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County MayoBlue Flag

Ross Beach, Killala

Ross Beach, Killala is one of the waters the EPA tests and grades in County Mayo, 2.5 km north-east of Killala. 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
2.5 km
from Killala
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 Mayo
Managed by
Mayo County Council
Nearest town
Killala, 2.5 km north-east of it, in a straight line
From that town
4 km by road, about 6 min drivingor 4 km on foot, about 50 minutes at 4.8 km/h
Lifeguard
Yes, hours not recorded
Toilets
Yes
Parking
Yes
Access
Recorded as accessible, with no detail given
Dogs
Dogs only allowed before 12pm and after 6.30pm during the bathing season (1st June to 15th September) otherwise allowed at all times onto beach.
Cars on the beach
No
Public transport
No
Protected area
Recorded as a natural sensitive area
Position
54.2320° N, 9.1979° W
Record changed
2026-03-11
Ross Strand near Killala
Ross Strand near Killala·Steve Edge, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Ross Strand near Killala·Steve Edge, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Coastguard Cottages, Ross
Coastguard Cottages, Ross·Steve Edge, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Coastguard Cottages, Ross·Steve Edge, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

What the EPA says about it

Ross strand is a sandy beach located along the shoreline of Killala Bay. It has an extensive triangular estuary with mudflats lining the sides of the channel. Habitats include an extensive triangular estuary with mudflats, saltmarshes and sand dunes. These habitats support a wide variety of vegetation and wildlife species. Ross Beach forms part of the 004036 Killala Bay/Moy Estuary (SPA) & 000458 Killala Bay/Moy Estuary (SAC) Killala Bay is a designated Class A and B Shellfish Production Area. Activities include surfing, canoeing and anglers. The bathing area is approximately 0.30km wide. The bathing water is approximately 0.60km2 in area. The medium and maximum water depth within the designated bathing water is 0.5m and 4.0m respectively depending on the tides.

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

Ross Beach, Killala, and the other places to swim in County Mayo. Share your position and the map will show how far each one is from you.

Getting to Ross Beach, Killala

Your journey, your way

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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

Ross Beach, Killala is in Killala, County Mayo. 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 Killala, 2.5 km north-east 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 Ross Beach, Killala. On-demand services may not be included.

Getting to Killala covers the journeys into the town itself.

Other places to swim in County Mayo

Questions people ask

Is the water clean at Ross Beach, Killala?
The EPA classified it Excellent for the 2025 season, which is worked out from four years of samples. Ross Beach, Killala is classified as achieving Excellent Water Quality in 2025 based on the assessment of bacteriological results for the period 2022 to 2025. Ross Beach, Killala 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 Ross Beach, Killala?
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 Mayo County Council before swimming.
Does Ross Beach, Killala 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 Ross Beach, Killala?
The register records one, without giving hours. Outside those hours nobody is watching the water.
How do you get to Ross Beach, Killala without a car?
No stop in the national timetable is within two and a half kilometres of Ross Beach, Killala. 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 2026-03-11. 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 Mayo