Dungarvan Voyage Tips and guide

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Dungarvan is a coastal town in County Waterford in Ireland, with a population in 2022 of 10,000. It has a Norman castle and other sights, and is a good base for exploring the west of the county.

Dungarvan sits at the head of a sheltered but shallow bay at the mouth of the Colligan River. It's only suitable for small boats, and has never been a significant port like Waterford or Cork. Its Irish name Dún Garbhán means "Garbhann's fort," which was actually a monastery, founded in the 7th century on the east bank of the river. The settlement that grew up around it was called Abbeyside, with St Augustine's church now on that site.

Dungarvan itself grew up west of the river, and became the larger settlement, around the castle founded by Prince John in 1185. The castle is a lightweight structure, not like the stout fists of masonry and authority that the Normans would later smack down upon the Irish landscape. It didn't see much medieval conflict, and the town surrendered to Cromwell without a siege or battle. Early modern Dungarvan remained a small agricultural town, though in the 19th century there was copper mining to the east, the railway arrived, and bridges linked Dungarvan and Abbeyside. (Those names are still in use but online maps apply both names to both sides of the river.) From 1898 Dungarvan was the county town, with the city of Waterford forming a separate administration. In 2014 the two councils were merged and Waterford became the county town, but some offices remained in Dungarvan so local government is a significant employer.

Only 3% of the town's residents have Irish as their primary language, but the area to the south around Ring remains Irish-speaking and is known as Gaeltacht na nDéise.

The Tourist Information Centre is at 52 Main Street near the castle. It's open M-Sa 10AM-5PM.

By road from Dublin follow M9 to Waterford then N25 west. For a scenic alternative you could take M8 to Cahir then over the hills via Lismore.

The nearest railway station is Waterford, which has direct trains from Dublin Heuston. Expressway 40 runs hourly between Cork, Dungarvan and Waterford; some continue to Wexford and Rosslare ferry port.

Bus 363 runs M-Sa hourly from Tallow, Lismore and Cappoquin.

Bus 361 runs from Ardmore via the Ring peninsula and Helvick. It's every two hours M-Sa but only three run on Sunday.

Bus 367 runs three times M-Sa along the coast from Tramore via Fenor, Bunmahon and Stradbally to Dungarvan.

52.0916-7.62091 Davitts Quay is the main bus stop, west bank of the river. Buses also stop on Sexton Street east side then rejoin the main road N25.

The town is compact, and the "Gold Coast" and Clonea Beach are within an hour's walk along the Greenway. You need wheels to reach the Ring Peninsula.

There's bike hire from Waterford Greenway on Sexton Street (daily 9AM-6PM). They also have outlets in Waterford and Kilmacthomas, and in summer they run a shuttle bus for the Greenway (see below).

Taxi firms are Joe Cliffe +353 87 793 5393, Finbarr Kelly +353 87 796 5557 and Dungarvan +353 87 793 5393.

• The Quays and old town centre are on the west bank of the river. They're colourful but traffic-choked and interspersed with modern buildings, so you don't get an old town atmosphere.

• 52.0893-7.61621 Dungarvan Castle, Castle St X35 DV58, ☏ +353 58 48144. May-Sep daily 10AM-6PM. This is a polygonal 12th-century "shell keep" founded by Prince (later King) John in 1185. It replaced a motte-and-bailey and represents an early phase of Norman military architecture. When they replaced the previous timber palisade with masonry, they didn't trust the foundations to support the sort of massive curtain walls that later became the Norman style; so a high but lightweight shell of a wall was built with timber supports within. (England's Windsor Castle is of similar design.) There's also a corner tower and gate tower. In the 18th century a barracks was built within. This was burned down by the IRA in 1922 but rebuilt and acted as a police base until 1987; it now houses an exhibition on the castle history. Free. (updated Jul 2025)
• Waterford War Memorial is on Castle St just south of the castle. It's a simple black slab listing the many men of this county killed in the Great War. It's quite a long slab.

• Waterford County Museum, 2 St Augustine Street X35 NW63, ☏ +353 58 45960. M-F 10AM-5PM. Housed in the Old Town Hall, this has a permanent display of the county's history plus changing exhibitions. Free. (updated Jul 2025)
• St Mary's Church, twice. The Church of Ireland (Anglican) church on Convent Row and the RC version 200 m west are both worth a look.
• East river bank with Sexton Street and Walton Park is worth strolling for views across the estuary.
• 52.088-7.61072 St Augustine's Church (Roman Catholic) near the south point of the east bank was built in 1832 and incorporates the tower and nave of the 13th-century Augustinian friary which gave its name to Abbeyside. The friary was wrecked by Cromwell but in the 19th century the friars re-established themselves across the river on Dungarvan Main Street.
• Ballinacourty is the headland east across the bay, optimistically marketed as "Gold Coast" - there's a hotel and golf resort (see Sleep) and a stubby lighthouse built in 1858.
• 52.095-7.5443 Clonea is a broad sandy beach on the sheltered east side of Ballinacourty headland. There's a camping and caravan site. Clonea Castle (not to be confused with the dilapidated stump north towards Carrick-on-Suir) was an 18th- and 19th-century structure but washed away in winter storms in 1990. Clonea can be reached from town by the Greenway, see below.
• 52.146-7.51084 The Answering Stone or Cloch Labhrais is in a back lane 500 m north of Durrow viaduct. It's a vast boulder, 20 m across and 4 m tall, with a wide cleft down the middle. It's a glacial deposit and presumably split through ice action within it. In legend this stone would listen to statements then declare whether they were true or false. No fudging or "it depends how you define X", it was a strictly Boolean Boulder, and it shattered when tricked into verifying a claim that was patently false. It's been mute ever since so now you can fib away at the stone without being contradicted, and it's pointless to ask it about the veracity of the legend.

• 52.073-7.6075 The Cunnigar (An Coinigear) is a 3 km sand spit protruding from the Ring Peninsula into Dungarvan Bay, trapping the little River Brickey in shoals and salt marshes, good for bird-watching. The grassy path is accessible at all tides.
• 52.048-7.5836 Ring (An Rinn, or if you prefer Ringagonagh or Rinn Ó gCuanach) is a small Irish-speaking village on the Helvick Peninsula south of Dungarvan. There's B&B accommodation, and Mooney's Bar for a sing-song. Continue east to the Head, and five rocky islets (looking as if a single island shattered when it was dropped) are bird colonies. West of the peninsula on N25 is a memorial and mass graveyard (nowadays indistinct) for victims of the Great Famine. So many of them that the nearby pub An Seanachai was built to serve the gravediggers and body-carters.
• 52.124-7.467 Stradbally is a scenic cove 10 km east of Dungarvan that marks the start of the Geopark through Bunmahon. The beach is sandy and the cove is enfolded by wind-sculpted woods. There are few facilities in the village so bring your own sandwiches. The Greenway passes 2 km west, see below.
• 52.14-7.3728 Bunmahon is a village on the coast 15 km east of Dungarvan which in the 19th century had copper mines. It's at the centre of the Copper Coast UNESCO Geopark, which extends for 25 km of rich red sandstone from Kilfarrasy in the east to Stradbally in the west. There's surfing at Bunmahon, with a surf shack for equipment and lessons.

• Movies @ Dungarvan is a multiplex cinema next to the shopping centre.
• Old Market House Arts Centre is on Lower Main Street.

• Go walkies in Colligan Woods 5 km north of town. Follow R672 (signed for Clonmel), which crosses N72 for Lismore at the monument to Master McGrath (1866-1873). "Lead on, bold Britannia, give none of your jaw, stuff that up your nostrils, says Master McGrath" . . . and on and on went the stirring ballad. No, not a child revolutionary martyr: Dicksy (as he was better known) was a champion greyhound, winning the Waterloo Cup three times and a pile of money for his aristocratic owner, and being taken to see Queen Victoria.
• Deise Greenway is a 46 km walking and cycling route along an old railway track. It heads west from Waterford along the south bank of the River Suir, alongside the WSV Railway as far as Kilmeadan. It continues west then south cross-country, with impressive viaducts at Kilmacthomas and Durrow and a tunnel plus viaduct at Ballyvoyle. It reaches the coast at Clonea then turns west for the last 6 km into Dungarvan, so this is a good route from town to beach.
• Gaelic games: the County GAA team's main stadium is Walsh Park in Waterford, but they play some home games at Fraher Field. It has a capacity of 15,000 and is on the riverbank just north of town centre.
• Golf: local courses are Dungarvan northeast, junction of N25 and N72, Gold Coast east across the bay (see hotel details), and West Waterford west in Coolcormuck Valley.
• Dungarvan Offshore Charters run boat trips April-Oct for sea-angling or sight-seeing.

• Dungarvan Shopping Centre is in town centre.
• There's a retail park on the main road north of town centre. Lidl supermarket is open M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 9AM-9PM.

• Tannery, 10 Quay St X35 XN99 (opposite castle), ☏ +353 58 45420. W- Sa 5:30-9PM, Su 12:30-3PM. Highly rated modern Irish cuisine. They also run the chic Townhouse B&B round the corner. (updated Jul 2025)
• Crew's Restaurant, 27 Church St X35 HW13 (opposite castle), ☏ +353 58 23422. W-Sa noon-3PM, 5-9PM, Su 12:30-9PM. Popular steak and seafood place, with veggie and GF options. They also have accommodation. (updated Jul 2025)
• Interlude, Davitts Quay X35 X890, ☏ +353 58 45898. Tu-Sa 10:30AM-9PM, Su 10:30AM-8PM. Friendly informal cafe and restaurant on the quay. (updated Jul 2025)
• Indian Ocean, Davitts Quay X35 NN59 (by the castle), ☏ +353 58 48495. M-Th 3-11PM, F-Su 1-11PM. All the standard Indian dishes plus a few European options. If it's sunny you can dine outside on the quay. (updated Jul 2025)
• The Moorings, Davitts Quay X35 Y409, ☏ +353 58 41461. Daily noon-11PM. Straightforward bar food but it earns consistently good reviews. They also have B&B and self-catering accommodation. (updated Jul 2025)
• Ming's Court on Davitts Quay is open M W-F 4:30-10:30PM, Sa 1-11PM, Su 10AM-11PM. Very mixed reviews.
• Ormond Cafe, 4 Grattan Square X35 DK26, ☏ +353 58 64614. M-Th 8AM-4PM, F-Su 8AM-5PM. Service sometimes erratic but good food especially for breakfast. They also have three self-accommodation suites. (updated Jul 2025)
• Shamrock at 4 O'Connell St off Grattan Square serves trad fare M-Sa 8AM-8PM.
• Merrys, Lower Main Street X35 HW71 (by the castle), ☏ +353 87 397 8299. Tu-Su noon-11:30PM. Gastro pub with traditional selection (including Irish tapas), gets good reviews. (updated Jul 2025)

• Pubs in town centre and the quay include Merrys, Moorings (both above), Lady Belle, The Anchor, Downey's, Foley's, The Local, Nagle's, Enterprise Bar, Quealy's and Tír Na nÓg.
• Dungarvan Brewing Company produces Black Rock Stout and a dozen other ales. Tours are available in summer: they're on Westgate Business Park behind the fire station.

• Lawlor's Hotel, Bridge St X35 DT04, ☏ +353 58 41122. Simple modern hotel, friendly service but some rooms are small and drab. With restaurant and bar. B&B double €280. (updated Jul 2025)
• The Hatmaker, 12 Parnell St X35 V577, ☏ +353 58 30400. Stylish comfy place by the County Museum. B&B double €220. (updated Jul 2025)
• Tudor House, 15 St Mary St X35 H925, ☏ +353 58 41873. Comfy & central. B&B double €140. (updated Jul 2025)
• 52.095-7.62461 Park Hotel, Shandon Rd X35 CC97, ☏ +353 58 42899, [email protected]. Well-run mid-range place just west of the river bridge. B&B double €200. (updated Jul 2025)
• 52.1009-7.62452 No 12, 12 Cois Abha, Shandon Rd X35 DY82, ☏ +353 87 628 3211. Charming B&B north edge of town. B&B double €200. (updated Jul 2025)
• 52.0929-7.61063 St Anthony's B&B, Clonea Rd X35 AE16, ☏ +353 58 44749. Pleasant welcoming guest house. No pets. B&B double €220. (updated Jul 2025)
• 52.0854-7.57034 Gold Coast Hotel, Gold Coast Rd, Ballinacourty X35 EA40, ☏ +353 58 45050. Clean efficient family-friendly hotel and golf resort. They also have self-catering lodges. B&B double €280. (updated Jul 2025)
• Casey's Caravan & Camping Park, Tallacoolmore X35 EP20 (by Clonlea beach), ☏ +353 58 41919. Well equipped site for tourers and camping. Pitch €40. (updated Jul 2025)

As of July 2025, Dungarvan and its approach roads have 4G from Vodafone, and 5G from Eir and Three.

• Waterford has a rich Viking, medieval and Georgian heritage, and has the best visitor amenities.
• Tramore and Dunmore East are pleasant coast resorts south of Waterford.
• Lismore has a castle with gardens, and several other mansions and gardens (some distinctly eccentric) in the countryside around.
• Knockmealdown Mountains start north of Lismore: cross through the Vee Gap to Cahir in County Tipperary, with its island castle and playful Swiss Cottage.
• Youghal in County Cork is a historic harbour. Its mayor was once Sir Walter Raleigh, a major landowner in this region.