Every operator publishes its own route and nobody publishes them together, which is why planning an island-hopping trip in Ireland means opening fifteen tabs. This page is the whole set: the pier you leave from, roughly how long you are on the water, and the things that change the plan.
Two warnings that apply to every line in every table below. Fares and timetables move every season, sometimes mid-season, so treat the numbers here as a way to budget and compare rather than as a booking. And every one of these crossings is weather-dependent. On the exposed Atlantic routes that is not a formality: the Doolin crossing to the Aran Islands is the first in the country to be cancelled in a blow, and the Blasket boat lands by inflatable raft because there is no pier.
The Atlantic islands: Galway and Clare
| Route | Island | Crossing | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rossaveal, Galway | Inis Mór | ~40 min | Year-round, car ferry |
| Rossaveal | Inis Meáin | ~50 min | Year-round |
| Rossaveal | Inis Oírr | ~55 min | Year-round |
| Doolin, Clare | Inis Oírr | 15 to 20 min | April to October |
| Doolin | Inis Meáin | ~20 to 30 min | April to October |
| Doolin | Inis Mór | ~35 min express | April to October |
| Galway city docks | All three | ~90 min | Seasonal, April to September |
| Connemara Airport, Inverin | All three | 10 min by air | Year-round |
| Cleggan | Inishbofin | 30 to 40 min | Year-round, 3 daily in summer, 1 in winter |
The choice between Rossaveal and Doolin is the practical decision on an Aran Islands trip, and it is not simply about speed. Rossaveal is the year-round service and the one that carries cars; Doolin is quicker and closer if you are coming up the Clare coast, but more exposed. Pier parking at Rossaveal is a paid APCOA car park at around €8 for 24 hours, and Galway city docks about €15, so budget for it rather than expecting a free space at the quay.
Once you land, sort transport before you do anything else. On Inis Mór the beach at Kilmurvey is 7km from the ferry and Dún Aonghasa another stretch beyond it. Bike hire near the pier runs about €10 to €15 a day on all three islands, and a pony and trap roughly €10 to €15 a head.
Nearby but not an island trip: Omey Island off Claddaghduff has no ferry at all. Twice a day the Atlantic pulls back and you walk or drive across a firm sand strand, and twice a day it comes back and seals the island off. The tide is the whole plan.
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Check availability & prices →West Cork and the Beara peninsula
The densest cluster of island routes in the country, and the one place where genuine island-hopping works.
| Route | Island | Crossing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | Cape Clear | 40 to 45 min | Year-round, 4 to 5 daily. Return fare around €20 to €23 |
| Schull (Colla Pier) | Cape Clear | 25 to 40 min | Summer only, roughly June to August |
| Baltimore | Sherkin Island | ~10 min | Year-round, frequent |
| Schull (Colla Pier) | Long Island | ~5 min | Summer, high frequency |
| Cunnamore or Baltimore | Heir Island | ~5 to 20 min | Year-round and seasonal operators |
| Bantry Pier | Whiddy Island | 10 to 15 min | Daily, 4 to 5 sailings in summer. €8 return, no cars |
| Castletownbere town pier | Bere Island (west end) | ~15 min | Frequent in summer, 07:45 to 20:30 |
| The Pontoon, 4km east of Castletownbere | Bere Island (Rerrin, east end) | 20 to 30 min | Murphy’s Ferry, car ferry |
| Glengarriff (Blue Pool) | Garinish Island (Ilnacullin) | ~10 min | Every 30 min in season. €12 to €15 return |
| Kennedy Pier, Cobh | Spike Island | ~15 min | Dedicated ferry only. Adult €27 including the guided tour |
| Ballaghboy, tip of Beara | Dursey Island | Cable car, 374m | Adult €10 return, child €5, student and senior €8 |
Three things worth knowing here.
Bere Island has two ferries to two different ends of it, and picking the wrong one means a walk of several kilometres. Bere Island Ferries from Castletownbere lands at the west end; Murphy’s from The Pontoon lands at Rerrin in the east. Check which end your accommodation or your target is on first.
Dursey is a cable car, not a boat. It is the only cable car in Ireland that crosses open sea, it spans 374 metres, and it closes for half an hour at lunchtime, 13:00 to 13:30, year-round. Winter hours end at 16:30. Parking at the terminal is free.
Bikes and kayaks travel for a small fee on most West Cork ferries, around €2 an item, and Cape Clear Ferries will carry your own kayak for €4. Book the space where you can.
Kerry
| Route | Island | Crossing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reenard Point, near Cahersiveen | Valentia Island (Knightstown) | ~5 min | April to October only. Every ~10 min, up to 15 cars. Car €11 single, €15 return; foot or bike €2 single, €3 return |
| Portmagee | Valentia Island | Bridge, no ferry | Maurice O’Neill Memorial Bridge, open all year |
| Dunquin Pier | Great Blasket | ~20 min | Seasonal. €50 return for anyone 16 or over, €30 child. No pier: the last few metres are by inflatable raft |
| Portmagee, Valentia or Ballinskelligs | Skellig Michael | ~45 min | Late April to early October. Landing tour around €145; eco-cruise from about €60 |
| Portmagee and others | Little Skellig | 15 to 30 min | No landing permitted, protected reserve. Boats circle at a set distance |
| Fenit Harbour | Little Samphire Island lighthouse | ~20 min | Summer guided trips. Adult €15, child €10, family €40 |
| Ross Castle, Killarney | Inisfallen | 10 to 15 min | Lake island, boats from Reen Pier |
The Valentia seasonality is the single most useful fact in this section, because the island is on the Ring of Kerry and a lot of people arrive at Reenard Point out of season expecting a boat. There is none between November and March. The Portmagee bridge is the answer, and it is a longer drive round.
On the Blaskets, the honest advice from the ground: if the forecast is marginal, do the Blasket Centre at Dunquin first and decide on the boat afterwards. The island shows you almost nothing from the mainland, and €50 a head is a lot to spend on a crossing you may not enjoy.
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Check availability & prices →Mayo and Sligo
| Route | Island | Crossing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roonagh Pier, near Louisburgh | Clare Island | 9 to 25 min, depending on the boat | Two operators. O’Malley Ferries €17 return adult, €12 student, €8 child 5 to 12; under-5s and OAP pass-holders free |
| Roonagh Pier | Inishturk | 50 min to an hour | Year-round, O’Malley Ferries. €11 single, €22 return adult; €5.50 / €11 child |
| Blacksod Pier, the Mullet | Inishkea Islands | ~35 min | Seasonal small-boat tours. Free parking at the pier |
| Rosses Point pier | Coney Island | ~5 min water taxi | Or walk it: 2.5km across Cummeen Strand at low tide, ~40 min each way |
| Bridge from Achill Sound | Achill Island | No ferry | Road bridge, open year-round |
Coney Island is the one people search for as a ferry and it is not one. The crossing is a tidal sand track from the Cummeen Strand side, about 2.5km and 40 minutes on foot, marked and driveable but far better walked. If the tide is wrong, Sligo Boat Charters run a water taxi from Rosses Point in about five minutes, roughly €10 to €15 per person each way, and they take group bookings online. Either way, check the tide first.
For Inishturk, the operator asks for schedule confirmation at least 48 hours ahead, and to allow extra time at the pier for luggage transfers.
Donegal
| Route | Island | Crossing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burtonport | Arranmore (Leabgarrow) | 15 to 20 min | Year-round car and passenger ferries, two operators |
| Magheroarty Pier, near Falcarragh | Tory Island | ~45 min | Year-round, several sailings daily. Around €28 return adult, reduced for students and bikes |
| Magheroarty Pier | Inishbofin (Donegal) | ~10 min | The Boffin Ferry, several sailings daily in season |
| Magherallan Pier, near Bunbeg | Gola Island | ~8 min | Car-free island, walking loop from the east pier |
One thing that catches people out: Tory sails from Magheroarty, not from Burtonport, which is about 4km south and is the Arranmore pier. And note there are two Inishbofins, one off Donegal and one off Connemara, on completely different coasts.
Northern Ireland
| Route | Island | Crossing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballycastle Harbour | Rathlin Island | ~30 min fast boat, ~40 min car ferry | Several sailings daily, year-round |
| Ballycastle | Mull of Kintyre, Scotland | ~1.5 hr | Seasonal only |
| Greenore | Greencastle, Co Down | Not running in 2026 | The Carlingford Lough ferry is suspended for the whole of 2026 |
On Rathlin, if you are walking out to Rue Point, it is about 6.4km each way from Church Bay, roughly 90 minutes on foot. Two minibuses run from the ferry pier part of the way, £5 return for adults and £3 for children, cash only. Parking at the Church Bay pier is free.
The Carlingford Lough ferry is the trap in this section. Older guides and route planners still list a Greenore to Greencastle crossing. It is not operating at any point in 2026, so a Louth-to-Down day out has to go round by Newry.
The estuary and harbour car ferries
Not island routes at all, but the crossings that save the most driving, and the ones people search for by name.
| Route | Crossing | What it saves |
|---|---|---|
| Killimer, Clare to Tarbert, Kerry | ~20 min | About 130km round through Limerick. A leg of the Shannon Estuary Way, over water with resident dolphins |
| Passage East, Waterford to Ballyhack, Wexford | 5 to 10 min | The long inland drive around Waterford Harbour. Up to 28 cars, no booking, no timetable to memorise. Last sailing 8pm through to 30 June 2026 |
| Strangford to Portaferry, Down | ~10 min | 76km round Strangford Lough. Every 30 min. Foot £1.40 single, £2.80 return; car and driver £8.00 single, £13.90 return |
| Glenbrook to Carrigaloe, Cork Harbour | ~4 min | The drive round the head of the estuary between Monkstown and Cobh |
Passage East runs as a shuttle rather than to a timetable: you turn up, drive on, and pay the crew on board by cash or card. Dogs travel free on a lead. The boarding steps have no wheelchair ramp, so ring the ferry office ahead if you need assistance. If you plan to cross back and forth over a few days, the multi-trip commuter ticket beats paying singles.
Booking, and the things that go wrong
- Book the popular crossings ahead, especially Skellig Michael, where summer sailings are limited and sell out early, and the Aran ferries in July and August.
- Buy from the operator. Island ferry tickets are sold direct; the fares above come from the operators’ own listings, and third-party resellers are not always authorised.
- Check the season, not just the timetable. Valentia, Doolin, Schull to Cape Clear, the Blaskets, the Skelligs and the Inishkeas are all seasonal, and several stop entirely in winter.
- Allow time at the pier. Rossaveal asks for 30 minutes before sailing for parking and ticket collection; Inishturk asks for extra time for luggage.
- Budget for pier parking. Around €8 for 24 hours at Rossaveal, €7 at the pier for Inis Meáin, about €15 at the Galway city docks. Free at Reenard Point, Blacksod and the Rathlin pier at Church Bay, but Reenard fills fast on summer days.
- Have a bad-weather plan. For the Blaskets that is the Blasket Centre; for the Aran Islands it is the Rossaveal service rather than Doolin; for Skellig Michael it is an eco-cruise that does not land.
Fares and sailing times were taken from operator listings and our own place pages in August 2026. Every one of them changes with the season. Confirm with the operator before you travel, and treat any winter timetable as needing a phone call.
