Fountainstown

Co. Cork · faces SE · partly sheltered ·

sandy beachLifeguards in seasonToiletsParkingWheelchair accessiblePublic transport: Public busNo dogs (check local bylaws for dates)

Onshore wind, but the bay is partly sheltered, small waves.

Scores are estimates from forecasts, not a safety rating. Before you go in

Tides (model): Low 01:00 · High 07:00 · Low 14:00 · High 20:00

Sunrise 07:50 · Sunset 16:44 · UV 1 (low)

Water quality

GoodLatest official EPA rating (2025 season) · 2024: Excellent · 2023: Excellent · 2022: Excellent

The EPA rates each bathing season after it ends, using the last four years of samples: the 2026 rating is usually published in spring 2027.

After heavy rain this beach can have short-term pollution. Check for alerts on beaches.ie before swimming, especially in summer.

Source: EPA bathing water data (Fountainstown), CC BY 4.0. Water is tested from June to mid-September. Beach profile (PDF)

Hour by hour · Overall · Today

Wind in

Time	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21
Score	dark	2.0	4.9	2.1	4.9	5.2	5.4	5.2	4.9	4.8	4.5	dark	dark	dark	dark	dark
Wind kn	11	12	13	15	15	15	17	16	17	17	18	18	17	18	19	12
Direction	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	SW
Waves at beach m	0.5	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.9	1.0	1.0
Swell offshore m · s	1.4 6s	1.5 6s	1.6 6s	1.7 6s	1.7 6s	1.8 6s	1.9 6s	2.0 6s	2.0 6s	2.1 6s	2.1 6s	2.1 6s	2.2 6s	2.2 6s	2.2 6s	2.2 6s
Tide
Water °C	12.5	12.5	12.5	12.5	12.5	12.5	12.5	12.5	12.5	12.5	12.5	12.5	12.5	12.5	12.5	12.5
Air °C	10	10	11	11	11	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	11	11	12	11
Rain chance %	0	0	0	2	5	9	14	18	24	33	50	72	88	95	97	98
Rain mm	0	0.4	0.1	0.4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.7	1.1	1.7	1.5
Cloud %	2	100	100	100	100	92	94	88	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

Highlighted columns: the best 3-hour window; grey columns are before sunrise or after sunset. Tides come from a global model and can be off by up to an hour: check local tide tables before swimming.