Greencastle and Moville
At a Glance
Contacts: For both Greencastle and Moville contact the HM (Frank McDermott) 00353 (0)868166151.
Greencastle lies just inside the entrance to Lough Foyle and is
a convenient stop-over for boats cruising the North coast of
Ireland but do not want to go all the way up the Lough to
Londonderry. The harbour is well sheltered in all weathers but the
entrance will be awkward in strong winds from the WSW through South
to ENE. but the pontoons are open to NE and Easterly weather. The
harbours both lie in the Republic of Ireland.
Although there was activity here to support the original "Green
castle" built in Norman times the first pier was not constructed
until the early 19thC. This has been expanded over the years and
today it contains the terminal for the Magilligan Ferry and also
services the Port of Londonderry Pilots.
Moville is 2nm further SW along the coast from Greencastle and, of
the two, probably has more in the way of amenities in the town
though the shelter is not so good. It consists of a single pier on
which most of the inside berths are taken by local fishing boats
and the outside berths exposed to the tides and any weather from
over the Lough.
Yachtsmen should take note that although there is an anchorage
between here and Carrickarory Pier it is in the tideway which can
make rowing ashore or back a protracted affair if your dinghy is
not equipped with an outboard motor.
Mobile Phone and Internet users take note: This is in the Republic of Ireland; you may be able to access your UK provider's UK network over the Lough but you will be making an International call and need to make arrangements for advantageous call rates.
Greencastle and Moville
Approach
The approaches to Lough Foyle are dealt with in our article Lough Foyle, Londonderry Marina & Approaches
Until recently the entrance to Greencastle was delineated by a
sector light on the NW harbour entrance but this has now been
removed during the building of a new outer harbour.
There has been a a period of four or five years
since they started improving the facilities for cruising yachtsmen
here and we're not sure that even that has not been
improved upon since 2019. As a yacht skipper you will be making for
the visitors berths on the pontoons at the southern end of the bay
outside Greencastle Harbour itself. There is an ECM at the end of
the wave barrier at the pontoons but, have a care; from the NE
along the Donegal coast, once you have passed the Warren
Lighthouse, there is an off shore reef called the Colaways
stretching out about 140 metres from the point. In daylight this
will not be a problem but at night a) you won't be able to
see the lights at the entrance to Greencastle and b) the boundary
of the red sector of the red/white sector light off Moville cuts
through the reef which occupies a slight bit of the white sector.
So, at night, stay well into the white sector of that offshore
light until you sight the SHM on the South pier of Green castle
broad on the starboard bow before making for the
pontoons.
If making for the harbour, the entrance is marked with flashing red and green lights as standard. For a night approach come in using the green light on the entrance wall as a front mark and the two flashing greens as a back mark and when comfortably clear of the flashing light on the ECM ease over to put the two vertical lights on the back mark in the middle of the harbour entrance lights. If coming in from the Magilligan narrows don't cut the corner round the outside harbour wall as it shallows a bit there but on the whole there is plenty of water in the entrance.
Be very aware of the Lough Foyle Ferry. During the summer it operates continuously in daylight hours so it's like Irish rain, if you can't see it you will shortly! A link to Ferry Times can be found HERE
To anchor off Moville just come in from the Moville channel mark and pick your spot!
Euro GMT
Waypoint
Charts
Rules & Regs
Hazards
Tides
Berthing
In the past the locals preferred visitors to anchor outside Greencastle harbour but....
.... this is no longer the case and visiting boats are catered for at the pontoons at the South wave barrier. Be aware that weather blowing along the North coast of N.Ireland will make the pontoon berths uncomfortable if not untennable. In those conditions, if you can take the ground you would be better anchored inside Moville.
Facilities
Both water and shore power is available at Greencastle and, as
you would expect of a bustling fishing port, diesel is also readily
available.
There is a good boatyard next to the harbour which services the
local fishing fleet but is also happy to service visiting yachts.
Petrol can be obtained in cans from the local filling station about
ten minutes from the harbour.
Provisions may be found in the local shops but do not expect
supermarket choice. There is no ATM in Greencastle
What to Do
The main attraction of this part of the world is that, in the main, life is taken at a gentler pace than the big city. Do not expect the rapid, slick service in the restaurants and shops; be prepared to "sit a while" and enjoy the peace.
Ashore in Greencastle there are three restaurants and a few pubs and shops. A not-to-be-missed attraction is the Inishowen Maritime Museum and Planetarium which occupies the old Coastguard Station on Greencastle harbour. Information about that and a history of Greencastle's development can be found at
http://www.inishowenmaritime.com
Of the two towns Moville is slightly larger and boasts more
shops and pubs. Much of what is available can be found at
http://www.craicon.com/tag/moville-pubs/
There is a bus service running between Greencastle and Moville and on to Londonderry which runs about four times a day but for an evening out in Moville from Greencastle one will have to use the local taxi.
Eating out
Irish Restaurants in Greencastle, Updated June 2021
- Tripadvisor
Londonderry (Derry) is about 20 miles from here, and from there, there is access to road and rail links to the main Irish Cities. Londonderry Airport is close to the city and has regular Ryanair flights to the main airports in the UK.
History
Local Business
Uncategorised
Tide Information for greencastle-and-moville
Tidal Information