Portacloy ( Irish: ''Port an Chlóidh'') is a

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

village and

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

in northwest

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

, Ireland. In the barony of

Erris Erris is a barony in northwestern County Mayo in Ireland consisting of over , much of which is mountainous blanket bog. It has extensive sea coasts along its west and north boundaries. The main towns are Belmullet and Bangor Erris. The name E ...

and parish of

Kilcommon Kilcommon () is a civil parish in Erris, north County Mayo, consisting of two large peninsulas; Dún Chaocháin and Dún Chiortáin. It consists of 37 townlands, some of which are so remote that they have no inhabitants. Habitation is conc ...

, it is on the north of the Dún Chaocháin peninsula. The townland is on a horseshoe-shaped bay with two piers and several cliff walks. Portacloy townland has an area of approximately 995.3 acres (4.0277 km²) and, as of 2011, had a population of 28.

History

An area known as "Clayport" at the eastern side of Portacloy began supplying clay for earthenware in 1812. The 1838 Ordnance Survey map showed an old mill, coastguard station and boathouse at the site of this area. Noone, Fr. S. ''Where the Sun Sets'' (1991) Roads from Portacloy to Curraunboy and

Glenamoy Glenamoy () is a village in the civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Kilcommon, Erris in the northern part of County Mayo in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The R314 road (Ireland), R314 road passes through Glenamoy. Glenamoy is also an El ...

were completed in 1847. These were built as part of relief efforts during the Irish Potato Famine to provide employment in the form of public works. The

Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

, noted the challenges faced in fishing due to severe weather and the lack of secure landing ports in the Portacloy area. Efforts in the 1880s aimed at securing a pier for Portacloy were met with resistance, citing limited resources for construction and an exposed setting. The Congested Districts Board constructed a boat slip, breakwater, landing place, and approach road at Portacloy. Later developments included a bridge and a pier built in the 1960s. Telephone lines extended to Portacloy during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

for defence purposes. The lines ceased post-war and were later made operational. A look-out post was built in Portacloy during

on a headland near the bay. Officially named ‘LOP63’, it was one of 83 posts on the coast of Ireland administered by the Coast Watching Service. The post tracked several incursions into Irish waters during the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allies of World War II, ...

. Nearby a large stone ground sign ‘ÉIRE 63’ was also erected, to let pilots know they were flying over Ireland, a

neutral state A neutral country is a state that is neutral towards belligerents in a specific war or holds itself as permanently neutral in all future conflicts (including avoiding entering into military alliances such as NATO, CSTO or the SCO). As a type o ...

. The look-out post was destroyed in a storm in October 2014 and was later restored.

Geography

Benwee Head sits just beyond the entrance of the harbour. Charles Browne in an ethnographic study in 1893 described the terrain as rugged, primarily composed of

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

land and

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

. The weather was described as being temperate with rare and short-lived frost or snow, yet with heavy rains persisting almost constantly for most of the year, accompanied by frequent and intense storms. Despite the flourishing vegetation, Browne found that trees were sparse due to relentless storms, only growing in sheltered areas. Portacloy Bay was a Green Coast Award Beach for 2017 and is the starting and finishing point for an 18 km long loop walk.

References

External links

{{County Mayo Towns and villages in County Mayo Erris History of County Mayo Gaeltacht towns and villages Gaeltacht places in County Mayo

History

Geography

See also

References

External links