Overview
The barrier beach south of Kilcoole holds Ireland’s largest colony of little terns. More than half the national population of one of our smallest and scarcest seabirds nests on the open shingle each summer, and BirdWatch Ireland posts wardens through the breeding season to keep foxes, gulls and stray feet off the eggs. If you come for one thing, come for this, roughly between May and August.
That beach is the seaward edge of the Murrough, a 15 km ribbon of coastal wetland running north from Wicklow town almost to Greystones, on the east coast of County Wicklow. It is the largest coastal wetland complex on the east coast of Ireland: salt-marsh, brackish lagoons trapped behind the shingle ridge, wet grassland and fen, protected as both a Special Area of Conservation (site 002249) and a Special Protection Area. Kilcoole Marshes, the stretch most people walk, are one part of that much longer whole.
The name comes from the Irish murbhach, a salt marsh by the sea, and people have worked this strip for a very long time; there are Viking associations along the coast, and Nati’s Mount, a pre-Christian earthwork, sits in the townlands behind the marsh.
Wildlife and birdwatching
The birds are the whole point. On the barrier beach, the little terns share the shingle in summer with nesting redshank, shelduck and mute swans. As autumn turns, the grassland fringe fills up with wintering wildfowl: whooper swans down from Iceland, along with greylag and brent geese in large flocks. Ducks are here year-round – wigeon, teal, mallard and shelduck – with scarcer pintail, shoveler, pochard, goldeneye and gadwall turning up among them. The wetter patches hold frogs and dragonflies, and the mix of salt meadow, fen and tidal mud feeds the invertebrates that keep the whole thing running.
Walking and photography
The ground is flat and open, which makes for easy walking and long, uninterrupted views over the Irish Sea; with no trees in the way, sunrise and sunset over the water are the pictures to wait for. The paths are grass and mud, though, and turn soft after rain, so wear boots. A telephoto lens earns its place for the terns on the beach, a wide angle for the marsh itself. BirdWatch Ireland’s Wicklow branch runs guided walks that meet at the Kilcoole station car park, led by volunteers who know where the shy birds sit.
One honest note: there are no facilities here at all – no visitor centre, no toilets, no café. Bring what you need, and use Kilcoole village or Wicklow town before or after.
Seasonal guide
- Spring (March–May): breeding waders such as redshank arrive, and the little terns start to settle on the barrier beach.
- Summer (June–August): peak nesting, and the best window for the terns, with mute swans and shelduck raising young.
- Autumn (September–November): geese and ducks move through, and BirdWatch Ireland often runs walks to catch the movement.
- Winter (December–February): big numbers of whooper swans and brent and greylag geese use the marshes to feed.
Getting there
- By train: Kilcoole station sits on the Dublin–Rosslare line and is a short walk from the marsh. There is a small free car park beside the station.
- By car: from Dublin take the M11 south to the Kilcoole exit and follow signs to the railway station car park. There is also free parking in Wicklow town, under the new road bridge.
- By bike: cycling in from Wicklow town works well; bring a decent lock if you plan to leave the bike at an entrance.
Parking at the wetland entrances themselves is very limited, with room for only about four cars, so the station and town car parks are the safer bet. BirdWatch Ireland’s free visitor’s guide to the Murrough, available at local tourist and council offices or as a PDF, is worth picking up before you go.
Conservation and etiquette
This is a working habitat, not a park. Stay on the marked paths, keep well back from nesting sites, and keep dogs on a short lead between March and July. On the tern beach in summer, give the roped-off shingle a wide berth: the nests are just scrapes in the stones, and a single footstep can end one.
Nearby
Kilcoole village has a couple of cafés and a shop within walking distance. Greystones, about 5 km north, has the wider choice of restaurants, pubs and places to stay. Check the tide before you go, since low water exposes more mudflat and pulls in different waders along the lower reaches.