#COASTAL NOTES - The famed Blackrock Baths are to be demolished after county councillors deemed the now-derelict facility as "dangerous", The Irish Times reports.

Dating from 1839, the seafront baths were once Ireland's top venue for watersports, featuring a 50-metre pool and a diving platform that is still a feature of the south Dublin coastal vista.

However since the baths closed in the 1980s the site fell into disrepair. In 1997 the freehold for the site was purchased by Treasury Holdings Ltd, one of the companies most severely affected by the collapse of the property market.

In a statement, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said that the baths had suffered from extensive weathering and erosion "making the structures and adjoining land dangerous for members of the public". The diving platform was also found to have corroded and detached from its base.

A council inspection saw the bath facilities declared as "dangerous structures", and demolition work on those elements is set to commence shortly.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

#COASTAL NOTES - The Irish Times reports that Balbriggan Beach was reopened for swimming yesterday 31 August after the latest in a string of E.coli scares around the Irish coast.

The beach at the north Co Dublin coastal town was closed to bathers after a pumping station malfunction caused raw sewage to be pumped into the sea for up to 24 hours earlier this week.

E.coli levels were subsequently recorded at five times the maximum EU safety limit, and as much as 100 times the Blue Flag standard for European beaches.

The incident raised concerns among campaigners opposed to the proposed new water treatment 'super plant' for Fingal.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, worries have been expressed by locals in the towns of Skerries, Loughskinny and Rush about the effects of the planned outfall pipe in their area.

The Balbriggan swimming ban marked the second beach closure in north Dublin during August, after the waters at Rush South were found to be contaminated with E.coli over the bank holiday weekend.

A bathing ban was also imposed on seven beaches in Cork last month due to high levels of the bacteria, while a breach of safe levels at Salthill in Galway last week caused concern ahead of tomorrow's Ironman 70.3 triathlon.

#SEAFRONT TOURS –The final Seafront Memorials Tour is to take place this Saturday (September 1st), where you can take in local historical landmarks, along the coast road and East Pier of Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

The tour is free and covers coastal memorials to include the Queen Victoria Fountain, George IV Memorial, the mailboat R.M.S. Leinster's anchor, the Crimean War Cannon and the 1895 Lifeboat Disaster.

The tours start at the Queen Victoria Fountain (close to DART station) in Dún Laoghaire.at 11.30 am and this takes approximately 1 hour. The maximum number of people for each tour is 20 persons, noting the outdoor event is also wheelchair accessible. No pre-booking is required and places are limited so it is advisable to turn up early.

The tours are part of the 'Summer of Heritage' programme which is now in its fifth year organised by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. For information call: (01) 254 2387 or visit: www.dlrevents.ie/heritage.html

#COASTAL NOTES - The bathing ban imposed last week on seven Cork coastal beaches has been lifted, according to RTÉ News.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the seven beaches had been closed to swimming over concerns at elevated E.coli levels in the water, resulting from water runoff after the recent heavy rainfall in the county.

Cork County Council took the decision to lift restrictions after tests this week showed E.coli levels had "significantly descreaed" below the EU mandatory safety level.

The seven affected beaches included three in the Youghal area. Redbarn at Youghal joins Garretsown near Kinsale and Garryvoe in the beaches that can fly their Blue Flags once more.

#LOBSTERS & JAZZ – The first International Dalkey Lobster Fest (24-26 August) starts tomorrow in the scenic coastal heritage town in south Dublin, and in which runs over the weekend, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The festival is a fusion of local seafood and of the best global jazz musicians and with lots of events for families and all to enjoy.

Over the course of the three-days, there will be a wide ranging event programme, among some of the activities are cookery demos in The Tramyard, a Dalkey Master Chef Final and free historical guided walks tours from Dalkey Castle.

All day on the Saturday and Sunday, there will be the BIM Lobster Educational Stand at The Writers Corner, off Castle Street, which is a very short stride from the DART station. In addition the RNLI will have a stand further up the main street at The Tramyard.

Plus there's plenty of live musical entertainment, with the main festival opening event of the Dicovery Gospel Choir held in Dalkey Church, tickets cost €10. Other live events are admission free unless specified.

Watch out for fresh lobster & crab dishes available in participating restaurents, bars and café's throughout the village during the festival. Also look out for some great kid's street entertainment events again at The Tramyard and also Writers Corner, named following the third Dalkey Book Festival, held earlier this summer.

For further details of the festival programme contact the ticket office open at The Tramyard Gift Shop (11am-4pm) Mobile: 086 447 6304 and by visiting: www.facebook.com/DalkeyLobsterFest

#DUCKING DOCKS - Who will have the best looking duck swimming in the Duck Race?...at the Duck Your Duck Workshop this Saturday 25th August (between 11am-5pm –both Sat. & Sun). The children's creative workshop will be held at the Waterways Visitor Centre, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin.

There will be glitter and glue, paint and polish. So come on down and give your duck some character before it joins the Duck Race. Plus radio controlled boats, Watery Stories and the Darklight Kids' Programme.

In addition there will be plenty of other events and activities for all ages, organised as part of National Heritage Week, for more click HERE.

Also of course to boarding the tallships, with more than 40 such majestic vessels lining both sides of the Liffey quays. Also laid on are shored based  events at both the Grand Canal and Spencer Docks. To see the free family festival programme over the four days click visit www. dublintallships.ie/

#SEAFRONT TOURS – Take in the sea-air while getting to know some historical landmarks, along Dun Laoghaire Harbour's waterfront with the Seafront Memorials Tour. The free guided tour runs every Saturday morning until the 1 September.

The tours take in all the coastal memorials to include the Queen Victoria Fountain, George IV Memorial, the mailboat R.M.S. Leinster's anchor, the Crimean War Cannon and the 1895 Lifeboat Disaster.

The tours start at 11.30 am (1 tour on each Saturday) and they take approximately 1 hour. The maximum number of people for each tour is 20 persons, noting the outdoor event is also wheelchair accessible. No pre-booking is required and places are limited so it is advisable to turn up early.

The tours are part of the 'Summer of Heritage' programme which is now in its fifth year organised by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. For information call: (01) 254 2387 or visit: www.dlrevents.ie/heritage.html

#COASTAL NOTES - Cork County Council has announced it will be at least two more days before it knows if its bathing ban at seven beaches can be lifted, according to RTÉ News.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the seven coastal beaches - including blue flag strands at Garretstown, Redbarn and Garryvoe - have been closed to swimming over concerns at elevated E.coli levels in the water, resuling from water runoff after the recent heavy rainfall in the county.

Notices were first posted by the council last Friday, and the latest water samples were collected at the affected beaches yesterday.

Youghal is the worst affected by the outbreak, with three beaches closed.

Meanwhile, a popular east coast beach has been reopened after a similar E.coli scare.

The Irish Independent reports that Rush South in north Co Dublin was closed to bathers after bacterial contamination was detected over the August bank holiday weekend.

Levels of E.coli recorded in the water were at 2,143, above the EU mandatory level of 2,000, but samples taken since have been given the all-clear.

A spokesperson for Fingal County Council described it as "a once-off pollution incident that will not have any ongoing impact on bathing at Rush South".

#COASTAL NOTES - Some of Cork's most popular beaches have been closed to bathers over concerns at elevated levels of E.coli in the water.

According to The Irish Times, the bathing ban affects the blue flag beaches at Garretstown near Kinsale, Redbarn at Youghal and Garryvoe, while other beaches affected include Coolmaine near Kilbittain, Oysterhaven and two other stretches in Youghal.

Water runoff from the heavy rainfall experienced in the county earlier in the summer has been blamed for the increase of the dangerous bacteria above mandatory EU safety levels.

This is similar to that which caused the closure of bathing and surfing spots on the Clare coast last month, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

The Irish Examiner explains that E.coli is commonly found in slurry, much of which has been washed from farms into the sea as a result of the record rains of recent weeks.

The situation has been compounded by southerly winds which have prevented the dispersal of the polluted water from the coastline.

Cork County Council has contacted the HSE and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and will carry out further inspections of water quality tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Cork County Mayor and Youghal Councillor Barbara Murray has called for improvements to the water sampling process.

“You don’t just do this on a Monday and decide you are not going to do it again until the following Monday," she said. “So I would be suggesting that it would be done on a more regular basis and that the results be brought in as soon as possible."

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

#SEAFRONT TOURS – Now that the bad weather that covered half of the country is behind us, the forecast at least for Dublin and next Saturday is more promising. So why not consider taking a stroll with the sea-air along the waterfront in Dun Laoghaire Harbour and learn some local history by taking a Seafront Memorials Tour. The free guided tour runs every Saturday morning until the 1 September.

The tours take in all the coastal memorials along the harbour's waterfront including the Queen Victoria Fountain, George IV Memorial, the mailboat R.M.S. Leinster's anchor, the Crimean War Cannon and the 1895 Lifeboat Disaster.

The tours start at 11.30 am (1 tour on each Saturday) and they take approximately 1 hour. The maximum number of people for each tour is 20 persons, noting the outdoor event is also wheelchair accessible. No pre-booking is required and places are limited so it is advisable to turn up early.

The tours are part of the 'Summer of Heritage' programme which is now in its fifth year organised by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. For information call: (01) 254 2387 or visit: www.dlrevents.ie/heritage.html