Dogs will have to be kept off Donegal beaches, to maintain their Blue flag status

Dogs will have to be kept off 12 Donegal Blue Flag beaches, if they are to maintain their spacial status, it has emerged this week.

The rule applies when the blue flag is flying during the bathing season which commences each year on June 1 and usually continues in Donegal’s case, until the end of the season which is early to late September (in the cases of Rossnowlagh and Bundoran).

The 12 Blue Flags beaches in Donegal are at Bundoran, Rossnowlagh, Murvagh, Fintra, Narin (Portnoo), Carrickfinn, Killahoey (Dunfanaghy), Marblehill, Portsalon (Magherawarden), Shroove, Culdaff and Downings. 

It is understood that Donegal County Council (DCC)are currently investigating a number of options to make it a workable and pragmatic plan. It is anticipated that this will include a public consultation process.

At a November meeting of the DCC Climate Change and Environment special policy committee, ways were discussed to deal with the situation, including a zoned off area on each of the 12 affected beaches, that would also match the current lifeguard areas, but not monitored by the lifeguards themselves. 

DonegalLive.ie has been told by An Taisce that such directions already existed, but had not been fully implemented in Ireland to date by the relevant governing authorities.

They are set down by the international Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), not by any Irish agency and An Taisce have been asked to advise local authorities of the situation.

This criterion is the international criterion and has not been made more strict by An Taisce at national level. 

The matter came to public attention this week, when it emerged that Kerry County Council was discussing the issue.

Ian Diamond, An Taisce’s Blue Flag coastal awards manager said the emphasis was to keep dogs away from areas used by bathers during bathing seasons and was not a ban on dogs on beaches per se.

An Taisce administers the Blue Flag award programme in Ireland on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education (Blue Flag | Foundation for Environmental Education). The award criteria in relation to dog restrictions are International criteria that are in place in the 50 countries globally that operate the programme.

The Blue Flag is awarded by FEE to beaches that are identified bathing waters on the basis of compliance with 30 criteria under the headings of water quality, environmental management, environmental education and safety. The Blue Flag international beach criteria set by FEE are the minimum criteria.

The beach criteria and explanatory notes attached serve as a guide for the National, and International Blue Flag Juries when making decisions about a Blue Flag beach candidate. During the Blue Flag season, the flag must fly at the beach. The flag is both a symbol that the beach participates in the Programme but also an indication of compliance with the criteria.