The Mullaghmore Peninsula (), also referred to as Mullaghmore Head, is a small peninsula in the north of
County Sligo
County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in ...
, Ireland. The coastal village of Mullaghmore is the peninsula's sole settlement. The village has 136 year-round residents according to the 2016 Census; however, its population is significantly higher during summer months. The peninsula is bounded by two large beaches on either side, has panoramic views of
Ben Bulben
Benbulbin (), sometimes Benbulben or Ben Bulben, is a steep-sided and flat-topped mountain in County Sligo, Ireland. It is part of the Dartry Mountains, in an area sometimes called "William Butler Yeats, Yeats Country". Benbulbin, high, formed ...
and the
Dartry Mountains
The Dartry Mountains () are a mountain range in the north west of Ireland, in the north of counties Sligo and Leitrim. They lie between Lough Melvin, Lough Gill and Lough MacNean. The highest point is Truskmore at . Other notable mountains i ...
and is a popular seaside destination.
The skyline of Mullaghmore is dominated by Classiebawn Castle, which was designed by
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
architect James R. Carroll for The 3rd Viscount Palmerston. However, the castle was not completed until 1874, long after Lord Palmerston's death. Following its completion, the fishing village of Mullach Gearr was demolished to make room for the castle's 3,000 acre estate. The last surviving evicted resident of Mullach Gearr, Freddy McHugh, died in the 1960s. A memorial to the "lost village" was unveiled along Mullaghmore Head in 2017. The castle was left empty from 1916 to 1950, when it came into the possession of the Mountbatten family.
Louis Mountbatten
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (born Prince Louis of Battenberg; 25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979), commonly known as Lord Mountbatten, was a British statesman, Royal Navy of ...
spent his summers at Classiebawn until his death in August 1979, when his boat was blown up in Mullaghmore harbour by the Provisional IRA.
In recent years, Mullaghmore has become a
big wave surfing
Big wave surfing is a discipline within surfing in which surfers paddle into, or are towed into, waves that are at least 20 feet (6.2 m) high, on surf boards known as "guns" or towboards. The size of the board needed to successfully surf these w ...
destination that attracts surfers and windsurfers from around the world. Billabong hosted Ireland's first ever big-wave surf contest in Mullaghmore in 2011. In March 2012, surfers rode waves up to high off Mullaghmore Head. These waves were about five metres less than the tallest wave ever recorded in Ireland in
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
in December 2011, which was high. In October 2020 Mullaghmore came even closer to the record, as a wave measuring was recorded off its coast, which was ridden by Donegal big wave surfer Conor Maguire.
Promontory fort
A promontory fort is a fortification, defensive structure located above a steep cliff, often only connected to the mainland by a small neck of land, thus using the topography to reduce the Rampart (fortification), ramparts needed.
The oldest kno ...
s
*Trawalua Beach
*The Watchtower
Gallery
File:Mullaghmore Head Cliffs.jpg, Sea cliffs
File:Big Wave Surfer at Mullaghmore.jpg, Big wave surfer at Mullaghmore
File:Dartrys from Mullaghmore.jpg, Trawalua Beach
File:Mullaghmore Sailing Club - geograph.org.uk - 826546.jpg, Bunduff Strand
File:Bunduff Lough, Co. Sligo.jpg, Bunduff Lough
File:Classiebawn Castle, Mullaghmore.jpg, Classiebawn Castle
File:Mullaghmore Harbour August 2020.jpg, Mullaghmore Harbour
File:Classiebawn and Ben Bulben.jpg, Mullaghmore Head
See also
*
Carbury, County Sligo
Carbury ( Irish: ''Cairbre Drumcliabh'') is a barony in the north of County Sligo in the west of Ireland. It corresponds to the ancient ''túath'' of ''Cairbre Drom Cliabh''.
The barony is in the north of County Sligo, bordering County Leitrim
...