Cill Mhuirbhigh·Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
On Inishmore - The beach at Cill Mhuirbhigh·Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The pier at Port Mhuirbhigh·Russel Wills, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The pier at Port Mhuirbhigh·Russel Wills, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

What the EPA says about it

Cill Mhuirbhigh beach is a sheltered sandy shore bounded by rocky shore to the west and east. There is a small area of marram dune which supports a variety of vegetation. The habitat of Machair is located within Cill Mhuirbhigh and this form of coastal grassland supports a variety of rare plants. There is also a variety of animal and bird species including rare species. The rarer plants are listed in the Irish Red Data Book and legally protected under the Flora Protection Order (1999). There is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the island, the prehistoric fort Dún Aonghusa. The whole island is significant in terms of cultural and environmental value.

Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór 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

Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór, 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 Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór

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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.

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How journey planning works

Destination, access and nearby stops

Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór is in Kilronan, 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 Kilronan, 5.5 km 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

No scheduled stop was found within 2.5 km of Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór. On-demand services may not be included.

Getting to Kilronan covers the journeys into the town itself.

Other places to swim in County Galway

Questions people ask

Is the water clean at Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór?

The EPA classified it Excellent for the 2025 season, which is worked out from four years of samples. Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór 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 Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór?

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 Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór 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 Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór?

The register records one, 12-6 7 days July & Aug weekend June/Sept. Outside those hours nobody is watching the water.

How do you get to Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór without a car?

No stop in the national timetable is within two and a half kilometres of Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór. 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