Blacksod Bay

Blacksod Bay
Blacksod Bay
Cuan an Fhóid Duibh(Irish)
	Bay from the Mullet Peninsula
	Location in Ireland
Location	County Mayo,Ireland
Coordinates	54°07′N10°02′W/ 54.12°N 10.03°W
Ocean/sea sources	Atlantic Ocean
Max. length	16 kilometres (10 mi)
Max. width	8 km (5 mi)
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Blacksod Bay and Broadhaven
Designated	7 June 1996
Reference no.	844

Blacksod Bay(Irish:Cuan an Fhóid Duibh) is abayof theAtlantic OceaninErris,northCounty Mayo,Ireland.The 16 km (9.9 mi) long and 8 km (5.0 mi) wide bay is bounded on its western side by theMullet Peninsula.Its eastern side includesKiltaneParish, which extends southwards fromBelmullettowardsGweesaliaandDoohoma.

Geography

Blacksod Bay, which contains many little islets, opens to theAtlantic Ocean.The granite found in this area as most of the rest of thesubstrateconsists of ancientgneissandschist.The Mulletpeninsulais covered with fairly flatsand dunes.Blacksod Bay is wide at its mouth and is a safe place for anchorage.

At its northern end, Blacksod Bay is connected toBroadhaven Bayby an 18th-centurycanalthrough Belmullet.

Lighthouses

Blacksod Lighthouse,which was completed in 1862, occupies the southern end of theMullet Peninsula.It was built from locally cut granite taken from the quarry atTermon Hill.It is famously the lighthouse the Allies used for the weather forecast onD-day1944, and the landing was delayed by a day because of an inclement forecast.^[2]^[3]Blackrock Lighthouse lies 12 miles (19 km) offshore onBlackrock Island.Eagle Island lighthouselies off the northwest tip of the Mullet Peninsula.

Transport

Bus Éireann route 446 links the area withBelmullet,Bangor Erris,Bellacorick,CrossmolinaandBallina.There is one service a day in each direction, including Sundays. On Friday evenings an extra journey operates from Ballina. Onward bus and rail connections are available at Ballina.^[4]

Tourism

Throughout the summer, boat trips to theInishkea Islands,Inishglora,where theChildren of Lirare reputed to be buried, andDuvillaunoff the North Mayo coastline leave from Blacksod.

Elly Bay is a popular location for manywatersportsand the location ofColaiste Uisce Adventure Centre,which teaches watersports and other sports through the medium of theIrish languageto schoolchildren and adventure groups from across Ireland.

References

^"Blacksod Bay and Broadhaven".RamsarSites Information Service.Retrieved25 April2018.
^O'Riordan, Ellen (21 June 2021)."US honour for 98-year-old woman whose Mayo weather report changed D-Day landing".Irish Times.Retrieved21 June2021.
^Traub, Alex (2 January 2024)."Maureen Flavin Sweeney Dies at 100; Her Weather Report Delayed D-Day".The New York Times.ISSN 0362-4331.Retrieved6 January2024.
^"Archived copy"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 17 May 2012.Retrieved6 June2012.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links

Depth map

Gallery

A sail boat at Elly Bay,Erris,County Mayo
Blacksod Bay withAchill Islandto the south
Kite boardingat Claggan beach, part of Blacksod Bay

[1] "Blacksod Bay and Broadhaven".RamsarSites Information Service.Retrieved25 April2018.

[2] O'Riordan, Ellen (21 June 2021)."US honour for 98-year-old woman whose Mayo weather report changed D-Day landing".Irish Times.Retrieved21 June2021.

[3] Traub, Alex (2 January 2024)."Maureen Flavin Sweeney Dies at 100; Her Weather Report Delayed D-Day".The New York Times.ISSN 0362-4331.Retrieved6 January2024.

[4] "Archived copy"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 17 May 2012.Retrieved6 June2012.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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