Located on Ireland’s southwest coast Goleen is situated in the corner of a coastal bight a mile north of the entrance to Crookhaven Harbour. The small sea inlet offers an anchorage with convenient landings alongside a small rural village in a beautiful setting.

Set within a narrow high sided inlet at the head of a bay, Goleen offers good protection in offshore winds but is exposed to south and southeast conditions. Access requires attentive navigation as although there are no off-lying dangers on the approach, the inlet is narrow and fringed by detached rocks on its north side.

Keyfacts for Goleen

Position and approaches

Haven position

51° 29.664' N, 009° 42.321' W

In the middle of the harbour in 2 metres

What is the initial fix?

This is placed half a mile out on the alignment of the Goleen Church Spire and the monument on 156 metre high Callaros Oughter.

What are the key points of the approach?

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What's the story here?

Goleen is a small rural village that lies in the northwest corner of Ballydivlin Bay at the head of a rocky creek named Kireal Coega. The village quay dries at low tide but there is a small well maintained deepwater quay at the entrance to accommodate fishing boats. Farming, tourism and construction work are among the main occupations of the local people.




The inlet provides good shelter in fair weather, except in conditions from the southeast. It is more suitable for moderately sized vessels. Those that anchor in the creek will need to do so bow and stern but will find excellent windage protection from the inlet high sides.




Those that can take to the bottom will find excellent protection at the upper quay.

How to get in?

Vessels approaching Goleen may use the Crookhaven Harbour general approach directions as Goleen’s entrance lies 1 mile northward of the entrance to Crookhaven. From Crookhaven the coast trends northward and eastward, forming Ballydivlin Bay, with Goleen set into its northwest corner just over ½ a mile north of Spanish Point.




Ballydivlin Bay is entered between Sheemon Point and Ballyrisode Point that is situated about 1½ miles to the northeast and is Ballydivlin Bay’s eastern extremity. From seaward the Mizen Penninsula at this point has the conspicuous hill of Knocknamadree, 311 metres high, to the northwestward of the bay. At the termination of its southern slope is a remarkable cone, named Collaros Oughter, 156 metres high. Knockaphuca, with a steep fall to the westward, rises to a height of 235 metres north by northeastward of the bay with a cross near its crest.




The shores of Ballydivlin Bay are foul for a distance of about 200 metres with its principal danger off its northeastern corner, Ballyrisode Point, the east side of the bay, should be avoided as there are many dangers here. Foul ground extends for nearly a ½ mile south from the point. The key danger is the unmarked Amsterdam Reef situated about 800 metres south from the point and awash at low water. About midway between the reef and the point is Amsterdam Rock that shows 1-2 metres above the water.




Closer in and to the west of Ballyrisode Point shallow rocky patches obstruct the northeast head of the bay of which Murrilaghmore is the outer with 1.8 metres of water over it at LAT. The alignment 093° T of Amsterdam Rock situated 400, metres south-southeast of Ballyrisode Point, and the south side of Dick's Island, 1 mile to the east and close to Castle Point, clears all the inshore dangers in the northeast corner of the bay. In settled weather, it is possible to pass between Toormore and Ballydivlin Bay by cutting midway between Ballyrisode Point and the visible Amsterdam Rock. The gap is 400 metres wide and has at least a depth of 10 metres.



No outlying dangers will be found in the centre of Ballydivlin Bay or in the northwest corner on the approach to Goleen.




The key to finding Goleen is to identify the narrow inlet in the rocks that will not be readily apparent until quite close in. A very useful sea mark is the conspicuous green spire of Goleen Church. Bringing this into alignment with the 156 metres high Callaros Oughter, behind, on a course of about due west, leads into the narrow cleft in the rocks of Kireal-coegea. The initial fix sets up this track.




Closer in the alinement of the spire with a (front) tall green cliff-edge pillar, bearing 276° T leads into the south side of the creek's narrow entrance.




From this line of approach the outer pier, immediately within on its south side of the entrance, will make the inlet known.




On final approaches into the inlet prefer the south side of the inlet, keep to port, as the north side of the entrance is fringed by outlying rocks that are awash at high water.




Anchor in the pool below the lower pier, locally called the 'Big Pier' situated on the south side of the inlet where 8 metres will be found. It is advisable to moor bow and stern with two anchors as there is no swing room in the inlet.




It can be tight here as the fishing vessels have moorings leaving little room to anchor. If it is a bit tight and conditions lend themselves to it it is also possible to anchor outside in deep water.




The other option is to make enquiries of the local fishermen to see if it is possible to come alongside the outer quay or a moored fishing vessel. Land at the outer pier or up the creek at the inner quay's slip that always has deep water for tenders.




The area beyond the pier shallows and dries very quickly. At high water, it is possible to proceed up the inlet to the upper pier, locally called the 'Quay' near the village.



Vessels that can dry will find excellent protection here. The road from the quay leads to the village above.

Why visit here?

Goleen is derived from the Irish word goilín which is used to signify a little fork. It appears in many places with different spellings such as Golan, Goleen, Goulaun, Gowlan, Gowlane and Gowlaun. The name is commonly used to name places that are located at the fork of a river but in the south of Ireland, it is also commonly used to signify a small sea or river inlet. So Goleen here, or in Irish An Goilín, means 'the little inlet'. This clearly describes the narrow cleft through which the Kireal-coegea Creek exits into the northwest corner of Ballydivlin Bay.




The history of human inhabitation runs deep in this entire area. During the Early to Middle Bronze Age period, there was an intensive period of copper mining in and around Goleen (c. 1900-1600 BC) as well as at the more famous sites on Mount Gabriel. In the 19th-Century a cache of a dozen stone axes from this period was found in a small copper mine on Ballyrisode Hill. Mining continued into the early 1800s, especially close southwest of Goleen where a mine was worked for both copper and lead in Boulysallagh. This village came into being around the combination of this copper boom, the quay and it being a crossroads where a cattle fair was regularly held. Most of Goleen's houses were originally built as shops and on account of this, the village retains an unusually wide winding main street.




The upper quay, called the 'Quay', had been in existence for centuries and was historically used by single mast sloops to ship grain from Goleen. The lower quay, called the 'Big Pier', was built in the late 1800s as part of a Congested Districts relief scheme. In 1944, the upper quay was raised and reconstructed with much of the stone been taken from the destroyed RIC Barracks that was one in the village.




As late as the late 1930s small trading vessels such as the 'Carbery King' the 'Jasmine' and the schooner 'Forest Dean' landed coal, meal, flour and other provisions for the merchants of Goleen on the 'Big Pier'. During these times small rowing boats fished for whiting about a mile off the Alderman rock at the end of Crookhaven Peninsula.




Small boat fishing continues to this day but farming has and remains the mainstay of the locals in the rural surroundings. The lands here are hilly, rocky, and although extremely beautiful they have limited soil cover. This provides for poor agricultural potential. As such many locals have diversified into tourism and today, as in the past, Goleen sits on an interesting crossroad; between Schull and Crookhaven and is surrounded by some of Ireland's prettiest scenery. Tourist destination towns on either end with Mizen Head via a wild twisting coast road, affording fine scenery among the sea lagoons and rocky promontories. This, and not to mention the pretty Toormore Bay, Three Castles about 5 Km away and the delightful tidal inlet that is Goleen Harbour itself.




From a boating point of view, the little harbour is simply beautiful, if an unusually tight anchorage along this coast. If it is possible to get in the narrow high sided inlet provides excellent offshore wind protection. Goleen is also the largest settlement in these parts as is hallmarked by its impressive neo-Gothic church. With four pubs, restaurants, four shops and a petrol station it is also a handy provisioning outpost that can provide for most needs.

What facilities are available?

The village of Goleen has four pubs, four shops, and a petrol station. The old Church of Ireland building has been de-consecrated and is home to a sail maker. Bus Éireann run the 237 bus service from Cork City to Goleen.

Any security concerns?

Never an issue known to have occurred to vessel anchored in Goleen.

With thanks to:

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