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Voykit pocket guide · Ireland
Kilmore Quay
Cill Mhór
Give Kilmore Quay one night, two if you want the Saltee ferry: a working fishing harbour, a thatched street, and boat trips to a seabird island.
Kilmore Quay is a fishing village of about 400 people on the south Wexford coast, the main settlement between the Bannow estuary and Tacumshane. The harbour is a working port, not a resort, and the reason to come is the water: the Great Saltee bird reserve 5 km offshore, sea-angling and yachting. The village itself takes an hour to walk; the coast either side needs a car. Most visitors sleep one night, or two if the ferry weather holds.
- Country
- Ireland
- Local name
- Cill Mhór
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (wind and rain, ferry rarely sails)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including pubs and taxis.
- Daily spend
- Budget €55–85 excl. bed · Mid €85–140 excl. bed · High €140+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Vodafone, Three and Eir run the networks; prepaid SIMs (also 48, Tesco Mobile, GoMo) sell in phone shops and newsagents, no registration fuss.
- Emergency
- Police, ambulance, fire, coast guard 112 · Alternative emergency number 999
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Type G three-pin, like the UK; European and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–15% if service is not included.; Pub: Not expected when ordering at the bar.; Taxi: Round up.; Tour guide or driver: €5–10 per person for a day tour.; Hotel porter: €1–2 per bag.
- Water
- Tap water is safe; occasional local 'boil water' notices are posted by Uisce Éireann.
- Toilets
- Free in shopping centres, museums, pubs (as a customer) and many petrol stations; some public toilets charge 50c.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in the village café | €3–4 |
| Pub grub main (Kehoe's) | €14–20 |
| Fish and chips takeaway | €10–15 |
| Pint of stout | €5–6 |
| Great Saltee ferry, adult return | €40 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DUB · Dublin
- About 2 h 30 min by car via the M11 and N25; allow 3 h in traffic.
- WAT · Waterford
- About 1 h 15 min by car via the N25.
Typical fares
- Wexford station → Kilmore Quay, Bus 390
- about 50 min, six times Mon–Sat (check)
- Great Saltee ferry, adult return
- €40, three sailings a day April–September, weather permitting (check)
- Taxi Wexford → Kilmore Quay
- €30–40 (check)
Get around
The village is walkable in 10 minutes. Everything else — Ballyteige Burrow, Bannow Island, Tacumshane — needs a car; there is no local bus beyond the Wexford service. Wexford Bus 390 runs from Wexford railway station to the harbour in about 50 min, six times Monday–Saturday and three times on Sunday (check the current timetable).
See and do
Known for
- Great Saltee bird reserve
- Working fishing harbour
- Thatched cottages on the R793
- Sea-angling and yachting
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Wexford town | Car via the R739 and N25, or Wexford Bus 390 from the harbour | About 1 h by bus, 25 min by car |
| Rosslare | Car via the N25 east | About 30 min |
| Fethard-on-Sea | Car via the R734 west | About 30 min |
| New Ross | Car via the N25 west | About 45 min |
| Enniscorthy | Car via the N25 and N30 | About 1 h |
| Gorey | Car via the N25 and M11 | About 1 h 15 min |
Sleep
- Harbour and village centre
- Walk to the pub, the chipper and the ferry departure point; the smallest choice of beds.
- Kilmore Quay Holiday Park
- Caravan and campsite near the harbour, open April–October; the budget option for a family.
- Inland on the R739
- B&Bs about 1 km from the harbour; you need a car for everything, including dinner.B&Bs about 0.6 mi from the harbour; you need a car for everything, including dinner.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Dia duitjeea gwit |
| Thank you | Go raibh maith agatguh rev mah agut |
| Please | Le do thoilleh duh hull |
| The ferry, please | An bád, le do thoilon bawd, leh duh hull |
| How much is it? | Cé mhéad é?kay vade ay |
| Where is the harbour? | Cá bhfuil an caladh?kaw will on kol-ah |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake, first names quickly; avoid: Over-formality; it reads as coldness
- Conversation: Banter, weather and sport; self-deprecating humour; avoid: Opening with Northern Ireland, religion or the Famine
- Pubs: Buy your round; chat at the bar; avoid: Leaving a round without buying one
- Identity: Say Ireland, or the Republic when you need to distinguish; avoid: 'Southern Ireland' and calling it British
- Driving: Lift a finger from the wheel to thank drivers who pull in for you; avoid: Stopping on narrow bends for photos
Scams and watch-outs
- The Great Saltee ferry is weather-dependent and lands on rocks: no pier, no shelter, no toilets on the island.
- The Saltee and Keeragh islands have no mobile signal; tell someone your plan before you sail.
- Mobile coverage on the approach roads is poor, so download your map before you leave Wexford.
- The harbour is a working port: keep clear of moving boats, ropes and fish crates.
- Book beds and the campsite early for July and August; the village is small.
A quiet, low-crime village; the real risks are the sea and the weather. The Saltee ferry lands on slippery rocks with no shelter, and the Keeragh reef has wrecked ships. Wear grippy shoes, take waterproofs, and never swim alone off the harbour.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Kilmore Quay yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Great Saltee bird reserve
- Working fishing harbour
- Thatched cottages on the R793
- Sea-angling and yachting
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Wexford — Kilmore Quay: www.visitwexford.ie/
- Wexford Bus — route 390: www.wexfordbus.com/
- Wikivoyage: Kilmore Quay, revision 5308620 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5308620
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Kilmore QuayCill Mhór
Chuig an seoladh seo, le do thoil
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Wexford; the US embassy is in Dublin, and the UK, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand embassies are also in Dublin. The nearest Garda station is in Kilmore Quay or Bridgetown (check).
Ferry sailings and the campsite season change with weather and the year: confirm before you travel.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/kilmore-quay). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.