Copper Coast route notes · Optional stop
Kilmurrin Cove: the optional eighth Copper Coast stop
A sheltered cove with coastal erosion features between Annestown and Tankardstown.
Position 4 in the expanded eight-stop route · Suggested on-site allowance: 20–40 min. Add travel, meals and breaks.
By Nick · TheLazyNick · Route notes updated . Practical source dates appear below.
Open the interactive Copper Coast planner · Open the standalone place record
Where this stop fits in the drive
Kilmurrin is the optional extra in the expanded route, positioned between Annestown and Tankardstown. Keep that status useful: add the cove when there is time for another shore pause, and leave it out when the mining story or a longer visit elsewhere is the reason for the drive. The original seven-stop sequence still makes sense without this detour. Adding a place should improve the day, not turn a flexible coastal outing into an obligation to stop at every map pin.
The cove offers a way to think about coastal change at two very different timescales. Older rocks form the setting, while the sea continues to make and enlarge features now. Use the Geopark’s technical explanation and interpretation rather than trying to identify every formation from a distance. In particular, a described blowhole is not a destination to approach by improvising a cliff route. Geological interest does not establish permission to enter private fields or safe access to an exposed edge.
Make the arrival decision on the ground. Check the legal parking area, signs and weather before settling on a shore visit or a shorter look from a permitted point. A plan that leaves room to stop briefly can be more comfortable for a mixed group than one that assumes everyone will explore the same distance. The listed on-site allowance excludes the road leg, waiting for space and any refreshment break; adjust the later stops instead of squeezing every part of the visit into an artificial schedule.
History and the landscape
The historical thread
Kilmurrin’s role here is a landscape stop on the way to Tankardstown’s industrial remains. The Geopark’s mining history explains the human thread that follows; this page does not turn the cove into a mining access point or claim that the old workings form part of a public coastal trail. Historical source.
Geology and what to notice
The Geopark’s technical section describes Ordovician rocks and a much younger, sea-eroded blowhole formed as a cave roof collapsed inland. Its introductory marketing paragraph gives a different age, so this guide follows the specific technical account and avoids extending that description into an unverified walking recommendation. Geological source.
Parking, access and conditions
- Parking
- The Geopark lists parking at Kilmurrin Cove; confirm the entrance and availability on arrival. Practical source Source check: 2026-09-29
Tide and the safe extent of the visit
Use permitted shore access appropriate to the current tide, weather and swell. Keep away from cliff edges and blowholes, and do not assume a geological description provides a safe route to the feature. The itinerary is for a shore or viewpoint visit, not swimming.
Food and comfort breaks
No current refreshment or toilet service is verified here. Plan those needs separately, carry water and check the Geopark visitor-centre or café arrangements before depending on them later in Bunmahon.
Road travel and public transport
Use live directions for each road leg; the route line is an order of places, not a navigable road or verified coastal path. If travelling by bus, check the actual service, return departure and last-mile walk separately. Do not assume a bus reaches every beach entrance.
Check TFI journey planning · Check the Geopark’s official site guidance
Listen to the Copper Coast in English or Hindi
These are the real continuous whole-coast narrations used by the main guide. They are background for the route, not recordings specific to this stop. There are no verified stop chapters or time offsets, so both players begin at the start of the full track.
Hindi · हिन्दी
Load a track while connected and listen when safely stopped. The static stop notes remain available without playing audio.
Choose the next part of the day
Return to the east-to-west road sequence for Tankardstown after the cove. If you have already spent substantial time at Kilfarrasy or Annestown, consider skipping Kilmurrin and keeping energy for the engine house and Bunmahon. Use the interactive planner to remove the detour instead of driving to it only to maintain a total stop count.
The original seven-stop plan omits the optional Kilmurrin detour. The expanded route adds it between Annestown and Tankardstown; all eight real place records remain available. Optional labels help shorten the day without losing the route’s main historical and geological threads.
Sources for this stop
- Geopark: Kilmurrin Cove technical geology and parking
- Discover Ireland: Kilmurrin Beach
- Geopark: mining history
Standalone place details and image credits · Send a correction