Port Oriel (Clogher Head)
At a Glance
Contacts: Port Oriel HM VHF #16 (C/S "Kilfinor") tel + 353 86 8518818 (Mobile)
Officially known as Port Oriel this harbour is generally called
Clogherhead or just Clogher by the locals. Until a few years ago
all that existed here was a breakwater/pier jutting out northwards
from the north side of the Clogherhead peninsula protecting the
entrance to a small dock which could be boarded up against bad
weather in the winter. The dock is still there but the pier was
refurbished in 2007 and another leg put on the end in a westerly
direction (See aerial photo). This provides good shelter in all
but strong NE/ENE winds which can cause a dangerous swell inside
the harbour (probably reflected back into the harbour from the
adjacent shore) Winds from the North and West can also make it
fairly uncomfortable.
The harbour is mainly for the use of fishing boats based there and
the yachtie is very much a "visitor"; you should leave room on the
pier wall closest to the entrance for their use even though it
appears that the recent remodelling has increased the depth
available alongside to about 4m it still decreases towards the
mouth of the inner harbour which dries.
The harbour is sort of stuck out on a limb from the rest of the
coast; Clogherhead village is a mile or so away and one wonders
which came first. It appears that the harbour was developed in the
mid nineteenth century to support the fishing industry but why in
this little cove, miles away from anywhere, is a mystery. Suffice
it to say it is here now, it has a glorious beach sweeping away
south from the headland which attracts summer visitors and has a
caravan site to accommodate them.
It's a nice place to stop for the night; the village is a pleasant
walk away (if a little uphill to start off) and has enough
amenities to make the walk worthwhile.
Port Oriel (Clogher Head)
Approach
The approach is simple enough and is supported by lead in lights on a bearing of 179°T;
....... follow that in until the harbour mouth opens to port and
turn in before the starboard hand buoy which indicates the
proximity of the shallow water near the shore.
If you have managed to contact the HM he will have told you where
to tie up otherwise pick a spot up near the root of the pier
(depending on your draft) or raft alongside a fishing boat (best
make sure he's happy with that before you do so) If you've come in
at HW you may find a berth in the inner harbour but it does dry so
you wont be able to get out again at LW to pick up the next flood
North.
Most of the boats round here tie up for the weekend so your chances
of getting in then are significantly reduced and you'd be wise to
check with the HM before setting off for here.
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Waypoint
Charts
Rules & Regs
Hazards
Tides
Berthing
As has been said, you will have to berth as convenient for the fishing boats and
....... don't leave your boat unattended where it could cause
inconvenience for them, especially early in the morning and again
in the evening when they are coming in. The berthing charge here is
25 Euros +VAT.
In settled weather it is perfectly feasible to drop the pick
outside the Harbour entrance opposite the slip on the shore to the
west; there's plenty of water and the bottom is sand.
Facilities
There is a well hidden water tap by the buildings at the inner end of the pier near to the toilets. The only shore power is 3-phase for the fishing boats but diesel can be obtained on the quay. For everything else you will have to walk to the village where there is a supermarket near the caravan site.
Unfortunately, if you require petrol, the nearest filling station is on the road to Drogheda quite a hike away.
What to Do
There are a couple of pubs, a restaurant, Chinese take-away and, believe it or not, at the time of writing a games arcade (was closed when we visited Aug 2019) This village has more amenities than would be expected for one of its size but the influx of summer visitors makes some of them seasonal.
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Tide Information for port-oriel-clogher-head
Tidal Information