Downpatrick Head | Mayo

Information

Landmark: Downpatrick Head
City: Mayo
Country: Ireland
Continent: Europe

Downpatrick Head, Mayo, Ireland, Europe

Downpatrick Head is a signature discovery point on the Wild Atlantic Way, located 5km north of Ballycastle in County Mayo. It is a coastal headland characterized by vertical cliffs, unique geological formations, and Early Christian heritage.

Visual Characteristics

The site is defined by its sheer drops into the Atlantic and the presence of a detached sea stack.

Dún Briste (The Broken Fort): A multi-layered sea stack standing 45 meters high and situated 80 meters offshore. Its visible strata consist of multicolored layers of Lower Carboniferous sandstone and shale.

The Cliffs: Vertical rock faces rising approximately 40 meters above the sea.

Poll na Seantuinne: A massive blowhole connected to the sea via an underground cavern. During storms, water is forced upward through the vent.

Location & Access Logistics

Address: Ballycastle, Co. Mayo, Ireland.

Position: Reached via the R314 coastal road.

Transit: Private vehicle is mandatory; no scheduled public transport serves the headland.

Parking: A designated public car park is located at the entrance to the site.

Accessibility: The terrain consists of a steady uphill walk over open, uneven grassland. It is not suitable for standard wheelchairs. There are no safety railings along the cliff edges.

Historical & Religious Origin

St. Patrick: The site is named after Saint Patrick, who founded a church here in the 5th century. Ruins of a stone church and a statue of the saint mark the location.

Pilgrimage: It remains a site of local pilgrimage, particularly on Garland Sunday (the last Sunday in July).

World War II: A stone "ÉIRE" sign (No. 64) and a concrete Lookout Post remain on the headland, part of a coastal defense network used to signal neutral territory to aircraft.

Infrastructure & Amenities

Facilities: Minimal. There are no permanent buildings on the headland.

Visitor Information: Interpretive panels near the blowhole provide geological and historical context.

Sanitation: Public restrooms are available in the nearby village of Ballycastle; none are located on the headland.

Connectivity: 4G signal is intermittent due to the exposed northern location.

Facts & Technical Details

The sea stack Dún Briste was once part of the mainland. According to local annals, it was severed from the cliffs in 1393 during a severe storm, allegedly stranding several people who had to be rescued using ropes. Geologically, the layers represent millions of years of sediment deposits from a time when the area was a tropical marine environment.