Kilcrohane pier is situated on about the midpoint of the north shore of Dunmanus Bay inlet. It provides an anchorage off a pier and slip in a remote setting but with a small village close inland.

The small rocky cove provides an exposed anchorage that can only be utilised with northerly component conditions. Although difficult to identify, even in daylight, access is straightforward at any stage of the tide as there are no outlying hazards.

The anchoring area off Kilcrohane’s pier is steep-to and an anchor watch would be advisable here. A good weather window would be required to visit this haven.

Keyfacts for Kilcrohane Pier

Position and approaches

Haven position

51° 34.470' N, 009° 41.687' W

East of the pier in about three metres.

What are the initial fixes?

The following waypoints will set up a final approach:

(i) Dunmanus Bay initial fix

51° 30.700' N, 009° 51.200' W

This initial fix positions an Atlantic approach to Dunmanus Bay and is set midway between Sheep's Head and Mizen Head.

(ii) Kilcrohane Pier initial fix

51° 34.380' N, 009° 41.250' W

This is situated to the east of Kilcrohane Point just outside the middle of the bay on the 20 metre contour. It is quarter of a mile out from the pier and a course of 290°T from here leads to the pier.

What are the key points of the approach?

Not what you need?

To find locations with the specific attributes you need try:

What's the story here?

Kilcrohane Pier is situated close northeast of Kilcrohane Point set into a bight in the northern shore. It is a small rocky southeast-facing cove. At its head is a small shingle beach and a drying pier with a pair of slips. Close west the small Kilcrohan River flows into the bay. Kilcrohane pier is a popular swimming place and there are several small boat moorings in the area. Apart from the substantial pier and the road the area is remote and sequestered.




Kilcrohane Pier is a place for those cruising Dunmanus Bay in settled weather with a mind to discovering interesting day anchorages and short walks. For this is an exposed anchorage and one that ideally makes a lunch stop or a place to have a swim. Unfortunately, the area off of the Kilcrohane Pier is steep-to and a vessel runs the risk of 'falling off' in the event of the anchor breaking free.




It would therefore be prudent to leave a competent crew member aboard at all times as anchor watch if a shore party is landed.

How to get in?

Use Ireland’s coastal overview for Mizen Head to Loop Head for seaward approaches and the the run-up the long and narrow Dunmanus Bay is covered in the Dunbeacon Harbour entry. Kilcrohane Point is situated 6½ miles from the entrance to Dunmanus Bay and 1½ miles east by northeast of Dooneen Point. There are no outlying dangers and the pier may be approached directly.


Although typically difficult to identify the pier will be more than visible from the initial fix situated to the east of Kilcrohane Point on the 20-metre contour. The seawall to the east of the pier and the pier itself will be prominent. The seabed here is steep and expect depths to rapidly decrease as the pier is approached.



Be careful not to confuse the pier with the small boat mooring area situated in the northeast corner of the bay located behind its flanking reefs. A slip will be seen on the beach but there is no seawall or pier. It is essential not to mistake the two as the approach to this small boat area is foul.




Anchor about 50 metres off the pierhead outside local mooring where 5 metres can be found, making certain the anchor is well set. It is advised that an anchor alarm is set.




Land at the pier or its slip and if both are occupied there is also a shingle beach. The road above the pier leads to the village about 1.5 km away.

Why visit here?

Kilcrohane, in Irish 'Cill Chrócháin' the 'Church of Crochan', takes its name after St Crohan who founded a small religious settlement here.

Little is known about St Crochan except that he is believed to have lived about the time of St Patrick in the middle of the 5th-Century. Some believe he was from Caherdaniel in Kerry, where the village of Kilcrohane and two ruined churches are named after him. Whatever the case he settled in this area and built his original cell alongside the ruined medieval church he founded just outside the village in the grounds of Kilcrohane’s cemetery. The roofless church is recorded as having been in ruins as far back as 1639. Nevertheless, the churchyard is well-tended and remains an essential part of the community. It is a much-visited site that provides a peaceful retreat and rewards its visitors with wonderful views out to sea.




It is also believed that during early Christian times a monastery existed in the northeast end of the bay that overlooks Farnamanagh Strand and the Irish name 'Farnamanagh' roughly translates to 'land of the monks'. It is believed that it became a centre of refuge for Spaniards fleeing the Moorish Umayyad conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. The Basques and the Galician’s had been fishing these Irish waters during the summers for centuries and had long-established trade and religious links with the local chieftains. It would have been seen it as a safe place of refuge for their families when the smaller Spanish kingdoms were coming under intense pressure during the mid-700s AD. According to legend, two of the sons of an exiled Spanish king drowned here when one got into difficulties swimming and the other went to help him.




The first pier was built at Kilcrohane in the 1730s to enable sailing ships to dock in relative safety and engage in coastal trade. At this time road communications did not exist as the present coast road from Durrus to Kilcrohane was built a century later as a famine relief measure. In its early days, Kilcrohane acquired a reputation for being a den of brandy smugglers. There is reputedly a well-hidden cave here that is only accessible during very low tides and it made for a perfect secret cache. The entrance is very small necessitating a person to crawl on their hands and knees which in turn leads to a large chamber that was used for the storage of the contraband. It may very well have been true as the 1842 Ordnance Survey map shows a coastguard station was established at Kilcrohane which would have been established to put pay to this activity.




Later Kilcrohane became a significant port for the export of salted fish and it was recorded that 300 barrels of mackerel were exported from Kilcrohane in 1893 as was 1,017 from Dunmanus Harbour opposite. In the summers a steamship from the Limerick Steamship Company picked up the barrels of mackerel bound for Liverpool and onward export to the USA.




Today, Kilcrohane is a lively and vibrant seaside village whose population swells in the busy summer months. The last coastal village on the Sheep's Head Peninsula, after Durrus and Ahakista, it is also the largest. After this Sheep's Head becomes more baron and jagged as it narrows out to its lighthouse at the tip. This makes it an ideal base to access the famous Sheep's Head Way hill walking route. It is an ideal place to drop a shore party who want to take on a short but interesting Sheep's Head Way hill walk. From here it is possible to ascend to the top of the 344 metres high Seefin, from Irish Suí Finn, Fionn’s Sitting Place', which is Sheep's Head's highest mountain. Kilcrohane's central road loops around Caher Mountain reaching its highest point just 2km north of the village at a spectacular pass between the two mountains. From the pass, it is possible to walk to the top of Seefin where the views are simply spectacular.




During the season Kilcrohane has a carnival held on the third week of July that draws large crowds in good weather. The pier is a popular swimming place and there are numerous private coves dotted along the coast. The water is clear and a beautiful place for swimming and Dunmanus Bay’s abundance of pollock and mackerel attract anglers to the area.

From a boating point of view, this is very much for those fortunate to have settled weather. The village of Kilcrohane has just enough facilities to make it a viable Sheep's Head replenishment point, and it makes for a good landing site to set down a shore party to explore the outer end of the Sheep’s Head Way. Other than this it offers a good lunch stop location or in settled conditions, a night’s stop would be possible.

What facilities are available?

1.5 km from Kilcrohane pier is the village of Kilcrohane that features two pubs, a wine bar, several Bed and Breakfasts of which two have restaurants, an oldfashioned shop that strives to accommodate all needs, a post office, a garage and a summer cafe and restaurant.

Any security concerns?

Never an issue known to have occurred to a vessel anchored off Kilcrohane Pier.

With thanks to:

Burke Corbett, Gusserane, New Ross, Co. Wexford. Photography with thanks to Andrew Wood, Pam Brophy, Berdrisharhar, Richard Webb and Burke Corbett.