Located on Ireland’s southwest coast, Carrigmore Bay is situated at the head of Toormore Bay a coastal bight that lies between Crookhaven and Long Island. It offers a secure anchorage in a remote and secluded location.

Set within an inlet at the head of a bay the anchorage offers good protection from all but strong southeasterly component winds where it would be subject to swell. Approaches to the general area are straightforward but the bay requires daylight access as there are some easily avoided but unmarked dangers in and around the bay.

Keyfacts for Carrigmore Bay

Position and approaches

Haven position

51° 30.739' N, 009° 39.390' W

This is set in the middle of the inlet where 4 metres will be found.

What is the initial fix?

This is approximately at the centre of the mile wide gap between Amsterdam Reef, to the northwest, and the 5 metre high Duharrig Island, to the southwest. The conspicuous castle, on Castle Point, will be seen about three quarters of a mile east from here. A course of north by northeast sets up a central path into Toormore Bay.

What are the key points of the approach?

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What's the story here?

Toormore Bay opens 2½ miles to the northeast of the entrance to Crookhaven. The large bay nearly cuts halfway across the Mizen Head promontory, with the remaining isthmus between Dunmanus Harbour, opposite, and Toormore Bay being only 1½ miles across. At its head are the two small inlets of Toormore Cove, to the northeast, and Carrigmore Bay tucked in its northwestern corner. Carrigmore Bay is a large drying sandy inlet in a remote setting with an occasional neat bungalow beyond its beaches.




Sheltered by Reenard Point, the bay offers an anchorage with excellent sand holding in its entrance. After this, it becomes shallow and dries rapidly. Boats that can take to the bottom will find it possible to dry out in almost complete shelter behind the wooded point extending from the eastern side.

How to get in?

Offshore details are available in southwestern Ireland’s Coastal Overview of Cork Harbour to Mizen Head for seaward approaches. Seward approaches are available in the Crookhaven Harbour and local approaches are available in the neighbouring Toormpore Cove as the entry to the anchorage lies close to Toormore’s approach path.




From a central path up through Toormore Bay, turn to northwestern and enter Carrigmore Bay between Reenard and Coosgorm points. Carrigmore is clear up the centre from any known obstructions. Some local small boats and moorings will make the bay known.



The bay shelves very quickly, about 250 metres within the outer entrance and dries from about abeam of the wooded point extending from the northeast.




Anchor according to draft in the outer bay outside a few local moorings. The sand provides excellent holding. Land on any of the beaches that surround the bay. Road access is only available on the western side.

Why visit here?

Carrigmore Bay derives its name from the Irish 'An Charraig Mhór'. 'An' meaning 'the' 'carraig' meaning 'rock' and 'mór' meaning 'great' or 'big'; so the name means 'the great rock'. This name is a widely used placename in Ireland and in this case, it is thought to refer to the significant rocky outcrop that extends for a considerable distance along the eastern shoreline. This bluff, now capped by a grove of trees, serves to separate the outer and inner bays.




Whatever the case Carrigmore Bay is a lovely sandy 'off the beaten track' anchorage where it is most likely that a visiting vessel will have the bay all to itself. Those who come here will find four excellent, secluded and protected beaches that make it an ideal destination for leisure vessels with young children hankering to get free to play and explore. Its gorgeous beaches are a mecca for younger children and with the anchored vessel standing between the sandy cove and Toormore Bay, it is also a very safe location to let older children loose in a tender or dinghy.




Two of its beaches are very much worth a mention and the first of these is the one on the west side of the inlet behind a broken line of large boulder rocks. This is the closest beach to the anchoring position and ideal for landing a shore party. Made up of white sand dotted with occasional large boulder rocks. Having road access, it is often used by a small number of locals for bathing.




The second beach is further up the inlet, on the eastern shore behind the bay’s signature rocky headland. This is truly a spectacular sandy beach. Not only is it more protected than the landing beach. Because this has no convenient road access, those who land here, by tender, are most likely to have this vast sandy expanse all to themselves.




From a boating perspective, Carrigmore Bay offers a delightful, beautiful and quiet setting, but it comes at the price of having no facilities. Toormore village is accessible by joining the road, on the west side of Carrigmore Bay, and then following it around the head of the bay and continuing eastward. This can be a bit of a hike and Toormore village is probably better accessed by lifting anchor and moving just a little over a quarter of a mile and anchoring in Toormore Cove itself.

What facilities are available?

There are no facilities at this remote anchorage.

Any security concerns?

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

With thanks to:

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