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Displaying items by tag: blue flag marinas

All 10 marinas awarded a Blue Flag in 2020 have been awarded a Blue Flag for the coming season.

Of the 26 counties, four have two Blue Flags and two counties have one.

The International Blue Flag and Green Coast Award recipients for 2021 were announced by the Education Unit of An Taisce yesterday.

As Afloat reported, the number of Blue Flags awarded this season set a new record for the Republic of Ireland for beaches and marinas.

 Royal Cork Yacht Club Marina on the Owenabue river in Crosshaven in Cork Harbour has retained its Blue Flag for 2021Royal Cork Yacht Club Marina on the Owenabue river in Crosshaven in Cork Harbour has retained its Blue Flag for 2021 Photo: Bob Bateman

The retention of Blue Flag status at both Kinsale Yacht Club and Royal Cork Yacht Club means that Cork has a total of 12 Blue Flag beaches and marinas a record annual haul for the rebel county.

Quigley's Marina, Killinure Point on the River Shannon in County West Meath has retained the Blue Flag awarded in 2020. Quigleys' Marina has been awarded every year since 2003.

The 10 marinas (from a coastal network of approximately 60 marinas and pontoons) that have achieved this accolade must adhere to specific criteria related to water quality, information provision, environmental education, safety and site management.

The Ten 2021 Irish Blue Flag Marinas are: 

WEXFORD

  • Kilmore Quay Marina
  • New Ross: Three Sisters Marina

CORK

  • Royal Cork Yacht Club
  • Kinsale Yacht Club

KERRY

  • Portmagee seasonal Visitors pontoon
  • Fenti Marina

CLARE

  • Kilrush Marina

WESTMEATH

  • Quigley's Marina  

DONEGAL

  • Rathmullan Marina
  • Greencastle Marina
Published in Irish Marinas
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Coastal Notes Coastal Notes covers a broad spectrum of stories, events and developments in which some can be quirky and local in nature, while other stories are of national importance and are on-going, but whatever they are about, they need to be told.

Stories can be diverse and they can be influential, albeit some are more subtle than others in nature, while other events can be immediately felt. No more so felt, is firstly to those living along the coastal rim and rural isolated communities. Here the impact poses is increased to those directly linked with the sea, where daily lives are made from earning an income ashore and within coastal waters.

The topics in Coastal Notes can also be about the rare finding of sea-life creatures, a historic shipwreck lost to the passage of time and which has yet many a secret to tell. A trawler's net caught hauling more than fish but cannon balls dating to the Napoleonic era.

Also focusing the attention of Coastal Notes, are the maritime museums which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of historical exhibits for future generations.

Equally to keep an eye on the present day, with activities of existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector and those of the energy exploration industry.

In addition Coastal Notes has many more angles to cover, be it the weekend boat leisure user taking a sedate cruise off a long straight beach on the coast beach and making a friend with a feathered companion along the way.

In complete contrast is to those who harvest the sea, using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety poses an issue, before they set off to ply their trade at the foot of our highest sea cliffs along the rugged wild western seaboard.

It's all there, as Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied to the environment from which they came from and indeed which shape people's interaction with the surrounding environment that is the natural world and our relationship with the sea.