Barnatra is a boggy seaside area dotted with isolated houses, mostly holiday homes with great views of the Mullet Peninsula and the Atlantic ocean.
Barnatra ia good point of access to Broadhaven Bay and the Dun Chaochain Peninsula.
Bellanaboy Bridge is the location of the new gas processing plant for the offshore Corrib Gas Field, the pipeline from which has caused massive controversy at nearby Rossport.
Glenamoy (Co. Mayo / Northwest)
Glenamoy (Gleann na Muaidhe) is a rural community scattered over some 16,700 acres (68 km2) of land, much of it blanket bog. The distribution of houses is the result of the Rundale system of agriculture which was commonplace here for many years. Lace schools were lso common in the area in the past.
The townlands of Glenamoy make up the inland portion of the mainly coastal modern parish of Kilcommon. Much of Glenamoy is remote wilderness; several hunting lodges were constructed locally in the C19th for gentlemen’s shooting parties.
The Glenamoy River flows into Sruwaddacon estuary and Broadhaven Bay.
Barrooskey (Barr Rúscaigh – “marsh land”) was the place where the Táin Bó Fliadhais epic says Domhnall Dual Bhuidhe overtook Queen Meadh‘s army and a fierce battle ensued. It is said that Domhnall was slain by Fergus Mac Roigh at Tamhnaigh Leacht Fhearguis.
The Glenamoy Bog Complex is a large site of special scientific study, taking in varied coastal and inland habitats.
Glenamoy is close to the Dun Chaochain Peninsula & Benwee Head.
Belderrig & Ballycastle (Co. Mayo / North)
Belderrig / Belderg (Béal Deirg – “the red mouth”, referring to the colour of the water of the local river mouth at certain times of year due to ore deposits), a village and sprawling coastal area in the old barony of Tirawley, has splendid scenery of sea, cliffs and mountains.
St Teresa’s church (RC) was built in 1869.
The Belderrig Cliffs feature some of the most spectacular coastal geology in Ireland and command fine views as far as Porturlin and Portacloy to the north west and the Stags of Broadhaven in the distance. On a clear day one can see the Sligo coastline and the cliffs of Killybegs and Teelin in County Donegal.
The Céide Fields
In the 1930s, whilst cutting turf for winter fuel, the local schoolmaster, Patrick Caulfield, kept finding large numbers of stones deep down in the bog. The fact that they appeared in a regular formation intrigued him, and the depth at which he found the stones suggested they must have been there for centuries. Years later, his archaeologist son Seamus discovered evidence of cultivated fields, houses and tombs, at what is now known as the Céide Fields.
The Céide Fields are the oldest known field systems in the world, dating from 5.500 years ago. It is a unique Neolithic landscape of global importance, which has changed our perception of our Stone Age ancestors. The remains of stone field walls, houses and megalithic tombs are preserved beneath a blanket of peat over several square miles. They tell a story of the everyday lives of an ancient community of farming people, their organized society, their highly developed spiritual beliefs, and their struggle against a changing environment beyond their control.
The Céide Fields Visitor Centre, a highly acclaimed building, has received Ireland’s most prestigious architectural award. A panoramic viewing platform both inside and outside on the roof of the glass topped pyramid shaped building affords dramatic views of sea and land. It offers an audio-visual show, displays and exhibitions and a pleasant Tearoom selling home made cakes, scones, soup, sandwiches etc.
Guided tours along pathways on the bog bring visitors around one of the stone walled fields, a domestic enclosure and an animal pen. The technique of probing for the hidden walls is demonstrated and visitors can experience the thrill of finding a stone wall which has been hidden underneath the peat for over 5,000 years. The diverse flora of the bog includes mosses, lichens, heathers, sedges and insect-eating sundews, and in early summer the area is carpeted with flowering milkworts, tormentils, orchids, bog cotton and other plants.
Conaghra was the site of a spectacular bog burst and landslide (according to Dr Dsvid Bellamy, one of the biggest ever recorded).
Glenglassera / Glenlossera Lodge, built in 1853 as a fishing lodge of a Zachary Mudge from Devonshire, is architecturally remarkable and should be undergoing restoration.
Ballycastle (Baile an Chaisil – “town of the stone fortress”) (pop. 260), a village with a single steep but rather elegant street, lies on the edge of a rural Gaeltacht area. It is a popular destination for walkers due to its scenic coastal location at the northern end of the 179km / 111-mile Western Way trail from Oughterard (Co. Galway).
Mentioned by name in a document dating from 1470, Ballycastle is surrounded by archeological sites, and the district between the Ballinglen and Heathfield Rivers is believed to have been continuously inhabited for some 5000 years.
St John’s church (CoI), built in 1810, .serves the Anglican parish of Dunfeeney.
St Bridget’s church (RC) was completed in 1933 to replace a smaller church dating from 1828. The parish of Ballycastle, first mentioned in the Catholic directory of 1836, is a combination of the two ancient parishes of Kilbride and Doonfeeney.
The Ballinglen Arts Foundation has an interesting gallery on the main street.
Mary’s Cottage Kitchen is a gem.
The Healyfest, a music festival held every August Bank Holiday weekend since 2005, features bands from all over Ireland and beyond.
Ballycastle has been confirmed with the ECO Label which signifies that an area has a top class environment.
The local beach, about one mile north of Ballycastle village on the southern end of Bunatrahir Bay, is bordered by sand dunes and is safe if rather chilly for swimming. Ballycastle’s unpolluted coastal waters are popular with scuba divers.
Stella Maris Country House Hotel****, originally a regional Coast Guard headquarters and subsequently a convent for the Sisters of Mercy, restored and opened in 2002 by Frances Kelly & Terence McSweeney, is highly rated for its food, comfortable rooms and wonderful ocean views. Shame about the name.
Ballycastle is
Downpatrick Head and its Dun Briste rock stack, sea arches and blowhole are beautiful but extremely dangerous, and unless you are a seagull should only be viewed from a distance.
The North Mayo Sculpture Trail
Tír Sáile – The North Mayo Sculpture Trail, is a series of 14 large site-specific sculptures by vsrious srtists from eight countries along the North Mayo coast between Blacksod Bay and Killala Bay. Nine of the sculptures are located between Ballycastle and Ballina.
The work was conducted during the course of a three-week sculptural Symposium in June 1993 as part of Dealbhóireacht 5000, a cultural celebration inspired by the discovery of the Céide Fields and five millennia of Mayo history. The sculptors adopted a traditional Irish method of working called a Meitheal – where a group of workers come together to achieve a common objective.
North Mayo’s rugged coastline allowed for the exploration of a variety of different possibilities. The sites varied from a disused quarry, small fields and sand dunes, to stony ground and agricultural land. A fundamental requirement was the use of natural materials in sympathy with their surroundings.
Slí na nOg, a joint student project comprising four Standing Stones at the entrance of a circular mound of earth enclosing stone seating in a central chamber, stood in the grounds of Lacken Cross School until accidentally destroyed in 2008. A new sculpture has been erected in its place.
Lacken (Co. Mayo / North)
Lacken / Lackan (Leacan – “flagstones”) (pop.850) is a scattered rural community spread between Ballycastle, Downpatrick Head and Lacken Bay.
Heathfield House, located in Gortatoor townland, was owned from the mid-C18th to the early C20th to the Bourke ancestors of Ireland’s first female President, Mary Robinson. While the main building has stood vacant for decades, the original gate house is still maintained and occupied and many of the originally planted trees on the estate survive.
The Rathlacken Court Tomb is exceptionally well preserved, with three fine chambers built from massive upright stones and a circular court in front. A large capstone, weighing a few tons, had collapsed into the front chamber but was removed using Stone Age techniques of wooden levers and ropes. Remains of cremation deposits were found in one chamber. Discovered by the late Major Aldridge in the 1950s, the tomb was built at least 5,300 years ago and re-used about 4,000 years ago for Bronze Age burials.
Castle Lackan / Lacken / Lackin, mentioned in the late C18th as “the fine seat” of Sir Roger Palmer, 1st Bart, was occupied early in the C19th by James Cuff, 1st (and last) Baron Tyrawley (2nd Creation), and later by his daughter and son-in-law, Lady Jane and Sir Charles Knox of Ballinrobe. The estate was sold by Col. CHC Knox to the Congested Districts’ Board in 1913 / 14. Said to stand on the site of an ancient MacEgan fortress, the mansion is now in ruins.
‘The Gazebo’, a peculiar C18th-style folly erected by Sir John Palmer, is a 20ft high structure of rough stones on the hill behind Castle Lackan, overlooking sea and land for many miles. The mountains of Killybegs in County Donegal are visible from here on a clear day, while Sligo’s Knocknarea and Ben Bulben can also be seen.
Lackenhill is the location of ruined medieval church, thought to have been used for some time after the Reformation as an Anglican place of worship due to the presence of Protestant graves in the old cemetery and the proximity of the old Glebe.
Lacken Strand is believed to have been the site of a battle between the Irish and the Danes.
The Lacken Strand Horse Races, an old tradition resurrected in 1997 after a lapse of 44 years, take place towards the end of May each year, in line with tidal conditions. Side events include All-Ireland sheaf throwing, tug of war, half hundred weight and shot competitions, children’s athletics, mother and father races, pillow fights, bouncy castles etc.
Lacken Bay was the scene of a disaster on the night of 28th October 1927, when nine herring fishermen drowned as a sudden storm drove their boats onto rocks..