About Killarney Watercoach Cruises

Killarney Watercoach Cruises Ltd. was set up in 1988 by a group of Killarney people involved in tourism in the town.

During the intervening years it has gone from strength to strength, becoming one of the most popular tours in Killarney.

Affectionately known as ‘The Lily’ this present boat is ‘Lily no.2’! Its predecessor was deemed to be outdated, and a brand new boat was purchased from the same builder.

The €300,000 boat, was built in Zaandam, 20 miles north of Amsterdam in 1994, it is modelled on the famous canal boats, which are so popular there.

It was brought by canal as far as Utrecht, where it was then picked up by the English haulage company Miller’s, and transferred onto a low loader and taken to Rotterdam. It was then shipped from Rotterdam to Imingham in England, and taken from there by road to Liverpool.

The next stage was from Liverpool to Dublin, and from Dublin down to Killarney. Its arrival caused quite a traffic jam, as two miles on the Limerick side of Adare, Co. Limerick, it had a bit of difficulty negotiating a hump-backed bridge!

It caters for people with limited time in the town, family outings i.e. First Communions, Confirmations, Hen and Stag groups, Wedding outings, Coach Tours etc. and because it is covered, and heated, it caters for all weathers.

It travels on a route, set out by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The commentary on board is about the local area, the history and folklore of the Killarney lakes, mountains and the town of Killarney itself.

It is 19.5 metres long; 4.4 metres wide, and weighs 38 tonne. It has a crew of 2, and is licensed to carry 78 passengers. It is serviced yearly by the Dept. of Marine, and licensed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. It was completely refurbished in 2019.