It is marked by the Kish Lighthouse,[3] a landmark visible to sailors and ferry passengers passing through Dublin Bay and Dún Laoghaire harbour.

The Vesper was lost in January 1876; the Norwegian MV Bolivar ran aground on the Kish Bank during a snow storm on 4 March 1947; both wrecks are frequently dived.

[4] A mailboat operated by the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company between Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire) and Holyhead, RMS Leinster, was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine on 10 October 1918.

The Commissioners of Irish Lights decided in 1960 to erect a reinforced concrete lighthouse with a helicopter landing pad on top, designed by Christiani & Nielsen.

[6] In late 1999, the Department of Marine and Natural Resources awarded licenses to allow studies to be carried out on the Kish and Bray Banks in relation to the construction of a proposed offshore wind farm.