Two of Youghal’s three beaches have been awarded Blue Flag status for the summer season. Redbarn will receive its first ever blue flag and Claycastle will have its pride and joy returned after a two-year absence. The front strand however, faces a third consecutive summer without the coveted cloth flying.

The latest awards reflect the state of the beaches during they surveyed months of what passed for summer 2009. It is gratifying that such rudiment requirements as parking and toilet facilities were successfully implemented at Redbarn in particular, although many would argue that there remains plenty of scope for improvements here also. Claycastle’s parking capacity is often stretched to the limits during heat-wave occasions and the toilets are probably as efficient as such unattended structures can be expected to be.

Nationally, water samples from 131 designated bathing areas, comprising 122 seawater and nine freshwater jurisdictions, were assessed for compliance with EU standards last summer. The standard comprised two criteria: a) minimum EU mandatory values and b) stricter EU guidelines. Compliance with both achieved ‘good’ water quality status. Compliance with mandatory values only achieved ‘sufficient’ water quality status and failure to comply with either brought ‘poor’ water quality status.

There were 122 (93%) bathing areas compliant with mandatory standards (sufficient). 108 (82%) of the 131 also met the stricter guidelines (good). Nine failed to meet minimum standard and Youghal’s front strand was one of those.  (Ardmore, incidentally achieved ‘sufficient’ status.)

So one can safely assume that the main liability affecting the front strand is water quality. The beach would appear to suffer from the passing (pardon the pun) of raw sewerage and wet weather conditions that dislodged surface water from fields during last summer added to the ecological fragility last summer. On a far brighter note however, the imminent new town drainage and waste treatment scheme is certain to address the issue and one can expect to see the blue flag dancing in the gale-swept downpours of future Youghal summers.

Youghal councillor Mary Linehan Foley says she is “delighted Youghal has two blue flags but I won’t be happy until we have three, because Youghal is highly dependent on tourism.” The councillor stresses that the waste water treatment plant “needs to be advanced quickly” in light of the town’s present blue flag standing.

Meanwhile, Youghal town council will host a ‘raise the flags’ reception at the town hall on Thursday June 17th at 2pm.