Irish beaches are among the best in Europe, with 97 percent of designated bathing spots meeting the minimum EU standards.
The Environmental Protection Agency monitors 135 locations which are popular with bathers - 84 percent were deemed to be good.
Just four beaches were deemed to be poor - Clifden Beach in Galway, Lilliput at Lough Ennell, in Co. Westmeath, Dugort on Achill, in Co. Mayo and Ballyloughane in Galway City.
The EPA says in the case of Clifden, remedial works for the nearby wastewater treatment plant - have begun, but are unlikely to bring about significant improvements in water quality before 2016.
Lilliput encountered a lengthy period of contamination late on in the season which is believed to have originated from a waste water source.
Dugort was affected by a rare pumping station malfunction, while at Ballyloughane two pollution events were recorded linked to heavy rainfall.
Senior scientist with the EPA, Peter Webster, says it's a vast improvement from 2012, when the summer was dreadful;
