In 2012 Portmagee was the first town to be awarded the Fáilte Ireland National Tourism Town Award. This was a fishing village in the past but nowadays most of the fishing is done from leisure boats operating out of its sheltered harbour. Situated on the mainland side of the bridge which connects to Valentia Island, this village is now a nice tourist stop for travellers around The Ring of Kerry.
What’s in Portmagee?
Portmagee now has a few very nice cafes, restaurants and pubs and a pier where there ar many fishing boats and pleasure boats berthed.
During the filming of Star Wars – The Force Awakens on Skellig Michael, Portmagee was the ‘watering hole’ for many of the crew and cast.
There are quite a few boat trips to the Skelligs available from here between May and October.
This area is part of Kerry Dark-Sky Reserve which is one of the few places in the world where the sky can be seen very clearly on amoonless night with little or no light polution.
An unique event which is held here just before the New Year is the Old Year Celebration which is based on an event in 1727 with French connections. Read more about it here
The local GAA team is Skellig Rangers
Click on the images for more views of Portmagee
Boat trips to the Skelligs are available from Portmagee during the season.
Check availability and booking https://www.skelligsrock.com/