Ireland, Carrigaholt

Carrigaholt Sea Angling Centre offers guests a comfortable stay at Glencarrig Bed & Breakfast, a charming farmhouse where Mary and Luke live with their family.

In the winter of 2002/2003, we extended the farmhouse, just over a mile from Carrigaholt Pier, to include accommodation for up to eight guests in four en-suite bedrooms. After a full day of fishing, you can unwind in the cosy sitting room, play cards, or watch TV. There’s also a recreation room with a pool table and dartboard, tea and coffee making facilities, and a fridge for a refreshing drink. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the house.

Breakfast and dinner are served in the dining room, where you quickly realise that your stay is about more than just great fishing and a comfortable bed. All meals are prepared by Mary, who has worked as a chef in local restaurants and hotels since college. She is well known in the area for her homemade desserts, and most of the food served at Glencarrig is locally sourced, produced on our own farm, or caught from nearby waters—sometimes even by your own hand.

Fishing trips are conducted from our 37-foot Lochin 366, the Clare Dragoon. This boat was specially built for us and launched in the spring of 2005 and equipped as a first-class sea angling vessel. It features a spacious wheelhouse with comfortable seating for eight anglers, as well as a large open deck with plenty of room to fish. Powered by a 660 HP Caterpillar engine, the boat cruises comfortably at 15 knots and can reach a top speed of 28 knots, getting you to the fishing grounds quickly and safely.

The Clare Dragoon comes with a full range of modern electronics, including a dual-frequency fishfinder, chart plotter, GPS, VHF radios, and radar. It also has a hydraulic anchoring system, allowing it to be secured in waters up to 150 meters deep.

All fishing gear on board is top quality and available for hire. This includes 12–20 lb rods with Penn Fathom reels loaded with 40 lb braided line, 30 lb rods with Penn Senator 113H reels loaded with 40 lb monofilament, 80 lb rods for heavier fish, and lighter spinning rods. A full range of tackle is also available to ensure you have everything you need for a successful day on the water.

The Clare Dragoon is licensed to carry up to 12 passengers up to 30 miles offshore, is fully insured, and equipped with all necessary safety gear.
Important note: the Clare Dragoon holds a P5 licence (No. 1110) issued by the Irish Department of Transport. Many boats operate under a P3 licence, which legally limits them to 3 miles offshore. If you are booking a charter, it’s always wise to check the boat’s licence.

Skippered by Luke Aston, the Clare Dragoon provides a stable and professional platform for an outstanding fishing experience. Luke has been going to sea all his life. Raised in a fishing family, he worked on commercial fishing boats from a young age, initially during school holidays and full-time from 1987. From 1995 to 2004 he captained a 60-foot vessel along Ireland’s south and west coasts. Luke holds a Commercial Skipper’s Licence for boats up to 24 meters, endorsed for charter work, and maintains a range of safety certifications, regularly updating them through refresher courses. Luke’s extensive experience, both as a commercial and charter skipper, gives him an intimate knowledge of the local fishing grounds, allowing him to get the very best out of your trip. A keen angler himself, he is always on hand to offer advice or lend a helping hand.

The trips depart from Castle Pier, just outside Carrigaholt village. As you enter the village from Kilkee, the pier and castle are clearly visible, making it easy to find. The best place to park is the car park at the entrance to the pier; from there it’s just a 100-meter walk to the boat. You may also park under the high castle wall as you enter the pier, but please avoid parking on the pier itself, so as not to block other users. 

In order to travel to this location you can fly to Cork and Dublin and from there we will arrange a rental car for you and your group. From Dublin the drive will take approximately 3,5 hours and from Cork it will take 3 hours. And on these beautiful roads this is quite enjoyable. Alternatively, a flight to Shannon airport will be much quicker with a little over 1 hours driving time but these flights are less available.

The boat can only be booked in its entirety. So single fishermen wanting to join another group is not possible. For a complete weeks fishing with 6 people, for 6 days and 7 nights accommodation in a shared twin room including all meals the cost is just € 1095,- per person.

• Day charter € 695.-
• Day charter weekends € 750,-.
• Blue shark Trip surcharge € 100,- (to cover extra miles covered and ruby dubby)
• Rod hire nylon € 10,- per rod per day
• Rod hire braided line € 15,- per rod per day
• Some tackle and leads are included in with Rod Hire.
• Additional costs are tips and drinks at the accommodation.

On a regular day of fishing the boat leaves Carrigaholt pier at 9 am and gets back at 5.30pm. But on request we can change this. Max 12 on boat. Max 10 fishing. The less people on board the more space but on a charter it is up to you!