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Co. Donegal · Marine Institute gauge

Tide times Buncrana

Buncrana is the main town on Lough Swilly in Co. Donegal, with a pier, a shore walk and Lisfannon beach just south of the town. The gauge serves the whole eastern shore of the lough, including Fahan.

Today, Fri, 16 Oct: high water at 09:55 (1.4 m) and 22:10 (1.0 m), low water at 03:45 and 16:10. The tide table below gives high and low water for the next 7 days, in Irish local time, and the calendar runs 30 days ahead. These predictions also serve Lisfannon Beach, Fahan, Lough Swilly.

Water level today

m above OD Malin

00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00sunrise 08:00sunset 18:30LW 03:45-0.92 mHW 09:551.35 mLW 16:10-0.71 mHW 22:101.03 m

Tide table · next 7 days

Buncrana tide table: high and low water

Fri, 16 Oct

Irish local time

▽ Low

03:45

-0.92 m

▲ High

09:55

1.35 m

▽ Low

16:10

-0.71 m

▲ High

22:10

1.03 m

Sat, 17 Oct

▽ Low

04:30

-0.65 m

▲ High

10:45

1.12 m

▽ Low

17:05

-0.45 m

▲ High

23:05

0.78 m

Sun, 18 Oct

▽ Low

05:25

-0.41 m

▲ High

12:10

0.94 m

▽ Low

18:25

-0.27 m

Mon, 19 Oct

▲ High

00:55

0.60 m

▽ Low

06:50

-0.26 m

▲ High

13:45

0.92 m

▽ Low

20:15

-0.29 m

Tue, 20 Oct

▲ High

02:40

0.63 m

▽ Low

08:35

-0.32 m

▲ High

15:00

1.06 m

▽ Low

21:30

-0.48 m

Wed, 21 Oct

▲ High

03:45

0.80 m

▽ Low

09:40

-0.53 m

▲ High

15:55

1.28 m

▽ Low

22:20

-0.73 m

Thu, 22 Oct

▲ High

04:30

1.02 m

▽ Low

10:25

-0.80 m

▲ High

16:35

1.53 m

▽ Low

22:55

-0.99 m

Heights in metres relative to OD Malin. Predictions © Marine Institute (CC BY 4.0). Weather can raise or lower actual levels. Allow a margin for safety.

Daylight

Sunrise and sunset in Buncrana

Today the sun rises at 08:00 and sets at 18:30, giving 10h 29m of daylight. A high tide after sunset is only useful to boats; for a swim or a walk match the tide to the daylight hours.

Calendar

Next 30 days in Buncrana

Month view of every high and low water. The range column is the gap between the day’s highest and lowest water: 4.1 m marks the biggest spring tide of the month, 1.2 m the quietest neap.

DateHigh waterLow waterRange
Fri, 16 Oct09:55 (1.4 m) · 22:10 (1.0 m)03:45 (-0.9 m) · 16:10 (-0.7 m)2.3 m
Sat, 17 Oct10:45 (1.1 m) · 23:05 (0.8 m)04:30 (-0.7 m) · 17:05 (-0.5 m)1.8 m
Sun, 18 Oct12:10 (0.9 m)05:25 (-0.4 m) · 18:25 (-0.3 m)1.3 m
Mon, 19 Oct00:55 (0.6 m) · 13:45 (0.9 m)06:50 (-0.3 m) · 20:15 (-0.3 m)1.2 m
Tue, 20 Oct02:40 (0.6 m) · 15:00 (1.1 m)08:35 (-0.3 m) · 21:30 (-0.5 m)1.5 m
Wed, 21 Oct03:45 (0.8 m) · 15:55 (1.3 m)09:40 (-0.5 m) · 22:20 (-0.7 m)2.0 m
Thu, 22 Oct04:30 (1.0 m) · 16:35 (1.5 m)10:25 (-0.8 m) · 22:55 (-1.0 m)2.5 m
Fri, 23 Oct05:05 (1.3 m) · 17:10 (1.8 m)11:00 (-1.1 m) · 23:25 (-1.3 m)3.0 m
Sat, 24 Oct05:40 (1.5 m) · 17:45 (2.0 m)11:30 (-1.3 m) · 23:55 (-1.5 m)3.5 m
Sun, 25 Oct05:10 (1.8 m) · 17:20 (2.2 m)11:05 (-1.5 m) · 23:25 (-1.7 m)3.9 m
Mon, 26 Oct05:40 (2.0 m) · 17:55 (2.3 m)11:40 (-1.7 m)4.0 m
Tue, 27 Oct06:15 (2.1 m) · 18:35 (2.3 m)00:00 (-1.8 m) · 12:20 (-1.8 m)4.1 m
Wed, 28 Oct06:50 (2.1 m) · 19:15 (2.1 m)00:40 (-1.8 m) · 13:00 (-1.7 m)4.0 m
Thu, 29 Oct07:30 (2.0 m) · 20:05 (1.9 m)01:20 (-1.7 m) · 13:45 (-1.6 m)3.7 m
Fri, 30 Oct08:20 (1.8 m) · 21:00 (1.5 m)02:05 (-1.5 m) · 14:40 (-1.4 m)3.3 m
Sat, 31 Oct09:20 (1.5 m) · 22:10 (1.1 m)02:55 (-1.3 m) · 15:50 (-1.1 m)2.8 m
Sun, 1 Nov10:45 (1.3 m) · 23:45 (0.8 m)03:55 (-1.0 m) · 17:25 (-0.9 m)2.3 m
Mon, 2 Nov12:25 (1.2 m)05:10 (-0.8 m) · 19:05 (-0.9 m)2.1 m
Tue, 3 Nov01:10 (0.8 m) · 13:45 (1.3 m)06:45 (-0.8 m) · 20:25 (-1.0 m)2.3 m
Wed, 4 Nov02:20 (0.9 m) · 14:50 (1.4 m)08:10 (-0.9 m) · 21:15 (-1.2 m)2.6 m
Thu, 5 Nov03:15 (1.1 m) · 15:40 (1.5 m)09:05 (-1.1 m) · 22:00 (-1.3 m)2.9 m
Fri, 6 Nov04:00 (1.3 m) · 16:20 (1.6 m)09:50 (-1.3 m) · 22:35 (-1.4 m)3.1 m
Sat, 7 Nov04:40 (1.5 m) · 16:55 (1.7 m)10:30 (-1.4 m) · 23:05 (-1.5 m)3.2 m
Sun, 8 Nov05:15 (1.6 m) · 17:30 (1.7 m)11:05 (-1.5 m) · 23:35 (-1.5 m)3.3 m
Mon, 9 Nov05:45 (1.7 m) · 18:00 (1.7 m)11:40 (-1.5 m)3.2 m
Tue, 10 Nov06:20 (1.8 m) · 18:30 (1.6 m)00:05 (-1.5 m) · 12:15 (-1.4 m)3.3 m
Wed, 11 Nov06:50 (1.8 m) · 19:05 (1.6 m)00:40 (-1.5 m) · 12:55 (-1.3 m)3.3 m
Thu, 12 Nov07:25 (1.7 m) · 19:40 (1.4 m)01:10 (-1.4 m) · 13:30 (-1.2 m)3.1 m
Fri, 13 Nov08:00 (1.6 m) · 20:15 (1.3 m)01:50 (-1.2 m) · 14:10 (-1.0 m)2.8 m
Sat, 14 Nov08:40 (1.4 m) · 20:55 (1.1 m)02:25 (-1.0 m) · 14:55 (-0.8 m)2.5 m

Nearby

Beaches and harbours using Buncrana tides

These spots have no gauge of their own and take their times from Buncrana. Each has its own page with sunrise, a 30-day calendar and local safety notes.

Portsalon 13 kmRathmullan 6 kmFahan 4 km

Nearest other gauges

Malin Head 28 kmTory Island 48 kmAranmore 67 kmKillybegs 81 kmSligo 116 km

All tide times for Co. Donegal on one page.

Local pattern

Tides around Buncrana and the Co. Donegal coast

Donegal has the longest coastline of any county and five gauges: Killybegs in the south, Aranmore off the Rosses, Tory Island in the north-west, Buncrana on Lough Swilly and Malin Head at the very top. Range is around 4 m at springs. The coast is deeply indented, so times at the head of a bay can be 20 or 30 minutes behind the nearest gauge.

Rossnowlagh, Bundoran and Tullan are surf beaches in Donegal Bay with rips on the ebb. Bundoran’s Main Beach is sheltered enough for swimming at mid to high tide. Further north, Narin, Portnoo, Marble Hill and Downings are sheltered strands inside bays and are among the safest family beaches in the north-west.

Lough Swilly is a deep fjord where Rathmullan, Portsalon and Buncrana all use the Buncrana gauge. Tramore Strand at Dunfanaghy and Five Fingers Strand near Malin Head are exposed and can be dangerous in any swell. Inishowen is served by Malin Head, where the tide streams around the headland are strong enough to matter for kayaks.

Questions

About these times

What time is high tide in Buncrana today?

The first high water in Buncrana today is at 09:55 Irish time, 1.4 m above OD Malin. The second high, low waters and the week ahead are in the table above. The data comes from Marine Institute astronomical predictions for the Buncrana gauge.

When is low tide in Buncrana today?

The first low water in Buncrana today is at 03:45 (-0.9 m relative to OD Malin). Low water is the time for the widest strand and for rock pools; the flood usually comes back noticeably within an hour.

How many high tides does Buncrana get a day?

Like all of Ireland, roughly two highs and two lows in every 24 hours and 50 minutes, so tide times shift about 50 minutes later each day.

How big is the tidal range at Buncrana?

Over the next 30 days the range at Buncrana runs from about 1.2 m on the smallest neap tide to 4.1 m on the biggest spring. The 30-day calendar below shows the range for every day.

How accurate are these times?

These are astronomical predictions: the moon and sun are extremely predictable, so times are typically accurate to within minutes. Actual water levels can differ with strong winds and air pressure (storm surge). For navigation-critical decisions, always check official sources.

Reading the table

Understanding the tide table

How to read the table

Each card is one calendar day in Irish local time. High water is marked with a triangle pointing up, low water with a triangle pointing down. The height beside each time is the predicted level in metres above Ordnance Datum Malin, the same datum used on Irish Ordnance Survey maps. A bigger number means more water over the sand, the slip or the rocks.

Most days have two highs and two lows. Every so often a day has only three events. That is normal: the tidal cycle is about 12 hours 25 minutes long, so one high or low slips over midnight into the next day.

The clock runs on Europe/Dublin time, so the tables already account for the change to and from summer time. You never need to add or subtract an hour.

Spring tides and neap tides

Around full moon and new moon the sun and moon pull together and the tide swings furthest: very high highs and very low lows. These are spring tides, and they arrive roughly every two weeks all year round, nothing to do with the season. At the quarter moons the range shrinks and you get neap tides, when the water barely moves off the beach.

You can spot springs in the tables without a calendar. Look for the days where the gap between high and low is largest. Those are the mornings when the widest strand appears at low water, and the evenings when the sea comes right up to the wall.

The largest springs of the year, around the March and September equinoxes, are the ones that flood car parks and coastal roads if they coincide with an onshore gale.

Why weather changes the real level

These predictions only account for the moon and the sun. Air pressure and wind are ignored, because nobody can forecast them weeks ahead. A deep Atlantic low can lift the sea by 30 to 50 cm (a positive surge) and a strong onshore wind piles water against the coast on top of that. High pressure and offshore winds do the opposite.

In practice the times are very reliable and the heights are reliable in settled weather. In a storm, treat the predicted high water as a floor rather than a ceiling, and add the surge that Met Éireann mentions in the sea area forecast.

Best times for swimming, walking and fishing

Swimmers on a shelving beach usually want the hour either side of high water, when the water is deep close in and you are not wading out over 100 m of sand. At steep-to spots such as harbour steps or the Forty Foot, mid tide to high tide is safest because the ladder still reaches the water.

Walkers, rock poolers and dog owners want low water. Aim to arrive an hour before the predicted low, which gives you two hours of falling and slack water before the flood starts to come back in. On sand flats and around tidal islands the flood can return faster than walking pace, so know your low water time before you set off.

Shore anglers generally fish the last two hours of the flood and the first hour of the ebb. Boat owners need the height as much as the time: a slip that dries at 1.0 m is unusable at a 0.6 m low.

Sources

Sources and method

Every time and height on this page is an astronomical prediction from the Marine Institute of Ireland for the Buncrana tide gauge, taken from the open IMI_TidePrediction_HighLow dataset on the Institute’s ERDDAP server. We download the data and rebuild every page each night, convert the UTC timestamps to Irish local time (IST in summer, GMT in winter) and group them into calendar days. Nothing is estimated or smoothed by us.

Heights are metres above Ordnance Datum Malin, the reference used on Irish charts and Ordnance Survey maps. To compare with a chart that uses Lowest Astronomical Tide, add the local LAT to OD Malin offset shown on the chart.

Data licence: CC BY 4.0, Marine Institute. Page rebuilt 16 October 2026. Predictions ignore weather: onshore gales and low pressure can add half a metre or more to the real level. For navigation use official Admiralty or Irish Lights publications alongside this page.

Elsewhere on the coast

More tide times

All of Co. DonegalDublinGalwayCorkCo. KerryCo. DonegalSalthillTramorePortmarnockSpring and neap tide dates