Snorkel the rockpools
The water is crystal clear over a rocky bottom, so nothing gets kicked up. Look for pollock, baby wrasse, crabs, prawns, sea urchins and colourful anemones; local divers train here before heading offshore.
Pollock Holes
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About
A run of clear, sheltered Atlantic sea pools cut into Duggerna Reef at the west end of Kilkee — walkable only when the tide is out, and one of Ireland's best wild swimming and snorkelling spots.
Things to Do
Catch the sunset over Moore Bay
Return in the evening for sunsets across the bay; the flat flagstone reef and George's Head opposite make a fine viewpoint even when the tide is in.
Swim in the natural sea pools
Three of the pools are big enough to swim properly — about 1 to 2.5 m deep and 20 to 50 m across. They only hold clear, calm Atlantic water once the tide drops, so time your dip around low water.
Walk the Kilkee Cliff Walk
The same car park is the start of a 5 km or 8 km cliff walk along the Duggerna cliffs, passing the natural stone amphitheatre, the Pink Caves, Diamond Rocks and Intrinsic Bay. A bronze of actor Richard Harris, who summered here as a boy, stands near the pools.
Read the reef and watch the birds
The sandstone reef is roughly 320 million years old, laid down by an ancient river delta. Bring binoculars for oystercatchers and other seabirds working the cliffs.
Plan Your Visit
- Hours: Open access every day, but entirely tide-dependent: the pools are only properly formed and safe to enter from about two hours before low water until the tide turns, a window of roughly five hours between tides.
- Admission: Free
- Parking: Free car park at the West End, right above the pools beside the Diamond Rocks Café, where the road stops. It fills up in high summer; steps lead down to the shore.
- Food: The Diamond Rocks Café sits just above the car park. Kilkee town, a short walk along the seafront, has a full range of cafés, restaurants, takeaways and bars.
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