Bertra beach regains its Blue Flag

BERTRA beach near Westport has regained its Blue Flag status.

The awards were announced by An Taisce this morning and the other Mayo beaches achieving Blue Flag status are: Carrowmore, Clare Island, Mulranny, Dooega, Keel, Keem, Silverstrand Dugort, Mullaghroe, Elly Bay and Ross, Killala.

Mayo's Green Coast award recipients (name of group associated with site in brackets) were: Tránaun, Inishturk (Coastal Friends of Inisturk), Termon Beach (Comharchumann Forbartha Ionad Deirbhile), Cross, Erris Peninsula (Meas Mara Lar Ros), Srah Beach (Claggan Island RSS), Rinroe (Seirbhisí Curam Chill Chomáin, Scoil Naisunta Cheathru Thaidhg and Kilcommon RSS), and Portacloy Beach (Seirbhisí Curam Chill Chomáin).

The Blue Flag is one of the world’s most recognised eco-labels. This year Ireland continues to punch above its weight with a record equalling 90 sites awarded, up two on last year’s total.

Seventy-seven of the 80 beaches and all eight marinas awarded last year have retained Blue Flag status for 2020. Bertra in Mayo and Bundoran in Donegal have regained Blue Flag status having lost it in 2019.

The Green Coast Award recognises beaches for their clean environment, excellent water quality and natural beauty. Sixty beaches in Ireland were awarded the award for 2020.

An important aspect of the Green Coast Awards is the involvement of Clean Coasts groups of which there are now over 600 comprised of thousands of volunteers throughout the island.

Announcing the awards from home via Facebook Live, Ian Diamond, coastal awards manager with An Taisce’s environmental education unit, said: “Visits to the beach this summer will not be the same. While we go to the beach to relax and unwind we still have to be mindful of the need to social distance and bringing hand sanitiser in addition to sunscreen with us will take some getting use to.

“We must also bear in mind the additional pressure being put on local authorities to manage our beaches in the most difficult of circumstances. With unprecedented numbers forced to stay at home for the past few months from work and school we must be cognisant of the challenges facing those managing our beaches.

“In the same manner as we have all worked together against Covid-19 we must all exercise personal responsibility to enjoy our beaches in a safe and sustainable way.”

* Photo by Naoise Culhane