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County DonegalGreen Coast

Drumnatinny

Drumnatinny is one of the waters the EPA tests and grades in County Donegal, 3.1 km north of Falcarragh. The Environmental Protection Agency classified it excellent for water quality for the 2025 season. The register records parking, bins and an information board.

Excellent
water quality, 2025
No
Blue Flag
No
lifeguard
3.1 km
from Falcarragh
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
Green Coast · the register does not say which year's award
County
County Donegal
Managed by
Donegal County Council
Nearest town
Falcarragh, 3.1 km north of it, in a straight line
From that town
4 km by road, about 6 min driving
Lifeguard
No
Toilets
No
Parking
Yes
Access
No
Dogs
Allowed on a lead
Cars on the beach
No
Public transport
No
Protected area
Recorded as a natural sensitive area
Position
55.1630° N, 8.0875° W
Record changed
2026-03-23
Beach near Errarooey Long strand near Errarooey about a mile north of Falcarragh.
Beach near Errarooey Long strand near Errarooey about a mile north of Falcarragh.·Ross, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Beach near Errarooey Long strand near Errarooey about a mile north of Falcarragh.·Ross, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Ray River at Errarooey beach With Muckish Mountain in the distance.
The Ray River at Errarooey beach With Muckish Mountain in the distance.·David Baird, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Ray River at Errarooey beach With Muckish Mountain in the distance.·David Baird, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

What the EPA says about it

Drumnatinny beach consists of a long sandy north facing beach; confined by Ballyness Bay to the West and by Crockagarran and a small series of headlands to the East. There is a wide variety plant species especially amongst the vegetated dunes. There are also varied ranges of bird and animal species. Ballyness Bay exposes extensive mud flats and sand flats at low tides. Activities at Drumnatinny beach include swimming, kayaking, boating, surfing, windsurfing, sailing, power boating and other land based activities on the beach with the majority of users walking along the long shore. The designated bathing area is approx. 1.317km2 and the extent along the water is approximately is 4250m. There is an evenly sloped gradient off the beach getting to a depth of 1m approximately 10m out from the water line.

Drumnatinny is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Drumnatinny 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

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

Getting to Drumnatinny

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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

Drumnatinny is in Falcarragh, County Donegal. 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 Falcarragh, 3.1 km north 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 Drumnatinny. On-demand services may not be included.

Getting to Falcarragh covers the journeys into the town itself.

Other places to swim in County Donegal

Questions people ask

Is the water clean at Drumnatinny?
The EPA classified it Excellent for the 2025 season, which is worked out from four years of samples. Drumnatinny is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Drumnatinny 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 Drumnatinny?
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 Donegal County Council before swimming.
Does Drumnatinny 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 Drumnatinny?
No. The register records no lifeguard here, so nobody is watching the water.
How do you get to Drumnatinny without a car?
No stop in the national timetable is within two and a half kilometres of Drumnatinny. 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 2026-03-23. 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 Donegal