Sailing around Ireland 2026

[Supertramp]

Planning a cruise around Ireland next summer April/May/June. Starting from Wales, main interest is the S/W/N coasts as I know the Irish Sea well.

Looking for advice and guidance on the following points:

1. What anchorages, harbours, pontoons deserve visiting?

2. Any areas or headlands to avoid or take extra care with?

3. Name the one experience or place not to miss!

Boat is a 36ft ketch, mostly singlehanded, anchoring preferred but good shelter and Irish pubs welcome. I have the Norman Keane ICC guides.

 

[SaltyC]

Watching with interest as a possible for 26 or27.

 

[Concerto]

This also interests me as I plan to start in mid May in a clockwise direction starting from Pwllheli.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

You have to watch out for the fishermen in harbours once you're in the wilder bits. Unlike the curmudgeonly taciturn Scottish variety the Irish fishermen will seek you down in harbour and talk at you for hours about nothing at all until your eardrums start bleeding. Escape before dawn is not always guaranteed.

 

[Supertramp]

You have to watch out for the fishermen in harbours once you're in the wilder bits. Unlike the curmudgeonly taciturn Scottish variety the Irish fishermen will seek you down in harbour and talk at you for hours about nothing at all until your eardrums start bleeding. Escape before dawn is not always guaranteed.

I have cycled much of the Wild Atlantic Way. On at least 2 occasions we stopped at a pub for lunch and never left until the next morning. Fishermen were involved.

 

[dansaskip]

You might be interested in my account. I went clockwise starting from Menai Bridge and called in at, Dunmore East, Crosshaven, Glendore, Bere Island, Sneem, Dingle, Kilronan Inishmore, Roundhouse, Inisboffin, Blacksod Bay, Broadhaven, Teelin, Araonmore, Port Salon, Rathlin Island, Glenarm, Ardglass. Mostly anchoring but some marinas.
The West Coast is special and I wish I had had longer don't miss any of it but Lawrence Cove, Sneem and Blacksod Bay very worthwhile
More on my log of my trip here in you are interested:
Sailing around Ireland - Sea Bear

 

[John_Silver]

Barloge Creek (improbable but snug anchorage E of Baltimore) a favourite.



Also Glengarriff. Scenic, well sheltered, easy row ashore to a stone quay. With the village beyond.




Dingle a favourite harbour. Vibrant town. Long walks, with smoky hillsides and the atmospheric Reask Stone as evocative backdrops. Warm welcome.​

 

[Supertramp]

You might be interested in my account. I went clockwise starting from Menai Bridge and called in at, Dunmore East, Crosshaven, Glendore, Bere Island, Sneem, Dingle, Kilronan Inishmore, Roundhouse, Inisboffin, Blacksod Bay, Broadhaven, Teelin, Araonmore, Port Salon, Rathlin Island, Glenarm, Ardglass. Mostly anchoring but some marinas.
The West Coast is special and I wish I had had longer don't miss any of it but Lawrence Cove, Sneem and Blacksod Bay very worthwhile
More on my log of my trip here in you are interested:
Sailing around Ireland - Sea Bear

This is excellent and will give me something useful to do over Christmas making a list of the best stops on a map. Agree about the West coast and Donegal - some fantastic looking spots.

 

[Supertramp]

View attachment 203995

Barloge Creek (improbable but snug anchorage W of Baltimore) a favourite.

View attachment 203996

Also Glengarriff. Scenic, well sheltered, easy row ashore to a stone quay. With the village beyond.


View attachment 203997

Dingle a favourite harbour. Vibrant town. Long walks, with smoky hillsides and the atmospheric Reask Stone as evocative backdrops. Warm welcome.​

Thanks, those are just my kind of spots.

 

[nevis768]

Fairhead with wind against tide at springs is one to watch out for, you can avoid the worst by staying out towards Rathlin, but limited depth at that marina.

 

[lustyd]

Kilmore Quay (and the islands) and Kinsale not to be missed. Dunmore East was not great, Rosslaire area terrible in Easierlies and full of pots. Youghal (said like yawl) was fine but we won’t hurry back. I don’t consider the trek up to Cork worth it by boat but the bus is cheap and frequent from Kinsale.
Personally I like Arklow, but mainly for Eddie Rockets, the friendliest sailing club we’ve met and the marina manager is awesome. As a place though, Arklow is a little run down. Wexford is a confusing mix of run down and nice town too, but the entrance is poorly documented and marked so again we visited by bus.
Leave early while the Easterlies last and go clockwise. We arrived Kinsale in early April and the weather was warm and calm.

Edit: some of our early videos covered these places on Anam Cara Sailing

 

[Supertramp]

Fairhead with wind against tide at springs is one to watch out for, you can avoid the worst by staying out towards Rathlin, but limited depth at that marina.

Thanks, I have had an interesting time rounding the West end of Rathlin in 25 knts with a really unpleasant short steep sea. The tides are not to be fought around there. Rathlin Marina was ok but had a bad surge from swell.

 

[Supertramp]

Kilmore Quay (and the islands) and Kinsale not to be missed. Dunmore East was not great, Rosslaire area terrible in Easierlies and full of pots. Youghal (said like yawl) was fine but we won’t hurry back. I don’t consider the trek up to Cork worth it by boat but the bus is cheap and frequent from Kinsale.
Personally I like Arklow, but mainly for Eddie Rockets, the friendliest sailing club we’ve met and the marina manager is awesome. As a place though, Arklow is a little run down. Wexford is a confusing mix of run down and nice town too, but the entrance is poorly documented and marked so again we visited by bus.
Leave early while the Easterlies last and go clockwise. We arrived Kinsale in early April and the weather was warm and calm.

Edit: some of our early videos covered these places on Anam Cara Sailing

Thanks, I agree about the April start and Easterly winds - I had that this year in Pembrokeshire. I am inclined to do a long offshore passage down to Rosslare rather than coast hopping Much depends on the weather.

I will watch your videos - they cover my normal cruising areas.

 

[lustyd]

Thanks, I agree about the April start and Easterly winds - I had that this year in Pembrokeshire. I am inclined to do a long offshore passage down to Rosslare rather than coast hopping Much depends on the weather.

I will watch your videos - they cover my normal cruising areas.

If you’re doing that passage then go directly for Kilmore Quay. Rosslare is only an hour closer and isn’t all that pleasant, especially in an easterly. If you get the tide right that last hour will be very easy. Call ahead to Kilmore, they “don’t take bookings” but a berth will be waiting along with a person to help you into it either way they have plenty of room and raft on the hammerheads.
At Kinsale I’d try for a mooring or anchor and ask the HM if you can land the dinghy on the fishermans pontoon.

 

[steve yates]

I’ve only sailed in the north. In glenarm, the pub is perfectly happy to order you a chinese and give you cutlery to eat it with as long as your in there buying beer, super friendly. Good pubs in Ballycastle bay, much better than the touristy pub on Rathlin itself. Ardglass is a strange wee place, felt very proddy. Friendly small marina with a tight entrance. The place feels like a throwback to a Glasgow scheme in the eighties, complete with shellsuits.
Be careful with the tides in Rathlin sound. Good pubs in Bangor. The marina in Belfast is really handy for a pubcrawl in the city, and its a great night out. I have a soft spot for Donaghadee if there’s room on the wall, the pub does greatsteaks and used to be run by the daughter of the Portpatrick harbourmaster, dunno if thats still the case.
For some reason my observations seem to be mainly about pubs