World class beaches need world class facilities

| By Aidan Quirke

Kerry leads the country with 13 Blue Flag beaches and is a great achievement for the county.

‘Blue Flags are a hugely important internationally recognised indicator of the quality of a beach environment, and it is encouraging that Kerry continues to be the national leader in this regard.’

Cllr Flynn said that the awarding of the Blue Flags is a result of a collaborative approach between Kerry County Council, local community groups and beach users who work together to maintain our beautiful beaches and bathing waters.

Director of Services with Kerry County Council, Paul Neary added: ‘The local authority invests tremendous effort and resources in keeping County Kerry at the top of the Blue Flag list and will continue to ensure the sustainable management of the magnificent beaches along the Kerry coast.’

‘We would appeal to all beach users this summer to continue to be responsible by acting responsibly and leaving nothing behind on the beach except their footprints,’ he added.

As a committed user of the counties beach for over 20 years, one thing that has not improved and that is the facilities and access for beach users. People of all ages now see the beach as a year long destination whether it’s sea swimming, surfing, or walking, we are out in big numbers. It’s now time to invest in the infrastructure at all our beaches in north and south Kerry.

Banna is a world class beach, offering ample parking and access through the dunes. It is the access bit that irritates. Bar the main car park you are using paths through the dunes from the other parking areas to access the beach. I’ve witnessed many people struggle to climb a dune to access car park 3 from the beach. A wooden path is required here and at Sandy Lane just down from the main Banna car park.

Access is also an issue in the Maharees. There is no parking for west facing beaches where water sport enthusiasts congregate. For many years I was a regular surfer there but now with lack of parking and access I find myself visiting less often. Inch has access issues during the summer with the car park overflowing and visitors parking on the main beach sometimes in the hundreds. Serving these visitors is a prefabricated toilet block that has seen better days. Inch is crying out for further development both privately and publicly. While Rossbeigh, requires remedial works to dunes and better parking. Derrynane, Ballybunion and Ballyheigue are reasonably well served.

Kerry County Council are rightly proud of this year’s achievement, leading the country in Blue Flags, but let’s not rest here and aim for creating world class facilities to go with world class water.

It is imperative that we build on our successes for locals and visitors alike.