Dunworly Bay is located on the southwest coast of Ireland about twenty miles southwest of Cork Harbour and in the eastern part of Clonakilty Bay. It is situated close west of Seven Heads, the large peninsula that divides Clonakilty and Courtmacsherry Bays. It offers a convenient anchorage in a secluded location.

The bay provides a tolerable anchorage providing protection from easterly and northerly winds but is entirely open to Atlantic swell. Attentive navigation is required to access the bay as it has two unmarked but easily avoided rocks in the middle of the bay.

Although Dunworly looks very protected it is subject to groundswell from the prevailing sector making it only viable in settled conditions.

Keyfacts for Dunworly Bay

Position and approaches

Haven position

51° 35.023' N, 008° 45.729' W

This is in the anchoring position at the head of Dunworly Bay.

What is the initial fix?

This is southeast of Cod Rock, with 6.9 metres of cover, and southeast of Bird Island, itself close south of Dunworley Head. A course of 30° T for three quarters of a mile leads into the head of the bay from here.

What are the key points of the approach?

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What's the story here?

Dunworley Bay, a small southwest opening bight set into the eastern part of Clonakilty Bay, 3½ miles east of Clonakilty and 2 miles west by northwest of Seven Heads. Entered between Lehenagh Point and Dunworley Head it is about ½ a mile in extent and encumbered with two large rocks.

The bay offers an exposed fair-weather anchorage at its head in settled north round to easterly conditions.

How to get in?

Use southwestern Ireland’s coastal overview for Cork Harbour to Mizen Head for coastal planning. The bay can be positively identified by Seven Heads of which it lies 1¾ miles west-northwest. Seven Heads is a bold bluff headland with an old telegraph tower standing at an elevation of 40 metres close north of Leganagh Point.




It is the eastern extremity of the Clonakilty Bay, a large bay that lies between it and Galley Head a distance of about 10 miles westward. With the exception of ½ a mile of sandy beach, which marks the entrance to Clonakilty Harbour, the shores are generally high, rocky and fringed with outlying rocks and foul ground. However, all of Clonakilty Bay’s dangers are close to the shore.

Dunworley Bay is a horseshoe-shaped bight set into the northwest corner of Clonakilty Bay, close west of Seven Heads and around Dunworley Head. It is encumbered with two rocks that need careful attention, the inner Horse Rock, that fouls the west part of the bay, and Cow Rock that is located in the centre of the bay’s entrance ½ a mile north-by-northwest of Dunworly Head.




Cow Rock dries 2.6 metres and is usually visible or awash. Horse Rock, however, situated 250 metres north of the Cow Rock and about midway between it and the north shore, dries to 0.4 metres and may not be seen. The approach therefore should be made between Cow Rock and Dunworly Head which requires careful eyeball navigation. However, once Cow Rock has been identified a central path between it and the eastern shore is easily made.



Vessel following the Seven Heads shoreline in and around Dunworly Bay should be careful to avoid a rock that lies close south of Bird Island. Bird Island is situated on the foul ground extending 350 metres from Dunworly Head and a dangerous outlier lies close south of the rock island. Part of the head of this rock shows, but a covered portion extends south beyond it. Standing 300 metres off Seven Heads and Bird Island clears all dangers.




From the initial fix pass in on a course 30°T and to the west of Bird Island and Dunworly Head. The ruins of Dunworly Castle will be seen standing 300 metres north of Dunworly Point and Dunworly Bay will open to the north.




Alternatively, keeping 150 metres off Dunworly Head when entering the bay clears all dangers. Once within the entrance steer up to the head of the bay at the north end of the bight.




Anchor in the north end of the bay in 3 to 4 metres. The bottom is flat and gradually rising to the shore. The last white building on the skyline, or at a lower level the small brown building that will be seen in a gully, provide good indicators for where you can expect the bay's deeper water to run out.



After this, the depths gradually descend into the drying inlet that extends off the north end of the bay. Good sand holding will be found here, albeit about 800 metres out and with a long dinghy trek into land on the beach.

Why visit here?

Dunworly Bay, often spelt Dunworley, takes its name from the ancient Irish name dúna úrluing, which was first recorded in 1260. The name means dúna 'fort', and úrluing 'its open space', and so 'the open space of the fort'. This refers to Dunworley Castle which overlooks the bay and the preceding structures that existed there from the stone age.




Visitors who come ashore here will find a spectacular sandy beach on which to land and enjoy. Those interested in long, beautiful walks along headlands, exploring ring forts and watchtowers along a rocky coastline will find they have landed in the right place. Sitting adjacent to the rugged and enchanting stretch of the Atlantic coast there is plenty to enjoy here. Some small bungalows dot the shores here but they do little to detract from the Seven Heads feeling of restful repose, solitude and timelessness.




Chief amongst the sites of interest is the ruin of Dunworley Castle. It was an O'Cowig castle, built on the site of an earlier fort. Later it was appropriated by the Barry Roe clan. The actual castle with its bawn has disappeared and all that remains is a guard tower with traces of a 4-metre long section of the curtain wall that closed off the neck of the promontory. The scant remains are limited and of little interest but what is remarkable is the situation of the fort on the narrow promontory that connects it to the mainland.




The piece of land connecting the peninsula to the mainland is only 8 or 9 meters wide and the tower house perfectly cuts off the narrow neck to the Dunworly Point promontory, locally known Illaunbeg, 'small island'. The rectangular tower of some 4 by 5 meters and 1 storey high would have easily defended the peninsula particularly so when it would have originally had walls on either side. The castle is freely accessible today.

It provides a wonderful introduction to Dunworly’s rugged coastline of rocky bights with sand lined coves accompanied by the simple pleasure of standing on the cliff tops and looking out over the Atlantic. Ashore the ruggedness quickly gives way to West Cork’s rolling farmlands. The paintbox patchwork of green and yellow fields marked out by old stone walls are themselves lined with a profusion of wild summer flowers.




From a boating point of view, Dunworly Bay is another anchoring opportunity on this beautiful and unspoilt section of the West Cork coastline. Close to the Seven Heads, it is an easy location for passage makers to drop into when in need of easterly protection. Akin to all the outer bays no village borders its shoreline, but just being a mile to the northwest of the head and with good holding it is a useful drop-in location. Vessels making passage along this part of the coast will find it an ideal spot for a lunch stop in settled or in northerly and easterly conditions.

What facilities are available?

There are no facilities available at this location.

Any security concerns?

Never an issue known to have occured to a vessel anchored at Dunworly Bay.

With thanks to:

Burke Corbett, Gusserane, New Ross, Co. Wexford.