Seal Rescue Ireland Guided Tour

What to Expect

Seal Rescue Ireland is a working rescue, rehabilitation and release centre for sick, injured and orphaned seals, based at Courtown Harbour. The public guided tour runs for 30 minutes and takes visitors through the working rehabilitation centre, with the chance to see seal pup patients in their kennels and pools while a guide explains what is involved in nursing an injured seal back to health and returning it to the wild. It is a hands-off experience, since the seals are patients rather than performers, so the focus is on observation and learning about the centre’s rescue and conservation work. The centre also runs longer, more involved paid experiences for older visitors, including a one-hour Seal Feed and Enrichment Experience (€30 per person) and a three-hour Rescuer for a Day programme (€90 per person, €35 for a non-participating guardian), both restricted to ages 13 and up with an accompanying adult, which makes the 30-minute guided tour the one that suits younger children. Seal Rescue Ireland is a registered charity rather than a commercial attraction, so admission and tour fees go directly towards the cost of rescuing, feeding and treating seal patients before they are released back to the wild, and the centre separately runs education programmes for school and youth groups.

Good to Know

• Advance booking required for all tours via the Seal Rescue Ireland website
• Address: Seal Rescue Ireland, Courtown Harbour, Co. Wexford, Y25 PD92
• Price: €10 per adult, €8 per child, free for children aged 0 to 4
• Duration: 30 minutes
• A 24-hour seal rescue hotline (087 195 5393) operates separately from visitor bookings, for reporting a seal in distress

Getting There

Courtown Harbour is on the Wexford coast near Gorey, reached via the R742. The centre is close to the harbour, with parking nearby, and Courtown’s own sandy beach and amusements make it easy to turn the tour into a longer day out on the coast.