Galway city councillors have been invited to meet watersports representatives this coming week over the controversial ban on all activity except for swimming at Silver Strand beach near Barna.
As Afloat has reported, the ban was imposed by Galway City Council without consultation.
A motion before Galway City Council last month called for immediate removal of signage, along with meaningful consultation and planning for beach management and zoning.
The city council has maintained that the ban was imposed on advice from Water Safety Ireland to maintain Blue Flag status for Silver Strand, and has offered to meet various watersport representative groups separately.
A coalition of watersports groups has been formed and a dedicated website set up which points out that Galway City Council’s policy is at odds with most local authorities, including Galway County Council where zoning of beach areas is the preferred option.
It has opted to hold a briefing meeting next week to which all city councillors have been invited.
Galway's Silver Strand Beach Sign pictured July 2025
The coalition says that the ban has “led to confusion and concern among regular users of the beach, causing conflict between swimmers and watersports users, with some interpreting the move as a discouragement of watersports visitors to Galway’s coastline”.
“Silverstrand Beach, a beloved location for swimmers and watersports enthusiasts alike for over five decades, has held Blue Flag status since 2006,”it says.
“Galway City Council is now (in 2025) claiming that watersports need to be banned to maintain Blue Flag status,”it notes.
“The decision was made without prior consultation with local swimming and watersports communities, prompting further questions about stakeholder engagement and long-term planning. There is growing apprehension that the ban could be extended to other popular Galway beaches, including Salthill and Renmore,”it says.
“Critics of the decision have noted that other Irish local authorities managing Blue Flag beaches typically employ zoning strategies and beach management plans, which allow swimmers and watersports users to share the beaches safely,” it says.
“Galway City Council currently does not zone any of its beaches, making it the only local authority along the Wild Atlantic Way without such a management approach,”it says.
“Stakeholders are calling for engagement with the watersports community and the adoption of proven zoning models to resolve conflicts and ensure safe, shared access for all beach users,”the coalition says.
Silver Strand is described on the beaches.ie website as being “used year round for swimming and windsurfing”.
“The tidal inlet of Lough Rusheen, located behind Silverstrand Beach is a long established centre for water sports," it says.
In April 2021, watersports bodies submitted a document to both Galway City and County councils with recommendations on beach management for Silver Strand.
“While we did receive an acknowledgment of receipt, our request for a meeting and further discussion did not receive a response then,” a spokesman has said.
Galway City Council has said that risk assessments were completed at its request “to comply with Blue Flag and An Taisce requirements”.
“These risk assessments are carried out by Water Safety Ireland, who are a statutory body, with a risk assessor accredited from the International Lifesaving Federation of Europe. The risk assessor is independent,” it said.
“Galway City Council has recently erected safety information boards on foot of the risk assessments, complying with recommendations received for ISO water safety signage,”it said.
