Downpatrick Head
Dún Pádraig
A headland on the north coast of County Mayo, with a 45 m sea stack called Dún Briste below. It is one of the signature stops on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Downpatrick Head lies about 5 km north of the village of Ballycastle in County Mayo and is a signature stop on the Wild Atlantic Way. The main attraction is the sea stack Dún Briste offshore, which stands about 45 m tall and is made of Carboniferous layered rock roughly 350 million years old. Records show it was cut off from the mainland in a storm in 1393. Legend says St. Patrick split it from the land with his staff. On the clifftop are the ruins of St. Patrick’s church, a statue, the “EIRE” ground sign from World War II, and a blowhole formed by a collapsed sea cave, called Poll na Seantainne, with a railed viewing platform. In summer, seabirds such as kittiwakes and puffins nest on the cliffs. The site is open all day and free of charge. The walk from the car park to the cliff edge takes 10 to 15 minutes. The grass is slippery, and there is no railing at the edge, so keep well back on windy days. It can be combined with the nearby Céide Fields Neolithic site.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- National Museum of Ireland – Country Life
- Great Western Greenway
- Westport Town
- Westport House
- Wild Nephin National Park
- Ballintubber Abbey
- National Famine Memorial & Murrisk Abbey
- Croagh Patrick