Redbarn Beach has been awarded the Blue Flag again this year, this is a fantastic start to the 2019 tourism season.
Redbarn Beach is unique in East Cork as the only beach with this accolade. The Blue Flag is one of the world’s most familiar eco-labels. At beaches, the bathing water must comply with the excellent standard in accordance with the 2006 EU Bathing Water Directive.
Owner of the Quality Hotel at Redbarn, Allen McEnery noted, “Cork County Council have done tremendous work over the past few years in maintaining consistent & excellent bathing water quality. Their program of regularly clearing the beach of seaweed has been instrumental in achieving these pristine conditions – even with the dreadful storms and bad weather over the past year. We would like to thank everyone who has helped to contribute to this success.”
Worldwide, the Blue Flag is awarded to approximately only 4000 beaches in 49 countries across Europe, South Africa, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil and the Caribbean. Beaches and marinas that achieve this honour must comply with a specific set of criteria relating to water quality, information provision, environmental education, safety and beach management. The Blue Flag programme is funded in Ireland by the Department of the Environment, Community & Local Government.
Allen finished by saying, “Youghal is renowned for its seaside location and a favourite holiday venue for families because of its great beaches. The pending Ironman next month has had a huge impact on the area already with athletes travelling in advance to trial course. The programme of road upgrades has been very welcome, and I do hope the event is a roaring success. “