Four minutes of open water separate Cunnamore Pier from Heir Island. The M.V. Thresher crosses all year except Christmas Day, with five departures from the mainland on weekdays and four at weekends between November and March, and nobody has to book a seat.
Four minutes is the operator's own figure for the run from Cunnamore Pier to Heir Island, and the national timetable feed agrees: the 08:20 from the mainland is due on the island at 08:24. From 1 November to 31 March the boat leaves Cunnamore at 08:20, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 17:00 on weekdays, and at 09:30, 12:00, 14:00 and 17:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.
Coming back is simple arithmetic set by the operator itself: every boat off Heir leaves five minutes before the next Cunnamore departure. That gives weekday departures from the island at 08:15, 09:55, 11:55, 13:55 and 16:55, and weekend ones at 09:25, 11:55, 13:55 and 16:55. The National Transport Authority, which publishes the service as route FY73, lists exactly the same times.
Winter on Heir means one fewer boat than in summer and an earlier last sailing. The April to October table that ran until the end of October added a 16:00 and moved the last boat to 18:00; that pattern returns on 1 April 2027, outside the dates this page covers.
| From Cunnamore Pier | From Heir Island |
|---|---|
| 08:20 | 08:15 |
| 10:00 | 09:55 |
| 12:00 | 11:55 |
| 14:00 | 13:55 |
| 17:00 | 16:55 |
| From Cunnamore Pier | From Heir Island |
|---|---|
| 09:30 | 09:25 |
| 12:00 | 11:55 |
| 14:00 | 13:55 |
| 17:00 | 16:55 |
Winter timetable, 1 November 2026 – 31 March 2027 (Heir Island Ferry's November–March table, matched by the National Transport Authority's timetable feed) · checked 30 October 2026 Heir Island Ferry – timetable · 2026-10-30
Fares on the Heir Island boat are counted in single euros and paid to the skipper. A visitor pays €3 each way or €6 for a return, and an adult islander €2.50 or €5. Students pay €3 single, like a visitor, but only €5 for a return.
Holders of a Free Travel pass ride free on the timetabled sailings once they have shown the pass to the skipper; the concession does not cover boats run outside the timetable.
| Adult visitor | €3 |
| Adult islander | €2.50 |
| Student | €3 |
| Adult visitor | €6 |
| Adult islander | €5 |
| Student | €5 |
Heir Island Ferry fare table (no date printed on it) · checked 30 October 2026 Heir Island Ferry – Fares · 2026-10-30
The two pins are the positions the National Transport Authority gives for the stops of route FY73, Cunnamore Pier on the West Cork mainland and the landing on Heir Island, which lies just south of it. The operator gives the trip as four minutes and quotes no length in kilometres.
There are only two stops and the boat shuttles between them. The timetable on this page is set out in two columns, one for each end, so that you can read the return times directly.
Every timetabled sailing starts here, and the operator's table is written from this side. There is no ticket office: you pay the skipper on board. If you have bags to send on to a house on the island, ring ahead and the skipper can take them by jeep at the far end for €10 a delivery; the jeep carries luggage only, not people.
Boats back to the mainland leave five minutes before each Cunnamore departure, so the 11:55 from the island is the same trip as the 12:00 out. On weekday mornings the first boat off Heir goes at 08:15; at weekends the first one leaves at 09:25.
Questions, group rates and special trips go through the skipper on 086 809 2447. The operator says plainly that text messages are not received.
The boat does not run on 25 December. On every other public holiday it keeps the weekend times.
The operator makes every sailing subject to suitable weather and other conditions. If the forecast looks doubtful, ring the skipper before you set off.
For bags heading to a house on Heir, arrange the jeep with the skipper well in advance. It costs €10 a delivery and carries no passengers.
Both travel free of charge. Cars stay on the mainland: the M.V. Thresher is a passenger boat.
No booking and no advance ticket. Free Travel pass holders show the pass to the skipper on timetabled sailings.
Heir Island Ferry describes itself as the island's official, government-supported service and says it runs 364 days a year, the missing day being Christmas Day. Its fare table reflects that, with a separate, lower price for adult islanders, and the winter timetable still keeps an 08:15 departure off the island on weekdays.
The same skipper offers special trips on request to Baltimore, Schull, Sherkin and Cape Clear, and quotes group rates by phone. Those are arranged one by one and do not appear in any timetable. For a timetabled boat to Cape Clear, the Baltimore – Cape Clear ferry sails from Baltimore pier every day except Christmas Day. If you are also crossing the Cork Harbour estuary on the way west, the Glenbrook – Carrigaloe car ferry runs non-stop through the day.
No. The operator states that no booking is required: turn up at Cunnamore Pier before the departure and pay the skipper. For a group, ring 086 809 2447 first, because the M.V. Thresher is licensed for 12 passengers.
At 16:55, every day of the week, from 1 November to 31 March. It is the return leg of the 17:00 from Cunnamore.
€6 for an adult who does not live on the island, or €3 each way. Students pay €5 for a return.
Yes, on the weekend timetable: from Cunnamore at 09:30, 12:00, 14:00 and 17:00. The only day without a boat is Christmas Day.
No. This is a passenger boat. Bicycles and dogs travel free, and the skipper can bring luggage across to your house by jeep for €10 a delivery if you arrange it in advance.
On the timetabled sailings, yes, once you show the pass to the skipper. It does not cover special trips outside the timetable.
You can ask for an unscheduled ferry, which the operator prices with a 50% surcharge, or at a €25 minimum for a single, during the daily schedule; outside those hours the minimum is €50.