Saltee Islands

Saltee Islands

Features

The Saltee Islands are a pair of islands and special area of conservation off the coast of Kilmore Quay in south County Wexford.

The accessible island, Great Saltee, may be an ideal filming location for scenes that need a untouched and idyllic coastal area. The nearly uninhabited island has wide-open plateaus, winding dirt tracks, windswept headlands, and unspoiled beaches. Due to its isolation, the island is almost unaffected by the modern world, and its features have a primordial and wild quality to them.

Great Saltee was inhabited up until the 20th century. Farming on the island was stopped in 1943 and it was allowed to rewild. Some signs of former human inhabitation can be seen, including the stone walls that crisscross the island.

The Saltee Islands are a special area of conservation, and as such, have enhanced legal protection. Bird species that nest on Great Saltee include gannets, gulls, puffins, and manx shearwaters. A population of grey seals also breeds on the island. Visitors are required to stay at least 6m away from all birds and animals, and are required to leave the island exactly as they find it.

Great Saltee can be accessed by a ferry that departs from Kilmore Quay.

More Info

See more at the ferry operator’s website.

Please be aware that the islands do not have a dock or pier. Landing on Great Saltee is achieved by dinghy from the ferry. Depending on the tides, disembarking may require stepping into the shallows. Little Saltee is inaccessible.

There are no facilities on the islands.

Accessed from Kilmore Quay.

Photographer: Al Butler