Killybegs Harbour, Co Donegal - The Premier Fishing Port in Ireland

Killybegs Harbour in Donegal, receives fishing vessels come from Ireland and Europe

Killybegs Harbour in Co Donegal is the largest fishing port in Ireland boasting some of the most modern companies and fishing vessels in the industry.

Killybegs or Na Cealla Beaga in Irish for small cells, referring to the beehive shape cells in a local early monastic settlement is a long-established fishing town dating back to the seventeenth century. As a port it saw a visit from the ‘Girona’ of the Spanish Armada in 1588. It’s one of the best natural harbours on this coast. It is accessible in all weathers, day and night. Vessels using the harbour range from 10 metres to 200 metres, from fishing vessels to cargo ships and most recently oil supply vessels, servicing the oil and gas industry offshore. Due to the promising results for oil surveys it is expected that this type of traffic will increase in the near future. More recently cruise ships have been calling to the harbour.

Killybegs boasts a diverse range of marine manufacturing businesses from boatbuilding to metal fabrication, and from cranes to sea pumps Their products are transported across the world to be fitted to fishing vessels.

What Killybegs is renowed throughout the world is for it’s fish. Killybegs is the largest exporter of pelagic fish in Ireland with makerel and herring products travelling to countries like Nigeria in Africa and as far away as Japan in far-east Asia. Fish product is in high demand and from Autumn through the Winter months into Spring fishing boats from all over the world come to Killybegs with mackerel, herring, horse mackerel and blue whiting.

Killybegs is also a strong base for the whitefish industry with the fleet fishing from Rockall, 230 nautical miles to the north-west of Donegal, to the Porcupine Bank located around 200 nautucal miles of the west coast of Ireland. Fishing vessels from Killybegs also travel to the Porcupine Bank to fish nephrops (also known as Dublin Bay Prawns and Norwegian Lobster). This valuable species is mainly exported to mainland Europe.

Killybegs has seen major changes since the start of the 1900’s. Where once a local fleet fished Donegal Bay into a small village pier, in over a century it has grown into a multi-national town with fishing families coming from around the Irish coast to live and work there. It also boasts a large number of European fishing families who now class the area as home.

Below is a list of the local companies and a list of accommodation options in this wonderful fishing port.

Killybegs Local Industry

Atlantic Marine Supplies Limited

Croaghlin, Killybegs, Co. Donegal

Tel: +353-(0)74-9731440

Killybegs Harbour, Co Donegal – The Premier Fishing Port in Ireland

Killybegs Local Industry

Atlantic Marine Supplies Limited

Barry Electronics Limited

EK Marine Ltd

Gallagher Bros

Ker Group

MMG Welding

Premier Fish Products

Killybegs Marine Surveyors

Mooney Boats Ltd

SeaQuest Systems

Swan Net Gundry

Killybegs Hospitality – Food & Drink

Ahoy Café

Fusion Bistro

Harbour Bar

Killybegs Seafood Shack

Boathouse Restaurant

The Galleon Bar

Hughies Bar

Melly’s Café

Mrs B’s Coffee House

Killybegs Hospitality – Accommodation

Bay View Hotel

Mill Park Hotel

Seawinds Bed and Breakfast

The Fleet Inn

The Ritz

Tara Hotel

Linda Wood, M&S Aquaculture and Fisheries Manager on Innovation and atch welfare

Fishing Gear Optimisation Plays a Huge Role in Catch Welfare

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