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County Dublin

Merrion Strand

Merrion Strand is on the EPA's list of places people swim, though not one of the waters it tests in County Dublin, 2.3 km north-west of Blackrock. The State does not test the water here, so there is no grade. The register records 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.

No
Blue Flag
No
lifeguard
2.3 km
from Blackrock
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
None
County
County Dublin
Managed by
Dublin City Council
Nearest town
Blackrock, 2.3 km north-west of it, in a straight line
From that town
2.6 km by road, about 4 min drivingor 2.7 km on foot, about 34 minutes at 4.8 km/h
Lifeguard
No
Toilets
No
Parking
No
Access
No
Dogs
Reference bye law for the control of dogs
Cars on the beach
No
Public transport
The beach is served by both train and bus
Protected area
Recorded as a natural sensitive area
Position
53.3164° N, 6.2037° W
Record changed
2022-02-11
The Merrion Strand with views extending to the Pool Beg Power Station
The Merrion Strand with views extending to the Pool Beg Power Station·Eric Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Merrion Strand with views extending to the Pool Beg Power Station·Eric Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Pools and birds on the Merrion Strand
Pools and birds on the Merrion Strand·Eric Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Pools and birds on the Merrion Strand·Eric Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

What the EPA says about it

Merrion beach is a sandy beach with a gradual slope which makes the water too shallow for any real swimming. There is a large inlet of water that remains even at low tide and is known locally as "Cockle Lake". Although Merrion Strand itself has little flora or fauna due to its positioning and coastal connection to Sean Moore Park and the lrishtown nature Reserve, it is a nationally important area for migrating birds.Merrion Strand had been an identified/regulated bathing water and was monitored and managed under the terms of the 2008 Bathing Water Quality Regulations. Merrion Strand was declassified in 2020 due to Poor water quality - it had been classified as Poor for five consecutive years (2015 to 2019). Merrion Strand is no longer an identified/regulated bathing water, but continues to be monitored by Dublin City Council as an other monitored water.

Where it is

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

Getting to Merrion Strand

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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

Merrion Strand is in Blackrock, County Dublin. 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 Blackrock, 2.3 km north-west 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 Merrion Gates (476), 100 m away in a straight line. Use the planner to check walking connections for your journey.

  • Merrion Gates 100 m
    buses 4, 7A, 7 and 7E
    Scheduled departures from this stop
  • Herbert Avenue 220 m
    buses 4, 7A, 7 and 7E
    Scheduled departures from this stop
  • Bellevue Avenue 430 m
    buses 4, 7A, 7, 702 and 7E
    Scheduled departures from this stop
  • Merrion Road 460 m
    buses 4, 7, 7A, 702, 7n and 84n
    Scheduled departures from this stop
  • St Vincent's Hosp 480 m
    buses 4, 7, 7A, 702 and 7n
    Scheduled departures from this stop

Getting to Blackrock covers the journeys into the town itself.

Other places to swim in County Dublin

Questions people ask

Is the water clean at Merrion Strand?
Merrion Strand 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 Merrion Strand?
The register leaves this blank for Merrion Strand, which it does for the 89 waters it does not monitor. A blank is not a no. Check with Dublin City Council.
Does Merrion Strand have a Blue Flag?
No. A beach without one can still have excellent water: the Blue Flag also asks for facilities, lifeguards and information boards, which a quiet strand may not have.
Is there a lifeguard at Merrion Strand?
No. The register records no lifeguard here, so nobody is watching the water.
How do you get to Merrion Strand without a car?
The nearest stop in the national timetable is Merrion Gates, 100 metres from the beach in a straight line, and buses 4, 7A, 7 and 7E call there, run by Bus Átha Cliath – Dublin Bus. 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 2022-02-11. 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 Dublin