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County Westmeath

Portnashangan, Lough Owel

Portnashangan, Lough Owel is one of the waters the EPA tests and grades in County Westmeath, 5.8 km south of Multyfarnham. The Environmental Protection Agency classified it excellent for water quality for the 2025 season. The register records toilets, parking, bins and an information board.

Excellent
water quality, 2025
No
Blue Flag
No
lifeguard
5.8 km
from Multyfarnham
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
Not prone to it
Awards
None
County
County Westmeath
Managed by
Westmeath County Council
Nearest town
Multyfarnham, 5.8 km south of it, in a straight line
From that town
6.3 km by road, about 7 min driving
Lifeguard
No
Toilets
Yes
Parking
Yes
Access
No
Dogs
Not allowed
Cars on the beach
No
Public transport
No
Protected area
Recorded as a natural sensitive area
Position
53.5752° N, 7.3679° W
Record changed
2026-03-23
Lough Owel, County Westmeath
Lough Owel, County Westmeath·Sarah777, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Lough Owel, County Westmeath·Sarah777, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Lough Owel, County Westmeath
Lough Owel, County Westmeath·Sarah777, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Lough Owel, County Westmeath·Sarah777, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

What the EPA says about it

Portnashangan is an inland water bathing area located on the shores of Lough Owel. It is a relatively shallow lake with a rocky, marl covered bottom. Lough Owel supports a diverse aquatic flora; such as pond weed and stoneworts. The bathing area is a popular bathing area. Jet ski bye laws prohibit use of jet skis on the lake. The bathing area extends over an area of approximately 50meters wide and 130 meters long (c.0.62Ha).

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

Portnashangan, Lough Owel, and the other places to swim in County Westmeath. Share your position and the map will show how far each one is from you.

Getting to Portnashangan, Lough Owel

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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

Portnashangan, Lough Owel is in Multyfarnham, County Westmeath. 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 Multyfarnham, 5.8 km south 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 Portnashangan, Lough Owel. On-demand services may not be included.

Getting to Multyfarnham covers the journeys into the town itself.

Other places to swim in County Westmeath

Questions people ask

Is the water clean at Portnashangan, Lough Owel?
The EPA classified it Excellent for the 2025 season, which is worked out from four years of samples. Portnashangan, Lough Owel is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Portnashangan, Lough Owel 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 Portnashangan, Lough Owel?
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 the register says nothing about short term pollution here. Check with Westmeath County Council before swimming.
Does Portnashangan, Lough Owel 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 Portnashangan, Lough Owel?
No. The register records no lifeguard here, so nobody is watching the water.
How do you get to Portnashangan, Lough Owel without a car?
No stop in the national timetable is within two and a half kilometres of Portnashangan, Lough Owel. 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 Westmeath