County Dublin

Shelley Banks

Shelley Banks is on the EPA's list of places people swim, though not one of the waters it tests in County Dublin, 4.1 km north of Blackrock. The State does not test the water here, so there is no grade. The register records parking, a lifebuoy and 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.

Blue Flag

lifeguard

4.1 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, 4.1 km north of it, in a straight line
From that town: 8.3 km by road, about 14 min drivingor 7.4 km on foot, about 92 minutes at 4.8 km/h
Lifeguard: No
Toilets: No
Parking: Yes
Access: Car Park adjacent to the beach. Ramp down onto the beach.
Dogs: Allowed on a lead
Cars on the beach: No
Public transport: No
Protected area: Recorded as a natural sensitive area
Position: 53.3388° N, 6.1822° W
Record changed: 2023-09-16

Couldn't walk the pier to the Poolbeg Lighthouse...·Daniel Dudek from Lusk, Co. Dublin, Ireland, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Couldn't walk the pier to the Poolbeg Lighthouse...·Daniel Dudek from Lusk, Co. Dublin, Ireland, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Dublin Harbour, Poolbeg Power Station·David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Dublin Harbour, Poolbeg Power Station·David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

What the EPA says about it

Shelly Banks beach is located at the end of Southbank Road.

Where it is

Shelley Banks, 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 Shelley Banks

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

Shelley Banks 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, 4.1 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.

Get directions

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Stops near it

The nearest scheduled stop is Ferry Port Termnl 1 (2270), 1.2 km away in a straight line. Use the planner to check walking connections for your journey.

Ferry Port Termnl 1 1.2 km
buses 53 and 853
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Ferry Port Termnl 2 1.5 km
bus 53
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Ferry Termnl 2 1.6 km
bus 853
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Alexandra Rd East 1.9 km
bus 53
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Breakwater Rd 2.0 km
bus 53
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day

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 Shelley Banks?

Shelley Banks 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 Shelley Banks?

The register leaves this blank for Shelley Banks, which it does for the 89 waters it does not monitor. A blank is not a no. Check with Dublin City Council.

Does Shelley Banks 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 Shelley Banks?

No. The register records no lifeguard here, so nobody is watching the water.

How do you get to Shelley Banks without a car?

The nearest stop in the national timetable is Ferry Port Termnl 1, 1.2 km from the beach in a straight line, and buses 53 and 853 call there, run by Bus Átha Cliath – Dublin Bus and Nolan Coaches. 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 2023-09-16. 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