Blacksod Bay

Blacksod Bay
Cuan an Fhóid Duibh
Town
Blacksod Bay

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 54°05′00″N 10°01′00″W / 54.08333°N 10.01667°W / 54.08333; -10.01667Coordinates: 54°05′00″N 10°01′00″W / 54.08333°N 10.01667°W / 54.08333; -10.01667
Country Ireland
Province Connacht
County County Mayo
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference F

Blacksod Bay (Irish: Cuan an Fhóid Duibh) is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean in Erris, North County Mayo, Ireland. The 16 km (9.9 mi) long and 8 km (5.0 mi) bay is bounded on its western side by the Mullet Peninsula. Its eastern side includes Kiltane Parish which extends southwards from Belmullet towards Gweesalia and Doohoma.

In June 1944, Supreme Allied commander Dwight Eisenhower made the decision to go ahead with the D-Day landings based on a detailed weather report from Blacksod Bay. Despite the official position of Irish neutrality, providing meteorological data on the Atlantic Ocean was just one of many things Ireland did to assist the Allies during the Second World War.[1]

Geography

Blacksod Bay, which contains many little islets, opens to the Atlantic Ocean. The granite found in this area as most of the rest of the substrate consists of ancient gneiss and schist. The Mullet peninsula is covered with fairly flat sand dunes. Blacksod Bay is wide at its mouth and is a safe place for anchorage.

At its north end, Blacksod Bay is connected to Broadhaven Bay by an 18th-century canal through Belmullet.

Lighthouses

Blacksod Lighthouse, which was completed in 1862, lies 18 km (11 mi) off shore out in the Atlantic Ocean. It was built from locally cut granite taken from the quarry at Termon Hill. Eagle Island lighthouse lies off the northwest tip of the Mullet.

Transport

Bus Éireann route 446 links the area with Belmullet, Bangor Erris, Bellacorick, Crossmolina and Ballina. 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.[2]

Tourism

Throughout the summer, boat trips to the Inishkea Islands, Inishglora, where the Children of Lir are reputed to be buried and Duvillaun off the North Mayo coastline leave from Blacksod.

Elly Bay is a popular location for many watersports and the location of Colaiste Uisce Adventure Centre, which teaches watersports and other sports through the medium of the Irish language to schoolchildren and adventure groups from across Ireland.


See also

References

  1. ↑ See Duggan p.180 Duggan, John P. Herr Hempel at the German Legation in Dublin 1937–1945 (Irish Academic Press) 2003 ISBN 0-7165-2746-4
  2. ↑ http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1279700047-446.pdf
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