Dirk Bay is a small bay on the southwest coast of Ireland, tucked into a bight to the northeast of Galley Head about twenty miles east of Baltimore. It offers a secluded anchorage off a slip on the west side of the bay.

The anchorage provides tolerable protection in westerly and northerly conditions. It is entirely exposed to the south right around to the east. Daylight access is straightforward as although the bay has a hazard there are no off-lying dangers in the west side of the bay where the anchorage lies.

The eastern half of the bay should be entirely avoided as it is foul with both covered and drying dangers.

Keyfacts for Dirk Bay

Position and approaches

Haven position

51° 32.500' N, 008° 56.450' W

In the anchoring area in the west side of the bay.

What is the initial fix?

This waypoint is half a nautical mile due east of Galley Head lighthouse.

What are the key points of the approach?

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What's the story here?

Dirk Bay is located on the west side of the entrance of Clonakilty Bay ¾ of a mile north by northeast of Galley Head and entered between Dundeady and Dunowen Head. The bay affords good anchorage in fine sand with westerly winds, anchored in what is locally known as Dirk Cove in the southwest side of the bay. This is under the lee of Dundeady where some houses, formally a coastguard station, and a slipway will be seen.




The bay offers excellent sand holding in depths of 4 to 5 metres. But is only usable overnight in settled weather in light winds from between north and west.

How to get in?

Use Ireland’s coastal overview for Cork Harbour to Mizen Head for seaward approaches and the Clonakilty (Ring) directions for local approaches. Galley Head ¾ of a mile south by southwest of the bay makes Dirk Bay's position unmistakable.




From the initial fix, located ½ a mile due east of Galley Head lighthouse, track due north for ¾ of a mile and come into Dirk Bay along the western shoreline. On closer approaches, Dunowen Head, which marks the bay’s eastern extremity, will become conspicuous.




It is essential to make the approach into Dirk Bay from the south and to stay within the bay’s western side. The eastern half of the bay is foul with Carrigduff Rock. Carrigduff covers at half-tide and dries to 1.5 metres and it has foul ground extending 200 metres to the southwest of it.

Aside from this, there is little in the way of leisure craft. The Bream Rock patch has 7.3 metres over it on the west side of the bay and the charted wreck has 5.2 metres of cover.




Once off the slipway, on the west side of the bay, find a nice patch of sand in depths of 4 to 5 metres and anchor off. The anchoring area has a fine sand bottom that provides for very good holding.




Expect to see fishing buoys inshore of the anchorage. Take care of the tricky fingers when coming into the slipway.

Why visit here?

Dirk Bay takes its name from a 'dirk', or duirc in ancient Irish, which is a small straight-bladed sword or thrusting dagger of less than 30cm long. This would give the bay the meaning 'dagger bay'.




Historically, the 'dirk' was the personal weapon of officers engaged in naval hand-to-hand combat during the Age of Sail. They served a similar function to a modern dagger but also could be used as a cutting tool. The longer version was termed a 'rapier' and during the 16th to 18th centuries both could be employed in two-handed combat, with the 'dirk' held in one hand and rapier in the other. However, it is unlikely that a dirk was called upon for combat in this very quiet bay.




Most believe the term was used to indicate the long shards of metamorphic rock that extend out from the shore at the base of the cliffs. Alternatively, 'a dirk', dorc in ancient Gaelic also implies 'enmity'. So that could also refer to the difficulty of landing amongst the rocky fingers before the slip was built between the reefs. Or, alternatively, it could refer to the dangerous rocks in the eastern side of the bay.




Whatever the case, if it was the former landings in the bay were eased when in the 18th-century a coastguard station and slip were built to avail of the protection provided by Dundeady headland. This station was called 'Galley Head' and was part of the detachment within the district of Kinsale that in total comprised a force of 8 officers and 63 men, under the superintendence of a resident inspecting commander.




In the summer of 2004, their long since abandoned 18th and 19th century stone structures were refurbished to provide the private residence. Niall McLaughlin Architects converted the old cottage and boathouse and added the extension joining all three with an asymmetric, cruciform cloister created a central courtyard. The final building has three bedrooms. The owners in the cottage at the top of the launch ramp with one-metre thick, rubble walls, and guests in the former boathouse backed up against the hillside. The new extension contains the living spaces in an airy, timber-frame structure on the far side of the promontory with a soaring canopy pushing out over the shore.




The building, in this setting, to the writer, reminiscent of a structure that would have featured in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series 'The Jetsons', won The Stephen Lawrence Prize for design in the following year. It also has stood the test of the Atlantic surviving storm-force south-easterly winds that when combined with spring tides lined up to hurl breakers up as high as the projecting canopy. Aside from this architectural development, the bay has remained the very quiet out-of-the-way place and seems to have been entirely passed over by Cork’s burgeoning tourist industry.




Those who come ashore can enjoy a very pleasant walk out to Galley Head that offers extensive vistas over the bay and sea. Galley Head Lighthouse and station was built in 1875 at the southern end of the headland, known as Dundeady island, as to all intentions it does give that appearance from seaward. Historically, and like most all the significant promontories in this area, Galley Head was cut off from the mainland by the ancient walls of the stronghold of Dun Deidi. It was built by the Normans in circa 1215 on the site of an earlier fort. In its time it was one of the strongest defensive positions in West Cork, being much like that of the Dunworly fort in that it was completely surrounded by cliffs and sea, accessible only by a small causeway. In later years it went on to be an important fortress of the local O’Cowhig Clan and later became a Barry Roe castle. The ruins of the castle can be seen today standing near to the cliffs.




Galley Head lighthouse, often mistaken for the old head of Kinsale, was built during the heyday of lighthouse building and within twenty years of its closest neighbours at Old Head of Kinsale and Fastnet. Galley Head and the Fastnet have the distinction of being two of the most powerful lighthouses in Europe. Today the lighthouse overlooks two magnificent sandy beaches, one in the northeast corner of Dirk Bay and the other, Long Strand, to the west of the head. On a sunny day and particularly with northern winds, either of these beaches would make a very enjoyable place to land.




From a boating perspective, Dirk Bay is a highly convenient headland anchorage to wait out a tide or stop for lunch whilst making passage along the southwest Cork coastline. An overnight stay would most likely require settled conditions. Set in a quiet remote area that is almost entirely undeveloped, it offers visitors a secluded haven in an area of unspoilt tranquillity.

What facilities are available?

Fresh water is available from a tap on the pier, but apart from this there is nothing to be had here.

Any security concerns?

Never an issue known to have occurred to a vessel anchored in Dirk Bay.

With thanks to:

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