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Kilkee, Ireland

Stay in Kilkee: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Kilkee

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Kilkee beach
Kilkee. Photo: Chris Gorringe, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Kilkee

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces NW (321°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (141°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 54). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 9°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in July, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Kilkee, 0.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 dive site.

Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 15 h 50 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Dublin Airport (DUB), direct. About 26 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → DUB · Skyscanner from about £370 returnAd
  2. Getting there. 4 h from the airport to Kilkee, 299 km.

    By bus: Citylink, Bus Éireann. Time from the published timetables, on a weekday.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in KilkeeAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay in Kilkee (ad) on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

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Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Kilkee, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct51, good4 ft9 ssoft230kJwind from the east-south-east, 3 knots, offshore12°C
Mon 19Oct0, too big6 ft11 ssoft903kJwind from the east, 4 knots11°C
Tue 20Oct0, too big6 ft10 ssoft687kJwind from the south-south-east, 13 knots12°C
Wed 21Oct0, too big11 ft9 smushy1,805kJwind from the west-north-west, 15 knots12°C
Thu 22Oct0, too big10 ft9 ssoft1,354kJwind from the south-west, 8 knots11°C
Fri 23Oct0, too big8 ft9 smushy859kJwind from the north-west, 18 knots11°C
Sat 24Oct0, too big11 ft9 ssoft1,887kJwind from the south, 16 knots15°C
Sun 25Oct12, poor4 ft13 smushy559kJwind from the west, 31 knots11°C
Mon 26Oct0, too big12 ft9 smushy2,295kJwind from the west-south-west, 14 knots11°C
Tue 27Oct7, poor5 ft10 smushy511kJwind from the west, 21 knots10°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to DUB, then 4h by road (or about 5h 40 by bus, two changes, 5 a day). About 15h 50 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to DUB, then 4h by road (or about 5h 40 by bus, two changes, 5 a day). About 15h 50 door to door

The trip from Kilkee, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,115–£2,055 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to DUB, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag£370–£770
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£110–£180
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£260–£430
Food7 days eating out£245–£455
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£95–£155
Total£1,115–£2,055

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Kilkee

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

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