MAYO.MEA guide to the islands off the coast of County Mayo, Ireland
We had a magical start to our journey to the Inishkea Islands from Blacksod. Shortly after leaving the harbour, we were joined by a school of playful dolphins swimming alongside and in front of the boat escorting us into the broad waters of the bay.
For a few short months, every summer, sailing vessels from far-flung shores cruise Mayo’s Wild Atlantic waters navigating the many islands, stacks, rocks, and hidden reefs that make our coastal waters so beautiful to admire but a treacherous world for the unprepared sailor.
The ferns, nettles, bushes, and briars now hide much of what was once a 19th-century village on the slopes of the Ox Mountains. The crumbling ruins of the small stone cottages and outhouses in the deserted village or clachán at Byhalla (Boyhollagh) are all that remain to remind us of the families who lived there. We can only […]
Eagle Island, off the north end of the Mullet Peninsula in Erris, Co Mayo, was once home to the families of the island’s two lighthouse keepers. The two lighthouses on Eagle Island were switched on in September 1835. One of the lighthouses stopped functioning after it was damaged beyond repair by a storm in 1894, […]
A few hours walking on Claggan Island near Belmullet is an escape to a magical world of tranquillity and wonderful coastal scenery on the Wild Atlantic coast of Co Mayo.
The Inishkea Islands, off the Mullet, in North Mayo, are among the most rarely visited of County Mayo’s many island outposts. During the summer months from June to August, depending on weather conditions, there are organised boat trips to Inishkea South, a few times a week. Once supporting thriving fishing and farming communities, the two […]
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