Killala Bay

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Killala Bay
Killala, Co Mayo - geograph.org.uk - 769049.jpg
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Killala Bay
Location County Mayo
Coordinates 54°15′N9°08′W / 54.250°N 9.133°W / 54.250; -9.133
Ocean/sea sources Atlantic Ocean
Basin  countries Ireland
Max. width5.5 miles (8.9 km)
Surface area1,061 hectares (10.61 km2)
Max. depth36 metres (20 fathoms)
Settlements Killala
Official nameKillala Bay/Moy Estuary
Designated7 June 1996
Reference no.843 [1]

Killala Bay (Irish : Cuan Chill Ala) is a bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Mayo and County Sligo, with Kilcummin Head to the west and Lenadoon Point to the east, [2] which is the estuary for the River Moy. The village of Killala is at the southwest corner of the bay.

Contents

Geography

Killala Bay from Ordnance Survey Ireland Half-Inch Sheet 6 North Mayo, Published 1956 Killala Bay from Ordnance Survey Ireland Half-Inch Sheet 6 North Mayo, Published 1956.jpg
Killala Bay from Ordnance Survey Ireland Half-Inch Sheet 6 North Mayo, Published 1956

The bay is on the west coast of Ireland between County Mayo and County Sligo, between Kilcummin Head to the west and Lenadoon Point to the east. [2] It is the estuary for the River Moy. The village of Killala is at the southwest corner of the bay, and Bartragh Island in the centre of it.

Water

The bay is an extension of the estuary of the River Moy, [1] with deep waters of the continental shelf close to the shore. [3] The total area is 1,061 hectares (10.61 km2). [1] The bay is about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) wide and the maximum depth is 36 metres (20 fathoms). [4]

The middle of the bay is safe for boats but caution needs to be exercised near the shoreline. [4]

Shore

Kilcummin Head, also known as Benwee Head, is regarded as the start of Killala Bay. [2] As such excludes Lackan Bay and Creevagh Head which lie to the northwest. To the south of the head lies the village of Kilcummin. Counter-clockwise round the bay there is Killala, River Moy, Enniscrone, Pollacheeny Harbour, before Lenadoon Point.

Activities

Killala Bay is an excellent fishing location due to the close proximity of the deep waters of the continental shelf, having both deep water rock marks [lower-alpha 1] , beach marks, and opportunities to catch deep water species from charter boats. [3] Cockles can be found in the bay due to its sheltered nature.[ citation needed ]

Ross Strand on the bay near Killala village is a Blue Flag beach. [5]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killala</span> Village in County Mayo, Ireland

Killala is a village in County Mayo in Ireland, north of Ballina. The railway line from Dublin to Ballina once extended to Killala. To the west of Killala is the townland of Townsplots West, which contains a number of ancient forts. Historically associated with Saint Patrick, and the seat of an episcopal see for several centuries, evidence of Killala's ecclesiastical past include a 12th-century round tower and the 17th century Cathedral Church of St Patrick. As of the 2016 census of Ireland, the village had a population of 562. The village is in a civil parish of the same name.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilcummin, County Mayo</span> Civil parish in Ireland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Muredach's College</span> Secondary school in Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland

St Muredach's College is an all-boys secondary school on the banks of the River Moy in Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland. It was founded in 1906 to provide a Catholic education for boys in the Killala Diocese. The school building, which was designed by William Henry Byrne, is included on the Record of Protected Structures maintained by Mayo County Council.

Robert Warren (1829–1915) was an Irish ornithologist. Warren was born in Cork. In his early years he corresponded with fellow Irish ornithologist William Thompson. In 1851 he moved to Moyview, County Sligo, where he studied the birds of Killala Bay, Bartragh Island and the River Moy. In 1900 he was co-author with Richard J. Ussher of The Birds of Ireland.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Muredach's Cathedral, Ballina</span> Church in County Mayo, Ireland

St Muredach's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killala in Ireland. It is located on the east bank of the River Moy in Ballina, County Mayo. It is also the parish church of the parish of Kilmoremoy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballina, County Mayo</span> Town in County Mayo, Ireland

Ballina is a town in north County Mayo, Ireland. It lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, in the Moy valley and Parish of Kilmoremoy, with the Ox Mountains to the east and the Nephin Beg mountains to the west. The town occupies two baronies; Tirawley on the west bank of the Moy River, and Tireragh, a barony within County Sligo, on its east banks. At the 2022 census, the population of Ballina was 10,556.

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Amelia (Amy) Elizabeth Mary Warren, was an Irish marine biologist and conchologist who published the first annotated list and catalogues of land, freshwater, and marine molluscs in County Mayo and County Sligo. She is considered to be one of the most important donors to the National Museum of Ireland Natural History's Irish and British shell collection, contributing over 400 specimens together with her brother Robert Warren.

References

Notes

  1. A mark is a spot suitable for the fishing

Footnotes

Sources

  • "Killala Bay". eOceanic. 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  • "Two Mayo beaches lose their Blue Flag status". Midwest Radio. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2020. The 2019 Mayo blue flags have been awarded to ... Ross Killala ...
  • "Killala Bay". anchorageworld.com. 2008. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  • "Killala Bay/Moy Estuary". Ramsar Sites Information Service. 7 June 1996. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  • "Sea Angling in Ireland - The Shore Marks of North Mayo & West Sligo". Sea Angling Ireland. 2019.