Mulroy Bay (Irish : Cuan na Maoil Ruaidh [1] ) is a relatively small bay / sea loch on the north coast of County Donegal, Ireland.
Mulroy Bay is the most convoluted of the marine inlets in north-west Ireland. It is approximately 12 km long in a north-south direction. The entrance to the bay is a narrow embayment leading to a winding entrance channel 10 km in length. This channel varies in width and depth, with three significant narrows only 100–150 m across, where the current reaches maxima of 3-5 knots. It opens into the Broad Water, an open shallow sea lough 8 km from north to south and 2.5 km from east to west, generally less than 20 m in depth and with many small rocky islands and islets. [2] [3]
Settlements founded on the bay include Milford, Kerrykeel and Cranford.
The English name of the bay comes from Cuan na Mhaoil Ruaidh, the original Irish language name for the bay which means 'Bay of the Red Current' or 'Bay of the Red Stream'. [4]
County Donegal is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconnell or Tirconaill, after the historic territory. Donegal County Council is the local council and Lifford is the county town.
Strangford Lough is a large sea lough or inlet in County Down, in the east of Northern Ireland. It is the largest inlet in Ireland and the wider British Isles, covering 150 km2 (58 sq mi). The lough is almost fully enclosed by the Ards Peninsula and is linked to the Irish Sea by a long narrow channel at its southeastern edge. The main body of the lough has at least seventy islands along with many islets (pladdies), bays, coves, headlands and mudflats. It is part of the Strangford and Lecale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Strangford Lough was designated as Northern Ireland's first Marine Conservation Zone in 2013, and has been designated a Special Area of Conservation for its important wildlife.
Fanad is a peninsula that lies between Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay on the north coast of County Donegal, Ireland. The origin of the name Fanad derives from the Irish language word Fána for "sloping ground". It is also referred to as Fannet or Fannett in older records. There are an estimated 700 people living in Fanad and 30% Irish speakers.
The Glens of Antrim, known locally as simply The Glens, is a region of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It comprises nine glens (valleys), that radiate from the Antrim Plateau to the coast. The Glens are an area of outstanding natural beauty and are a major tourist attraction in north Antrim.
The North Channel is the strait between north-eastern Northern Ireland and south-western Scotland. The Firth of Clyde merges with the channel, between the southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula and Corsewall Point on the Rhins of Galloway. The channel begins north of the Isle of Man and is customarily considered part of the Irish Sea, the channel runs north-west into the Atlantic Ocean.
The River Finn is a river in the west of Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. The river mainly flows through County Donegal, part of the Republic of Ireland, while a short stretch of the river also partially flows through County Tyrone, part of Northern Ireland. From Lough Finn, the river goes to Ballybofey and Stranorlar before joining the River Mourne at Lifford and Strabane.
Downings or Downies is a Gaeltacht village and townland on the Rosguill peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland. The village is on the shores of Sheephaven Bay on the north coast of Ireland.
Sheephaven Bay or Sheep Haven is a broad, shallow inlet on the north coast of County Donegal, Ireland. Bounded by the peninsulae of Rosguill, to the east and Horn Head to the west, the bay is relatively protected from the full force of the Atlantic Ocean, and has supported a vibrant herring fleet.
Kinnagoe Bay is a beach in Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland. The wreck of a Spanish Armada ship, La Trinidad Valencera, was discovered in the bay in 1971. The sinking of this ship, on 16 September 1588, is memorialised by a plaque in the area. The beach is accessible by a road from the top of the hill. There is a small car park at the beach which gets very busy during the summer. It is one of the places of interest on the Inishowen 100 scenic route.
The River Roe is a river located in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It flows north from Glenshane in the Sperrin Mountains to Lough Foyle, via the settlements of Dungiven, Burnfoot, Limavady and Myroe. The River Roe's length is 34.25 miles (55.12 km)
Cranford is a small village located in the northeast of County Donegal, Ireland. It is situated on the western banks of Mulroy Bay on the road between two larger villages, approximately 7.9 kilometres north of Milford and 7.9 kilometres south of Carrigart. It looks almost directly at Kerrykeel across the water. The townlands of Drimicallady, Coole, The Bogue, Woodquarter, The Pans, and Seantullagh also fall within Cranfords borders.
Oileán Ruaidh, anglicised as Island Roy, also called Oileán an Bhráighe, is a small island in Mulroy Bay, County Donegal, Ireland.
Sligo Bay is a natural ocean bay in County Sligo, Republic of Ireland.
Trawbreaga Bay is a small bay located on the northern tip of the Inishowen Peninsula, County Donegal, Ireland. It is a designated Special Protection Area (SPA) and its features of interest include: the barnacle goose, the light-bellied brent goose, the chough and diverse wetland and waterbirds.
Boyeeghter Strand or Boyeeghter Bay, commonly known as TheMurder Hole Beach, is a beach situated on Rosguill, a peninsula located on the north coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. The beach lies at the north-eastern end of Rosguill, being located near Melmore Head. It has cliffs, hills, dunes, and small caves. When the tide is in there are two beaches, which merge into one when the tide is out. Rough Island is a small tidal island located approximately 15 metres offshore. The beach is not suitable for swimming.
The Burn Dale is a burn or small river in the east of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. The burn is also known in English as the Dale Burn, the Burn Deele, the Burndale River, the Deele River or the River Deele. In the Ulster Scots dialect, a 'burn' is a stream or small river.
The Clady River is a small river in Gweedore, a district in the north-west of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. The river flows entirely within the Civil Parish of Tullaghobegly.
Shrove is a coastal hamlet and townland in Inishowen in the north of County Donegal in the north of Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. The hamlet is located a short distance to the north of Greencastle in the north-east of Inishowen, a peninsula on the north coast of Ireland. The name of both the hamlet and the townland is also sometimes written as Shroove, and is sometimes written as Stroove by some government bodies.
Largy Waterfall is a small waterfall located in the south-west of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. The coastal waterfall is in Largy, a hamlet just west of Fintra Strand, a few miles west of Killybegs. The waterfall is often popularly known as County Donegal's Secret Waterfall or South Donegal's Secret Waterfall.