Irish Shore Fishing
Illustration for Kilcoole Beach.

Wicklow coast

Kilcoole Beach

Beach, Kilcoole. The usual tide here: the first of the ebb into the run of the ebb.

  • Flounder
  • Dab
  • Codling
  • Coalfish
  • Whiting

Now until 04:07

Hard work

The first of the ebb into the run of the ebb after dark. Yellow Small Craft warning covers some or all of this window.

Wind
SW 28 km/hGusts 28 km/h
Waves
0.6 mLight surf, over the window
Tide
Low 04:350.3 m

The coast’s call for these hours: effort from the wind, gusts and rain read at Greystones. Not a call on this mark, and whether the fish are there is not called.

Illustration, made with Adobe Firefly.

Sunrise07:10

Sunset17:05

Moon, calculatedFull moon (100%)

Small Craft warning for all coasts of Ireland, in force for the Wicklow coast. Checked 00:24.Hazards not checked on site. No hazard record yet; the guide’s safety notes are below. Tide now: falling, low water at 04:35, 0.3 m. No record of whether it cuts off.

Next 24 hours at Kilcoole

Tide, light, wind and sea conditions for your session. The wind is read at Greystones; which way this mark faces is not verified yet, so it is not judged against its shore.

View detailed forecast
Sunrise 07:10Sunset 17:05High 11:102.7 mHigh 23:252.8 mNow
The next 24 hours: the next tide window 00:24 to 04:07, Hard work; low water 04:35, 0.3 m; high water 11:10, 2.7 m; low water 17:00, 0.4 m; high water 23:25, 2.8 m; sunrise 07:10, sunset 17:05.
Wind, gusts and rain by the hour, read at Greystones
HourWind km/hGusts km/hRain mm
00:0021 from SW270
01:0017 from SSW250
02:0017 from SSW220
03:0019 from S230
04:0028 from S280.4
05:0040 from S401.1
06:0045 from S491.3
07:0047 from S572.0
08:0048 from S601.2
09:0041 from SSW600.3
10:0035 from SSW550
11:0037 from SSW500
12:0041 from SSW530
13:0045 from SSW590.1
14:0045 from SSW640
15:0046 from SSW650
16:0047 from SSW660.1
17:0048 from SSW690.2
18:0048 from SSW730.2
19:0052 from S760.5
20:0055 from S801.1
21:0057 from S821.6
22:0056 from S810.4
23:0053 from SSW780.3

Wind and rain at Greystones: MET Norway. Gusts: Met Éireann. Tide: Marine Institute, predicted. Light from the sun’s position; the moon, full moon, about 100% lit, calculated.

The coast north to south

Check the latest wind at each stretch of the coast.

View all areas

Illustrations, made with Adobe Firefly.

Safety here

Beaches today: Caution. A Met Éireann yellow warning covers this coast for the time judged. Waves 0.5 m, under the beach caution threshold.

Not verified · last checked 5 October 2026

Hazards: not checked on site. Assume the worst footing and tide cut-off, and read the hazard notes below as a starting point.

Read: Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail), "Kilcoole" station page, Car Park Details.

Fishing permission: not checked. No bye-law, harbour rule or landowner permission has been read for this mark.

No hazard record for this mark yet. From its guide:

The active railway line is the primary hazard, cross only at the designated level crossing and never climb the fences. Soft shingle can be unstable underfoot; wear boots with good ankle support. In rough conditions the wave wash can be deceptive, keep well back from the water edge.

Railway. Getting here crosses an active railway line. Use only the pedestrian crossing, obey the signals and close the gates behind you.

Met Éireann warnings

Yellow Small Craft warning until 23:59 Tue

Small Craft warning for all coasts of Ireland

Level
yellow
Event
Small Craft
Severity
Moderate
Certainty
Likely
Onset
Expires
Issued
Areas
  • EI811 (Wicklow Head to Carnsore Point)
  • EI822
  • EI817
  • EI806
  • EI812
  • EI819
  • EI820
  • EI821
  • EI807
  • EI808
  • EI810 (Howth Head to Wicklow Head)
  • EI805
  • EI813
  • EI814
  • EI815
  • EI816
  • EI818
  • EI809 (Carlingford Lough to Howth Head)

Southerly winds will reach force 6 or higher, veering westerly on Tuesday.

Yellow Gale warning from 09:00 today to 02:00 Tue

Status Yellow - Marine Gale warning for all coasts of Ireland and on the Irish Sea

Level
yellow
Event
Yellow Gale
Severity
Moderate
Certainty
Likely
Not yet in force. Onset
Expires
Issued
Areas
  • EI811 (Wicklow Head to Carnsore Point)
  • EI822
  • EI817
  • EI806
  • EI812
  • EI819
  • EI820
  • EI821
  • EI807
  • EI808
  • EI810 (Howth Head to Wicklow Head)
  • EI805
  • EI813
  • EI814
  • EI815
  • EI816
  • EI818
  • EI824
  • EI809 (Carlingford Lough to Howth Head)
  • EI823
  • EI825

Southerly winds, veering westerly on Tuesday, will reach gale force 8 or strong gale force 9.

Yellow Wind warning from 17:00 today to 23:59 today

Status Yellow - Wind warning for Carlow, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Kilkenny, Mayo, Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow

Level
yellow
Event
Yellow Wind
Severity
Moderate
Certainty
Likely
Not yet in force. Onset
Expires
Issued
Areas
  • EI01
  • EI10
  • EI20
  • EI03
  • EI11
  • EI30
  • EI06
  • EI04
  • EI13
  • EI31 (Wicklow)
  • EI27

Very strong and gusty south to southwest winds.

Be aware of potential impacts:

  • Debris, loose objects displaced
  • Difficult driving and cycling conditions
  • Large coastal waves
  • Some fallen trees, branches
Other warnings in Ireland

Met Éireann weather warnings for other parts of Ireland, as issued.

Status Yellow - Rain warning for Cork, Kerry

Level
yellow
Event
Yellow Rain
Severity
Moderate
Certainty
Likely
Not yet in force. Onset
Expires
Issued
Areas
  • EI11
  • EI04

A spell of rain on Sunday night and Monday morning, turning heavy at times.

Be aware of potential impacts:

  • Difficult travelling conditions
  • Localised flooding possible
  • Outdoor events impacted

Status Yellow - Rain warning for Cork, Galway, Kerry, Mayo

Level
yellow
Event
Yellow Rain
Severity
Moderate
Certainty
Likely
Not yet in force. Onset
Expires
Issued
Areas
  • EI10
  • EI20
  • EI11
  • EI04

A spell of heavy rain.

Be aware of potential impacts:

  • Difficult travelling conditions
  • Localised flooding possible
  • Outdoor events impacted

Status Yellow - Marine Gale warning from Slyne Head to Bloody Foreland to Belfast Lough

Level
yellow
Event
Yellow Gale
Severity
Moderate
Certainty
Likely
Not yet in force. Onset
Expires
Issued
Areas
  • EI822
  • EI806
  • EI819
  • EI820
  • EI821
  • EI805

Southwest to west winds will reach gale force 8 or strong gale force 9.

Checked at .

The usual tide here, the next three days

The first of the ebb into the run of the ebb, from the predicted highs and lows. Each with the coast’s call for those hours: how hard the wind, gusts and rain make fishing.

  1. Yellow Small Craft warning covers this window.

    Nowuntil 04:07The first of the ebb into the run of the ebb after dark.
    Hard work
    • South-west 28 km/h
    • Gusts 28
    • Some rain

    A Status Yellow Met Éireann weather warning for the Wicklow coast covers this window, so the band is no better than hard work.

  2. Yellow Small Craft warning, Yellow Gale warning covers this window.

    Today11:38 to 16:32The first of the ebb into the run of the ebb in daylight.
    Too rough
    • South-south-west 47 km/h
    • Gusts 66
    • Some rain

    SSW wind 47 km/h over 11:38 – 16:32: too rough on sustained wind.

  3. Yellow Small Craft warning, Yellow Gale warning, Yellow Wind warning covers this window.

    Tonight23:53 to 04:47The first of the ebb into the run of the ebb after dark.
    Too rough
    • South-south-west 53 km/h
    • Gusts 78
    • Some rain

    SSW wind 53 km/h over 23:53 – tomorrow 04:47: too rough on sustained wind.

  4. Yellow Small Craft warning covers this window.

    Tomorrow12:12 to 17:02The first of the ebb into the run of the ebb in daylight.
    Too rough
    • West-south-west 37 km/h
    • Gusts 59
    • Some rain

    WSW wind 37 km/h over tomorrow 12:12 – 17:02: hard work on sustained wind.

  5. Wed00:37 to 05:27The first of the ebb into the run of the ebb after dark.
    Hard work
    • South-west 34 km/h
    • Gusts 47
    • Dry
  6. Wed12:57 to 17:47The first of the ebb into the run of the ebb in daylight., dark from 17:01
    Workable
    • West-south-west 22 km/h
    • Gusts 31
    • Rain not given

    Part of this window is read from six-hourly wind steps, so its wind is less exact.

Fishing it

A long, flat shingle and sand beach stretching south from Kilcoole. One of the most reliable beginner marks on the Wicklow coast and part of the 11-mile shingle belt that has hosted World and European Surf Casting Championships. The beach shelves gently and produces flounder, dabs, codling, coalfish and the occasional bass, particularly after autumn storms. The freshwater outflow at the northern end can concentrate fish in settled conditions.

In season here this month

All the species recorded here: Flounder, Dab, Codling, Coalfish, Whiting, Plaice, Dogfish, Rockling, Bass, Mackerel, Tope.

The law for its species

  • Bass: Retention allowed. At most two bass per 24 hours; the rest go back. Minimum size 42 cm for any bass kept. Rules checked 29 June 2026.
How it is fished

The tide. Multi-source consensus for the Greystones-to-Wicklow shingle belt is that these venues fish best on a falling tide, this is the documented local pattern (Eastern Regional Fisheries Board, Planet Sea Fishing). Long casts (~100m) needed in summer; short casts adequate after a storm. Two hours either side of high water remains a viable window for flatfish in settled conditions.

Methods. Two-hook flapper; Pulley rig; Running ledger; Worm cocktail with spoon attractor (plaice).

Baits. Lugworm (winter); Ragworm; Peeler crab; Mussel (cold months); Crab + rag tipped with mackerel (summer).

Local knowledge. Kilcoole sits inside the 11-mile shingle belt that hosted the 1996 World Surf Casting Championship and the 1997 European Shore Angling Championships, match anglers know this ground intimately. Two non-obvious patterns from local sources contradict common beginner advice: (1) the falling tide is the documented productive window for the whole shingle belt, not the flooding tide; (2) calm warm conditions bring plaice as close as 30 yards from shore, anglers who default to long casts in flat seas miss them entirely. Codling is a regular catch here per the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board, not an occasional one. The Kilcoole stream outflow at the northern end is the singular structural concentration point on an otherwise uniform beach. Mussel beds offshore have been historically dredged, which has visibly reduced quality vs. older guides, but the species mix is still reliable for a beginner-friendly winter session.

From the mark’s guide, not checked on site.

Getting there

Access. Park at Kilcoole train station. Cross the railway at the designated level crossing, wait for trains and follow the signs. Walk south along the shingle for 5 minutes to reach good ground. Seasonal Little Tern cordon: each breeding season the Kilcoole Little Tern Conservation Project fences off the beach and foreshore north and south of the colony, on the stretch of beach between Kilcoole and Newcastle, with the south end of the fence attached to the railings of the railway footbridge. Stay out of the fenced area and keep dogs away. In 2025 the fencing went up from 1 May and the colony was watched from 15 May to 27 July (BirdWatch Ireland, Kilcoole Little Tern Conservation Project 2025 report, published on npws.ie, read 7 Oct 2026). The 2026 dates are not verified yet.

Parking. Free parking at Kilcoole train station. Do not block the station entrance.

Nearest tackle. Greystones Fishing Shop (approx. 5km north) is the nearest tackle supplier. Wicklow town has additional options about 15km south.

Questions about Kilcoole Beach
What fish can you catch at Kilcoole Beach?
Kilcoole Beach produces Flounder, Dab, Codling, Coalfish and Whiting. Which of those are actually feeding depends on the month: the season grid on this page shows the peak and catchable months for every species listed here.
What bait works at Kilcoole Beach?
Lugworm (winter), Ragworm, Peeler crab and Mussel (cold months) are the baits that work at Kilcoole Beach, fished on two-hook flapper, pulley rig and running ledger.
Where do you park for Kilcoole Beach?
Free parking at Kilcoole train station. Do not block the station entrance.
How do you get to Kilcoole Beach?
Park at Kilcoole train station. Cross the railway at the designated level crossing, wait for trains and follow the signs. Walk south along the shingle for 5 minutes to reach good ground. Seasonal Little Tern cordon: each breeding season the Kilcoole Little Tern Conservation Project fences off the beach and foreshore north and south of the colony, on the stretch of beach between Kilcoole and Newcastle, with the south end of the fence attached to the railings of the railway footbridge. Stay out of the fenced area and keep dogs away. In 2025 the fencing went up from 1 May and the colony was watched from 15 May to 27 July (BirdWatch Ireland, Kilcoole Little Tern Conservation Project 2025 report, published on npws.ie, read 7 Oct 2026). The 2026 dates are not verified yet.
Do I need a licence to fish at Kilcoole Beach, and what can I keep?
No State rod licence for ordinary sea angling. Salmon and sea trout need one. Retention rules do apply to some species here. Bass: retention allowed, 42 cm. Check the linked authority before keeping a fish.