Kilmore Quay

Kilmore Quay sits at the southern tip of Wexford with a working fishing fleet, a marina and a street of whitewashed thatched cottages running down to the harbour - the thatch here is a genuine local survival rather than an estate creation, and several are still lived in. The fleet lands prawns, crab, lobster and whitefish, and the village has fishmongers and seafood restaurants working directly off it, with a seafood festival in July. Boats to the Saltee Islands, one of Ireland's most important seabird colonies, leave from here between May and July. The Wexford coast offshore is heavy with wrecks - the Saltees and the shifting sandbanks accounted for a great many ships - and a maritime heritage centre in the village covers that. The harbour is exposed to southerly weather and boats do not run in swell. Outside the summer months much of the village's hospitality closes.

What you actually see

• The thatched street - whitewashed cottages running down to the harbour.
• The working fleet - prawns, crab and lobster landed at the quay.
• The Saltee boats - departures to the seabird islands, May to July.
• The maritime heritage - the wreck history of this stretch of coast.

When to go

May to September; the Saltee boats run May to July and the seafood festival is in July. Outside summer much of the village closes and boat trips stop.

Honest expectations

Boat trips cancel readily in swell. Restaurants and shops are seasonal - a winter visit finds most of them shut. The Saltees have no facilities and landing depends entirely on the sea.

Nearby

The Saltee Islands are offshore; Hook Head and Wexford town are either side.