County Galway

Trá na Reilige, An Cheathrú Rua

Trá na Reilige, An Cheathrú Rua is on the EPA's list of places people swim, though not one of the waters it tests in County Galway, 2.1 km south-east of Carraroe. 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

2.1 km

from Carraroe

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 Galway
Managed by: Galway County Council
Nearest town: Carraroe, 2.1 km south-east of it, in a straight line
From that town: 2.4 km by road, about 4 min drivingor 2.4 km on foot, about 30 minutes at 4.8 km/h
Lifeguard: No
Toilets: No
Parking: Yes
Access: No
Dogs: Allowed on a lead
Cars on the beach: No
Public transport: No
Position: 53.2495° N, 9.5789° W
Record changed: 2021-06-24

Sandy beach overlooking Costelloe Bay·Gordon Hatton, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Sandy beach overlooking Costelloe Bay·Gordon Hatton, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Cuan Chasla geograph.org.uk 1429013·Jonathan Wilkins, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Cuan Chasla geograph.org.uk 1429013·Jonathan Wilkins, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

What the EPA says about it

Trá na Reilige is located approximately two kilometers from the village of An Cheathrú Rua. It consists of a sandy beach, approximately 50m in length. The access road is narrow but there is some limited parking adjacent to the beach. The surrounding coastline is rugged and there are beautiful views accross to the Ros a Mhil peninsula.

Where it is

Trá na Reilige, An Cheathrú Rua, and the other places to swim in County Galway. Share your position and the map will show how far each one is from you.

Getting to Trá na Reilige, An Cheathrú Rua

Going toTrá na Reilige, An Cheathrú RuaDestination: the mapped location

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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

Trá na Reilige, An Cheathrú Rua is in Carraroe, County Galway. 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 Carraroe, 2.1 km south-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

The nearest scheduled stop is An Cheathrú Rua (631171), 2.1 km away in a straight line. Use the planner to check walking connections for your journey.

An Cheathrú Rua 2.1 km
buses 424 and 431
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Ros an Mhíl 2.3 km
bus 525
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day

Getting to Carraroe covers the journeys into the town itself.

Other places to swim in County Galway

Questions people ask

Is the water clean at Trá na Reilige, An Cheathrú Rua?

Trá na Reilige, An Cheathrú Rua 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 Trá na Reilige, An Cheathrú Rua?

The register leaves this blank for Trá na Reilige, An Cheathrú Rua, which it does for the 89 waters it does not monitor. A blank is not a no. Check with Galway County Council.

Does Trá na Reilige, An Cheathrú Rua 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 Trá na Reilige, An Cheathrú Rua?

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

How do you get to Trá na Reilige, An Cheathrú Rua without a car?

The nearest stop in the national timetable is An Cheathrú Rua, 2.1 km from the beach in a straight line, and buses 424 and 431 call there, run by Bus Éireann and TFI Local Link Galway. 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 2021-06-24. 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 Galway