Welcome

The South Wexford Coast is a natural heritage coastline. Located in ‘the Model County’ in the sunny south-east corner of the island of Ireland, the south coast of County Wexford is one of Ireland’s special places. It is special because this lovely area supports a wealth of natural heritage resources and a unique cluster of nature sites.

An outstanding coastal strip, the South Wexford Coast extends from the early 13th century lighthouse at the craggy, limestone tip of Hook Head in the west, to the gently rounded, granite headland of Carnsore Point in the east; a foreland called Sacred Cape by the Greek cartographer Claudius Ptolemaeus, Ptolemy of Alexandria, in the atlas he compiled in the second century AD.

This richly endowed coastal strip, though only 40km (25 miles) long, supports thirteen sites each rated of international importance. These thirteen sites comprise eight places connected either to each other or together by the inshore waters of the Celtic Sea. To have so many sites of such importance clustered together on so short a length of shoreline makes the South Wexford Coast one of Ireland’s outstanding natural heritage resources.

Further reading

Tap or click the following links:-

Explore the following eight places on the South Wexford Coast

Intertidal rock pools
Hook Head
Of international importance for its outstanding fossils and geological formations. Designated a Special Area of Conservation. Read more
Woodland with Bluebells
Bannow Bay
An enclosed estuarine system with extensive sand flats and mudflats with exceptional species diversity. Read more
Great Cormorant colony
Keeragh Islands
Holding a large, nationally-important colony of breeding Great Cormorants. Both islands are part of an Special Protection Area. Read more
Bee Orchid
Ballyteige Burrow
One of the most impressive shingle-based dune systems in Ireland. Supporting rare species of lichen, flowering plants and scarce insects. Read more
Grey seal pup
Saltee Islands
The islands are numbered among the best-known seabird sanctuaries in north-west Europe. A Special Protection Area for seabirds. Read more
Tacumshin Lake
Tacumshin Lake
A coastal lagoon annexed as a priority habitat in the EU Habitats Directive. One of the finest barrier coastlines in Read more
700 Lady's Island Lake
Lady's Island Lake
A fine example in of a sedimentary lagoon supporting an exceptional diversity of plant and animal life. Read more
Carnsore Point
Carnsore Point
The south-eastern cornerstone of Ireland and a hotspot for birdwatchers with rich offshore marine life and protected reefs. Read more

 

 

An area rich in diverse marine and coastal habitats

100 Hook Head SAC
NPWS map showing the extent of the Hook Head SAC.

Hook Head is of international importance for its outstanding fossils and geological formations. The tip of the headland and its cliffs are popular spots for sea watching for migrant birds, and for whales and dolphins.

The clear waters, reefs and rock pools teem with marine life supporting excellent, species-rich examples of tide-swept communities. Baginbun Head has cliff-nesting birds. A fine example of the Courtmacsherry raised beach may be seen at Wood Village.

Hook Head and a large area of adjoining seabed are Special Area of Conservation (SAC) IE0000764 for vegetated sea cliffs, intertidal and offshore reefs and the seabed that is rich in marine life.

Further reading

Links

Hook Peninsula: https://hookpeninsula.com/
Hook Heritage: http://x.hookheritage.ie/environment/
Hook Head SAC: https://www.npws.ie/protected-sites/sac/000764
County Geological Site report: https://gsi.geodata.gov.ie/downloads/Geoheritage/Reports/WX024_Hook_Head_Overview.pdf

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200 Bannow Bay SPA and SAC
NPWS maps showing the extent of the Bannow Bay SPA (left) and the Bannow Bay SAC (right).

Bannow Bay is an excellent example of an enclosed estuarine system. The very extensive sand flats and mudflats exposed at low water attract a great diversity of wetland birds in winter including an internationally-important population of Light-bellied Brent Geese.

Saltmarshes of exceptional species diversity are found above the mudflats and support Perennial Glasswort, a plant that is confined in Ireland to the South Wexford Coast.

Tintern Abbey has excellent woodland trails and important colonies of breeding bats.

Bannow Bay is Special Protection Area (SPA) IE0004033 for thirteen named species of geese, ducks, waders together with wetland and waterbirds in general. The site is also Special Area of Conservation (SAC) IE0000697 for eleven wetland and sand dune habitats.

Further reading

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300 Keeragh Islands SPA
NPWS map showing the extent of the Keeragh Islands SPA.

Between May and September, the two, tiny, low-lying Keeragh Islands hold a large, nationally-important colony of breeding Great Cormorants.

In the past, the islands supported breeding terns and possibly the last colony of Great Auk in Ireland before these large, flightless birds became extinct.

In winter, the predator-free islands are an important and safe night roost for wildfowl and other birds.

Both islands are surrounded by a wide, boulder-strewn rock platform that supports a diversity of seaweeds. The Keeragh Islands are Special Protection Area (SPA) IE0004118 for Great Cormorants.

Further reading

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Ballyteige Burrow is one of the most impressive shingle-based dune systems in Ireland. The fixed dunes support several declining plant communities, rare species of lichen and flowering plants, and scarce insects that benefit from the southerly location, the abundance of sand, and the highest mean daily duration of bright sunshine recorded in Ireland.

The dunes support the largest population of Wild Asparagus in Ireland and Scrambled-egg Lichen that has been recorded nowhere else in the country. The site also supports a coastal lagoon, mudflats and estuary.

The Cull is a wetland rich in waders and waterfowl. The hind-dune slob or polder provides feeding from Whooper Swans in winter. Kilmore Quay is noted for its outcrops of ancient rocks that are among the oldest found in Ireland. The Kilmore Quay Walking Trail runs behind the dunes and along the beach while another walk, St Clomaun’s Way, explores the river and Hazel wood at Duncormick.

Ballyteige Burrow is Special Protection Area (SPA) IE0004020 for seven named species of geese, ducks and waders and wetland and water birds in general. The site is also Special Area of Conservation (SAC) IE0000696 for thirteen wetland and sand dune habitats of good quality making the site an area of major ecological value.

400 Ballyteige Burrow SPA and SAC
NPWS maps showing the extent of the Ballyteige Burrow SPA (left) and the Ballyteige Burrow SAC (right).

Further reading

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The two Saltee Islands, lying some 5km offshore, are numbered among the best-known seabird sanctuaries in north-west Europe. They are internationally important for holding an assemblage of over 20,000 breeding sea birds, are easily accessible, and are one of the best-documented sites in the country. Saltee Island Great is also a major site for spring and autumn land bird, butterfly and moth migration. Grey Seals breed there and the underwater marine life around the islands is both very diverse and of exceptional quality.

The communities present are excellent examples of those typical of tide-swept areas and many have fauna and flora that are tolerant of sand scour. No other area in Ireland surveyed during the BioMar Survey had so many species-rich communities. The Saltee Islands are Special Protection Area (SPA) IE0004002 for ten named species of seabirds. The site is also Special Area of Conservation (SAC) IE0000707 for its marine habitats, including reefs, sea caves and vegetated cliffs, and for the Grey Seals that congregate to breed around the islands each autumn.

500 Saltee Islands SPA and SAC
NPWS maps showing the extent of the Saltee Islands SPA (left) and the Saltee Islands SAC (right).

Further reading

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Tacumshin Lake is a coastal lagoon annexed as a priority habitat in the EU Habitats Directive. The lagoon is located behind Ireland’s Great Barrier Coast, one of the finest barrier coastlines in Europe.

The area is a haven for wildfowl and wading birds and is one of the most important ornithological sites in Ireland. The occurrence of internationally important populations of Whooper Swan and Black-tailed Godwit is of especial note. The site is of special conservation interest for holding an assemblage of over 20,000 wintering waterbirds.

The waterfowl population of the lagoon is exceptionally diverse, and the area supports large numbers of birds throughout the year, an unusual feature among Irish wetlands. The site is notable for passage waders and vagrant North American and Eurasian waterfowl.

Tacumshin Lake is a Special Protection Area (SPA) IE0004092 for fourteen named species of grebe, swans, ducks, waders and other wetland and waterbirds. The site is Special Area of Conservation (SAC) IE0000709 for its lagoon, sand dunes and other barrier habitats.

600 Tacumshin Lake SPA and SAC
NPWS maps showing the extent of the Tacumshin Lake SPA (left) and the Tacumshin Lake SAC (right).

Further reading

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Lady’s Island Lake is among the biggest and best examples in Ireland of a sedimentary lagoon. The site supports an exceptional diversity of plant and animal life including the highest number of lagoonal specialists recorded in any lagoon in the country.

The largest mixed colony of breeding terns in Ireland is found on islands in the lake. The colony includes the Roseate Tern, the rarest breeding seabird in Europe. Islands in the lake also support a large number of nesting Black-headed Gulls. The site has one of the highest diversities of breeding wildfowl species in the country and is of high conservation importance.

The critically endangered Cottonweed plant survives on the fringing gravel barrier separating the lagoon from the adjoining eastern Celtic Sea. The rare plant is not found growing anywhere else in Ireland or Britain.

Lady’s Island Lake is Special Protection Area (SPA) site code IE0004009 for Gadwall (a greyish brown dabbling duck), Black-headed Gulls, four species of tern, and wetland and waterbirds in general. The lake is also Special Area of Conservation (SAC) site code IE0000704 for its lagoon, the reefs at Carnsore Point, and the vegetated shingle on the barrier that separates the lake from the Celtic Sea (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Lady’s Island Lake SPA (above left) and Lady’s Island Lake SAC (above right). (Source: Standard Data Forms (SDFs) for Lady’s Island Lake on the European Environment Agency (EEA) Natura 2000 (N2k) Network Viewer at https://natura2000.eea.europa.eu/).

Further reading

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807 EEA SDF SACCarnsore Point, the south-eastern cornerstone of the island of Ireland near the Europort at Rosslare Harbour, is a hotspot for watching seabirds on passage.

A large, offshore area wrapped around the Point is a marine protected area (MPA) for its reefs and species-rich underwater life.

The intertidal and offshore reefs are formed of Carnsore granite, a coarse pinkish-brown rock, and range from very exposed to moderately exposed to wave action. In water at depths of 11-30m there are excellent examples of sea squirt communities.

The reefs and other marine habitats are of considerable conservation significance as they support a number of species with a limited distribution in Ireland; together they comprise the Carnsore Point Special Area of Conservation (SAC) site code IE0002269. (Image source: Standard Data Form (SDF) for Carnsore Point SAC on the European Environment Agency (EEA) Natura 2000 (N2k) Network Viewer at https://natura2000.eea.europa.eu/).

Further reading

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Images