Copper Coast · Co. Waterford
Bunmahon: a beach, a mining village and a coffee at the end of it.
Bunmahon, you'll also see it written Bunmahon, from the Irish Bun Machan, the mouth of the Mahon, is a small village on the Waterford coast between Tramore and Dungarvan, roughly 45 minutes from Waterford city on the R675 coast road.
It has a long strand, a river running out through the dunes, and a valley behind it that was one of Ireland's most productive copper mining districts in the 1800s. Today it sits at the centre of the Copper Coast UNESCO Global Geopark.
Things to do in Bunmahon.
Bunmahon Beach
A kilometre of sand and dune at the mouth of the Mahon river, with lifeguards in summer and parking right at the strand. Two minutes' walk from Cupán C.
Tankardstown engine houses
Two restored Cornish engine houses on the cliff east of the village, built to pump and wind the copper mines. A short signposted cliff walk with viewing platforms over the sea.
Ballydowane Cove
Ten minutes west: deep red cliffs, sea stacks and a sheltered strand that is one of the most photographed spots on the whole Copper Coast.
Kilmurrin Cove
A small, steep-sided cove between Bunmahon and Stradbally, good for a quick swim and for seeing the folded volcanic rock up close.
Copper Coast Geopark Visitor Centre
Housed in the old church at Knockmahon, with geology and mining displays and maps of the walking trails.
Stradbally and Annestown
Two villages east along the R675 coast road, each with its own strand, an easy loop back to Bunmahon for lunch.
Where to eat and drink in Bunmahon.
Cupán C is a family run café in the village, moments from the beach, and the easiest place on this stretch of the Copper Coast to stop for lunch. Pónaire, an Irish coffee roasted in Co. Tipperary, sourdough and sandwiches, soup and toasties, pastries and traybakes, and ice cream when the sun comes out.
It suits the way people actually visit here. Walkers coming back off the cliff path at Tankardstown, families in from the strand with sand still on them, swimmers after an early dip, and anyone driving the coast road between Tramore and Dungarvan who wants somewhere unhurried to sit with a coffee and something sweet. There is parking at the beach a short walk away, and room inside when the weather turns.
May to August
7 days a week
8:00am to 6:00pm
September to April
Thursday to Sunday
9:00am to 3:00pm