The harbour offers good shelter except in southeast gales, during which it is subject to considerable swell at high water, somewhat decreasing as the tide falls. The outer anchorage offers a tolerable berth in settled conditions. Well marked and with no outlying dangers, access is straightforward night or day at any stage of the tide.
Keyfacts for Dunmore East
Nature
Considerations
Protected sectors
Summary
A good location with straightforward access.Nature
Considerations
Position and approaches
Haven position
52° 9.021' N, 006° 59.390' WThis is midway between the extremity of the East Pier Breakwater extension, Fl R 2s 6m 4M, and the Dunmore East Starboard Buoy 1, Q G 2M.
What is the initial fix?
What are the key points of the approach?
Not what you need?
- Creadan Head - 2.3 nautical miles NE
- Slade - 3.1 nautical miles ESE
- Lumsdin's Bay - 3.2 nautical miles E
- Templetown Bay - 3.5 nautical miles ENE
- Dollar Bay - 3.9 nautical miles NE
- Duncannon - 4.7 nautical miles NNE
- Passage East - 5.4 nautical miles N
- Arthurstown - 5.6 nautical miles NNE
- Ballyhack - 5.7 nautical miles N
- Seedes Bank - 6.2 nautical miles N
- Creadan Head - 2.3 miles NE
- Slade - 3.1 miles ESE
- Lumsdin's Bay - 3.2 miles E
- Templetown Bay - 3.5 miles ENE
- Dollar Bay - 3.9 miles NE
- Duncannon - 4.7 miles NNE
- Passage East - 5.4 miles N
- Arthurstown - 5.6 miles NNE
- Ballyhack - 5.7 miles N
- Seedes Bank - 6.2 miles N
Chart
What's the story here?
Image: Michael Harpur
Dunmore East Harbour is situated immediately inside the western side of the Waterford Harbour entrance, about 2 miles northeast of Swines Head and in the southwestern corner of Dunmore Bay. It is a busy fishing port and one of the five designated National Fishery Harbours. Of these primary harbours, Dunmore East has the second-highest figure for fish landings after Killybegs.
Image: Michael Harpur
Dunmore East Harbour is managed by the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) , under the Fishery Harbour Centres Acts. The harbour welcomes visiting leisure craft to a designated seasonal pontoon, which has [the latest soundings taken 2023] 1.6m CD alongside the centre berth. It is steep too and gets deeper as vessels raft out. Contact harbourmaster Deirdre Lane for berth allocation prior to arrival via [Dunmore East] Ch 14 or 16, +353 (0) 51 312359, +353 (0) 87 345 5623, and dunmoreeastharbour@agriculture.gov.ie.
There are 54 swing moorings northwest of the Eastern Breakwater light at the entrance to the Harbour. These belong to Waterford Harbour Sailing Club , which is located in Dunmore East, with its clubhouse overlooking the moorings from North West Quay of the West Wharf. The club works in close cooperation with the harbourmaster and will try to cater for visitors where possible on vacant swing moorings.
The best anchoring position is in the northwestern corner of Dunmore Bay, in the sandy cove off Lower Village. This is in a little bay ¼ mile north by northwest of the mouth of the harbour and a mile from the harbour by road. The anchorage is situated off Lawlor’s and Councillor's Strands. This is best considered an anchorage for settled conditions as southwesterly driven waves tend to roll around the headland, striking a weathercocking vessel beam on. This can make a good night's sleep a challenge.
How to get in?
Image: Michael Harpur
Use southeastern Ireland’s coastal overview for Rosslare Harbour to Cork Harbour for details of seaward approaches. The harbour is made conspicuous by its breakwater and the harbour’s East Pier Lighthouse. This is a 16-metre-high white lantern set on a grey granite tower, standing at the head of the main part of East Pier harbour wall.
Dunmore East – Lighthouse Fl WR 8s, position: 52° 08.935' N, 006° 59.337' W
Image: Tourism Ireland
The initial fix is set 600 metres east of the East Pier Breakwater extension and in the white sector of the harbour’s sectored lighthouse. Track west-northwest into Dunmore Bay, passing to the north of the East Pier Breakwater extension, which has an additional light set on its northern extremity Fl R 2s 6m 4M. The starboard Dunmore East Buoys (1 & 3) – outer Q G and the inner Fl G 2s – show the starboard side of the fairway.
extension and West Wharf
Image: Catherine Sparks
The harbour’s 75-metre entrance faces north by northwest and is located between the head of the East Pier breakwater extension and West Wharf, West Wharf Head Lt Fl (3) G 10s 4M.
Image: Michael Harpur
The 40-metre seasonal pontoon lies inside the East Breakwater, terminating near the old lighthouse. Berth as advised by the harbourmaster.
Image: Nmwalsh via ASA 4.0
The pontoon can accommodate up to a dozen vessels, depending upon LOA; be prepared to raft during busy times. No visiting leisure craft should berth on the inner basin fishing pontoons, which have constant fishing boat traffic and become very crowded during the summer season.
head of the breakwater
Image: Michael Harpur
The club moorings lie to the north of the West Wharf, while the welcoming Waterford Harbour Sailing Club clubhouse is on the West Quay. Enquire here regarding vacant moorings.
Image: Catherine Sparks
If the wind is pleasantly between southwest and northwest, even touching a northerly quadrant, the high cliffs that shelter Dunmore Bay afford a reasonable anchorage anywhere along its length. Between 4 and 6 metres of water will be found here over a muddy bottom, but anchor well clear of the fairway. A bright anchor light should be maintained throughout the night as the harbour is an active fishing port. Although wind protected, Dunmore Bay is subject to swell from the south or southeast, particularly on the ebb tide in the estuary; should a swell appear, it is best to move.
Image: Tourism Ireland
The best anchoring position is in the northwestern corner of Dunmore Bay, off the Lower Village's sandy cove, which is fronted by Lawlor’s and Councillor’s Strands.
Waypoint for Lawlor’s Strand: 52° 09.230’ N, 006° 59.460’ W
The principal danger in the cove is the reef that extends from the shore, which separates Lawlor’s Strand and the Ladies Cove to the south. It extends out under the water, narrowing the anchoring area. The above waypoint is set in the midpoint between this rock and headland to the north, where excellent sand holding will be found. Land on the beach or the pontoon in the harbour, as convenient.
Image: Tourism Ireland
Why visit here?
Dunmore East, in Irish An Dún Mór Thoir, derives its name from an Iron Age promontory fort called Dún Mór, meaning the ‘great fort'. It was situated to the south of the pier on a high promontory called the Black Knob, where the old pilot station stands today. More commonly called the Shin-noon, derived from Sean Dún, the promontory stands above the large and easily accessed Merlin’s Cave immediately underneath.Image: Public Domain
The area became known as Gaultier, from the Irish Gáll Tír, meaning foreigners' land – named following the influx of Vikings expelled from Waterford City in the 12th century. Originally a Norman Cantred, Gaultier had become a barony by 1672.
The Viking and Norman settlers left no fortifications and it was not until the 1640s that large local landowner Lord Power of Curraghmore followed up the Iron Age fort with the construction of a new castle, with the intention of securing a Cromwellian settlement. The castle was situated on a cliff overlooking the strand, about 200 metres from St Andrew's Church. In its prime it would have been a significant building, but it did not stand the test of time; by the middle of the next century it was a ruin, with only a single tower remaining. By this time the village had become a prominent fishing port, with fishermen’s homes situated largely in the lower village and boats launched from Lawlor's Strand.
Image: Public Domain
The decision that would change Passage East came in 1812, when Westminster decided to create an entirely new terminus for the Royal Mail and landing passengers from Milford Haven in Wales to the south of Ireland. At the time, the packet station (for mail) was establishing itself at Cheekpoint, but the upper reaches of the river proved problematic for the sailing vessels of the day. Relocating to Dunmore East, on the entrance to the harbour, was deemed to be the solution, so a sum of £118,000 was set aside for the erection of a large Breton-style artificial pier. Alexander Nimmo, the famous Scottish engineer who built Limerick's Sarsfield Bridge, was given the commission.
Image: Public Domain
The elegant pier at Dunmore East, with its striking lighthouse at the end, had also made it an attractive seaside destination for visitors, and many of its neat fishermen’s thatched cottages were being rented by holidaymakers during the Summer months. In 1824 RH Ryland, in his history of the county and city of Waterford, described what he saw: “Nearby at the entrance of [Waterford] Harbour is the village of Dunmore, formerly a place of resort for fishermen, but now a delightful and fashionable watering place. The village is situated in a valley, with a gentle slope towards the sea; the houses are built irregularly, without regard to site or uniformity of appearance, except that they all look at the same point – the Hook Lighthouse, on the opposite coast. Most of the cottages are built of clay and thatched with straw, and generally let during the summer season from one to three guineas a week. On the hill, which forms the background of the picture, are the ruins of a church.”
Image: Tourism Ireland
Today, two centuries later, little has changed. The ruined church is most likely Cill Aodha, or Aodh’s Church, which has one wall still standing, opposite the Holy Cross Catholic Church at the top of Killea Hill – visible on approach about a mile northwest of Black Knob. The mud cottages have been replaced, but the unique Irish thatch cottage remains here in abundance. The harbour was extended by the Office of Public Works during the 1960s. The original breakwater was extended out beyond the pier and the concrete apron West Wharf quay was dynamited out of the cliffs and inserted into the sheltered cove. Again, the project was expected to take five years but took the best part of a dozen to complete.
Image: Catherine Sparks
Dunmore East retains this dual identity of a centre for fishing, with the well-kept holiday resort of Lower Village 1km to the north. As a fishing harbour, it is one of Ireland’s five designated National Fishery Harbours, and has the fourth-highest figure for fish landings, with Killybegs taking in almost the sum of all the others. Dunmore has some notable marine firsts to its credit: the first Irish woman to qualify for a skipper’s ticket in fishing, and the first official woman crew member of an RNLI Lifeboat are locals. Dunmore also holds the world record for the largest tuna caught on a rod.
Image: Tourism Ireland
It has much to offer as a resort, with beautiful thatched houses, an EU Blue Flag beach and striking red sandstone cliffs that host a huge colony of kittiwakes. The fresh Atlantic catches brought ashore here can be sampled at many of the superb local restaurants. During the summer season there is music in the hotels and pubs, along with many places of interest to visit and various sporting activities, such as golf and tennis. The most popular event in Dunmore East is the annual Bluegrass Festival at the end of August. Over the bank holiday weekend the village hosts a number of bluegrass music groups, with almost every bar becoming a music venue from 3pm until late in the evening.
Image: Public Domain
From a boating perspective, Dunmore is not only an important sheltered harbour for this coast but also a gateway into Waterford Estuary’s cruising grounds of the Suir, Barrow and Nore rivers.
What facilities are available?
Power and water are available at the pontoon. Voucher cards cost €5 from the harbour office. Toilets and showers as well as washing machines and dryers may be found in the newly refurbished harbour building. Waste disposal and recycling facilities are available via the Harbourmaster. Fresh water is available at the West Wharf head, and fuel from the fishermen's co-operative and Waterford Harbour Sailing Club.Dunmore is a busy commercial port where most maritime products and services will be found locally. Two chandlers are situated in the port and its environs. There is a choice of mini-markets that provide a good range of top-up provisions, with a pharmacy, post office and ATMs also available. The area features a choice of excellent seafood restaurants, either in the harbour or in Lower Village, about 1km walk apart.
The very welcoming Waterford Harbour Sailing Club has its headquarters on the North West Quay and is open during the sailing season. Visiting sailors are welcome and may shower here and use the WiFi in the clubhouse. There is a la carte dining on Friday evenings and a barbecue on Sundays, so do make a visit to say hello to the Waterford Harbour Sailing Club.
Craft may dry out between tides for a scrub in the southwest corner of the harbour. The Synchrolift is reserved for fishing vessels, but a mobile crane can be arranged for a harbour lift-out.
Dunmore East is 16km from Waterford City and 10km from Waterford Airport, which hosted regular flights to the UK and Continent prior to the collapse of VLM Airlines in June 2017. However, the airport (also Ireland's coast-guard base) is extending its runway with a view to bringing on future services. Dublin Airport, approximately 200km (2 hours’ drive), and Cork Airport, approximately 150km (also 2 hours’ drive), serve as alternatives.
A regular bus service operates between Dunmore East and Waterford, and the local Suirway provides a particularly good service - (online timetables ). There is also a choice of local taxi operators.
Any security concerns?
No problems known to have occurred on moorings or on anchor at this location. However, lock up securely when rafted up alongside a fishing vessel as a matter of course.With thanks to:
Burke Corbett, Gusserane, New Ross, Co. Wexford plus Keith James.Port of Waterford Pilot Launch entering Dunmore East
Overviews of the harbour area
Add your review or comment:
Michael Harpur wrote this review on May 4th 2018:
Sorted thanks for the update.
Average Rating: UnratedNicholas Walsh wrote this review on May 22nd 2014:
Under moorings please change the reference Waterford Boat Club to Waterford Harbour Sailing Club (www.whsc.ie). Please add also Waterford Harbour Sailing Club welcomes visitors to its Clubhouse on the West Wharf. Free WiFi is available for visiting yachtsmen.
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