As the National operators of the @blueflag_global programme in Ireland, An Taisce — the National Trust for Ireland are proud to announce the Blue Flag Award recipients in Ireland for the 2026 season.
Congratulations to all of the awardees!
A total of 168 awards were presented, just one fewer than last year’s record-breaking total, with 146 beaches
receiving awards, along with one tourism boat, and 9 marinas. This year 12 beaches have been presented with both a
Blue Flag and a Green Coast Award, achieving dual award status, and bringing the overall total to 168 awards
altogether. These sites are Balcarrick, Donabate in Fingal; Salthill and Silver Strand in Galway City, An Trá,Inis Oirr in
Galway County; Inchydoney Beach East in Cork; Baile an Sceilg (Ballinskelligs) in Kerry; Bettystown in Meath;
Enniscrone and Rosses Point in Sligo and Bunmahon,Tramore, and Clonea in Waterford. County Kerry has been
awarded with the most Blue Flags in 2026 while Cork received the most Green Coast Awards in 2026, with 13 and has
also the highest combined number of awards with 25.
#BlueFlag
#BlueFlagIreland
It's brilliant to see the connections to nature being made by so many more of us. We are part of nature too.
On this World Endangered Species Day, consider some of the species under pressure, such as Curlew, Atlantic Salmon, Freshwater Pearl Mussel and the Great Yellow Bumblebee, many due to factors that include habitat loss and other elements that we can influence.
It is wonderful to see fantastic projects such as @breedingwaders doing phenomenal conservation work nationwide.
Work such as theirs is necessary to support vulnerable populations of species such as the Curlew. The breeding population of these birds suffered dramatic declines from about 5,000 breeding pairs in the late 1980s to currently as few under 200 pairs — a decline of about 97% over 20 years. The birds nest in damp, rushy pastures and bogland. The decline is largely due to the loss of these spaces as a result of land use intensification, afforestation, and nest destruction by predation.
Today is the 21st Annual Endangered Species Day, now celebrated globally to mark the importance of protecting threatened and endangered wildlife and their habitats.
Why not get involved in a local conservation or biodiversity group and create opportunities for species to thrive to help turn the tide on species loss.
#endangeredspeciesday
#naturerestoration
An Taisce is delighted to be working with the Nature Trust to take on the long-term stewardship of an extraordinary project developing a collection of native woodland sites across Ireland. Thanks to the wonderful support of external funders, the Nature Trust has created a site network adding up to 650 hectares. In time, this will create new habitats, store more carbon and provide a space for people to connect with nature.
An Taisce joined in with a planting event at a 7 hectare site near Loughrea in Galway.
#naturerestoration
It's so inspiring to see the amazing group of Junior and Senior Winners of the 2025-2026 Young Reporters for the Environment together with their very well deserved awards! 👏🙌🎉
Thanks so much to everyone who participated and looking forward to next year already!
Some of the wonderful winners of this year's Young Reporters for the Environment Awards! 👏
An absolutely massive well done to all!
So proud of all of your achievements! 🎉
#yre #youngreportersfortheenvironment
Huge congratulations to Aoife and all the winners this year! What an amazing achievement! 👏
#yreireland #youngreportersfortheenvironment
@stjosephssecondaryschool_rush
Congratulations to Yuming Lian from Belvedere College SJ, who has won 1st prize in the Young Reporters for the Environment Competition 2026.
The award was presented to Yuming at the Green-Schools Global Citizenship School of the Year Awards at The Midlands Park Hotel in Portlaoise. Dublin City Council was represented at the event by Green-Schools Officer, Rachel Neilan. This is an outstanding achievement and even more impressive as a national winner for the second year in a row!
This year’s theme, Food Security and Climate Change, highlights one of the most important global challenges and aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Yuming's powerful photo entry captured this theme with creativity and insight.
Join us for a Wild Foraging Walk on May 18th in Oranmore with specialist Olwyn Williams! Beginner or non-beginner foragers - all welcome. Free event.
If you would like to learn more about wild foods and medicinal plants that grow around you and how to use them, this workshop is for you!
Have you ever wondered what foods our ancestors may have eaten before the advent of agriculture and supermarkets?
Or what we might eat if global food supply systems collapse?
Come and learn about the wild foods that grow in your garden and parks with Olwyn Williams, a wild foraging specialist. This workshop is ideal for foodies, gardeners, nature enthusiasts and plant lovers alike.
Extra bonus: expanding your tribe! You'll meet some really sound, like-minded people too!
Head to the link in our bio to get your tickets!
#NetworkGathering #Foraging #Galway #community #climateaction #wisdom #walking
Repurposing old buildings — Seán McIlfatrick, chair of An Taisce Limerick Local Association: “There is a housing crisis, a complete lack of supply of homes for people that need them. We need to ensure that we are ambitious, in both thought and action, for our city centre."
An Taisce Limerick believes there is significant potential in the repurposing of Sarsfield House into residential units, rejecting suggestion of the demolition of the building.
Referencing a recent report that the local authority had commissioned two assessments of the building, the organisation also expressed concern that any assessment would include a comprehensive calculation of embodied carbon and whole life-cycle emissions that would result from the demolition of Sarsfield House.
From September 2025, public bodies must require Whole Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions assessments for large-scale public projects. From January 1, 2026, projects in receipt of exchequer funding in excess of €10m should produce such an assessment.
#carbonemissions #housingcrisis
Thanks so much to everyone who came along to our special events last week in Tailors' Hall as part of the great Culture Date with Dublin 8 week! Every year it goes from strength to strength!
The bike workshop last Thursday was just ahead of National Bike Week.
It was a big treat to have Dr Damien Ó Tuama, National Cycling Coordinator of An Taisce and also the Irish Cycling Campaign giving the workshop too!
@irish_cycling_campaign@culturedatewithdublin8
#ActiveTravel
#ClimateAction
#BikeWeek
“…whiled away the hours contemplating the night sky. In fairness, there was nothing else to watch. A shooting star provided an absolute adventure, provoking all sorts of questions. How old was it? Where had it come from? Where was it shooting to?
I mused on the gaps, the space, in between the stars, imagining they contained all the answers…”
Nicola Pierce writing
for #ThatWilderBond at the #MuseumOfChildhoodIreland #MúsaemÓigeNahÉireann supported by #AnTaisce
#Love nature Tallagh Author
IntangibleCulturalHeritage
❤️ Read Nicola’s story in full at the following link:
https://museumofchildhood.ie/that-wilder-bond-nicola-pierce/
🌳 Read all stories here:
https://museumofchildhood.ie/that-wilder-bond/
⭐️Champion the project here:
/thatwilderbond @piercewriter@antaisce@dublincitycouncil@dublincitylibraries@deptcee@deptcde@deptculturecommssport@theheritagecouncil@irishmuseums
Celebrate the power of the pedal!
There are Bike Week events happening nationwide so why not check out what's on nearest you?
Did you know that our wonderful @greenschoolsire runs the @andshecycles initiative helping empowering teenage girls overcome the barriers to cycling in Ireland. Data shows that just one in every 250 teenage girls cycle to school every day, compared with 1 in 25 boys
If you have a bike, and can't remember the last time you used it, dust it off, give it the once over and reconnect with the joy and freedom of cycling under your own power.
#bikeweek #activetravel #sustainabletravel #andshecycles
