Please submit to Review of Designated Bathing Area at Silverstrand Beach - Deadline: 25th Sep 2026

Hello all,

There has been positive engagement recently with Galway City Council regarding efforts to remove the watersports ban at Silverstrand Beach, Barna and discussions are ongoing.

We would greatly appreciate your continued support by submitting an email to parks.department@galwaycity.ie in response to their current public consultation, details of which are provided below.

Under European and Irish law, Irish local authorities must identify bathing waters each year so that they can be monitored for safety, water quality and their level of use. Public Participation: Identification of Bathing Waters | Galway City Council

Below is a draft email that you can use or edit as required.

Deadline for submission 25th September, 2026
To: parks.department@galwaycity.ie
Subject: 2026 Review of Designated Bathing Area at Silverstrand Beach, Barna

Dear Recreation & Amenity Department,

I am writing in response to Galway City Council’s 2026 Public Participation: Identification of Bathing Waters consultation to request a review of the Designated Bathing Area (DBA) at Silverstrand Beach, Barna.

I wish to raise three specific concerns:

1. Inconsistency between the Designated Bathing Area (DBA) maps
The Designated Bathing Area shown on the beach signage with the Galway City Council / Water Safety Ireland logos at Silverstrand beach appears to differ from the bathing area shown on the official Silverstrand Beach Profile on the Beaches.ie website. 

Can I request clarification of the precise official boundaries and that any discrepancy between the maps be corrected.

2. Rocky section included within the DBA
The Galway City Council / Water Safety Ireland beach signage presents the DBA as approximately 250 metres of continuous sandy beach. However, approximately 50 metres consists of rocks, which are not shown on the beach signage and can be submerged at high tide. This presents a potential safety concern for swimmers and other water users. I request that the inclusion of this rocky section be reviewed and that the signage accurately reflects the safe swimming area.

3. No designated access for watersports users
The current DBA extends across the full approximately 250-metre section of beach, leaving no clearly identified access area for established watersports users. Silverstrand has been shared by swimmers and watersports users for over 50 years. I believe these activities can be safely accommodated through appropriate zoning in line with Blue Flag Criterion 30 and national and international best practice.

I therefore ask Galway City Council, as part of its 2026 review under the Bathing Water Quality Regulations 2008 (S.I. No. 79 of 2008), to:

1. confirm the official boundaries of the Silverstrand DBA;
2. resolve the discrepancy between the beach signage and Bathing Water Profile on Beaches.ie
3. review the inclusion of approximately 50 metres of rocky shoreline in the safe swimming area;
4. update the signage to accurately represent the shoreline and the safe swimming area
5. consider establishing a 50-metre-wide designated watersports launch and access zone alongside an appropriately defined swimming area to allow shared access to this beach. 

These measures would improve the accuracy of public information, address an identifiable safety concern and facilitate the safe shared use of Silverstrand beach for both swimmers and watersports users.

Kind regards,