Ballycroy
County Mayo in the West of Ireland
Ballycroy - on the N59 road from Bangor to Mulranny - with a population under one thousand, has many amenities including a busy community centre, youth activities, sailing and athletics clubs.
Ballycroy has 2 pubs, the landmark ‘Cleary’s pub’ and grocery shop, which was used during the filming of "The Ballroom of Romance" (1981), and the more recently built ‘Inn 59’ pub.
Business in Ballycroy
Ballycroy Attractions
- Ballycroy was the setting for the filming of "The Ballroom of Romance" (1981), starring Brenda Fricker. A large number of local people appeared as 'extras' in the film. Cleary's Bar and Grocery is the landmark for this famous film
- Fishing is a major attraction of the Ballycroy area with the Tarshaughan and Owenduff rivers part of the landscape. The Owenduff River is an exceptionally prolific salmon and sea trout River, draining into Tullaghan Bay, a few miles north of Ballycroy. It is also of international importance in conservation terms and is the last river in Western Europe, which drains a relatively intact, extensive blanket bog system
- Sea Angling is another visitor attraction and there are excellent fishing grounds off Ballycroy, between Inishbiggle and Achill, where the fishing is outstanding. The islanders extend a warm welcome to any visitors and are happy to advise on fishing locations/tackle, tide races, etc.
- Sailing from Bellacragher Bay to Innisbiggle Island to Achill Sound is one of Ireland’s most scenic sailing experiences. There are a number of uninhabited islands and vast stretches of empty coastline along the way.
Ballycroy National Park
Ballycroy National Park, was established in November 1998 and consists of c.11,779 hectares of Atlantic blanket bog in the Owenduff/Nephin Beg area of North West Mayo. It is is one of the largest expanses of peatland in Europe providing a unique habitat and a wide selection of flora and fauna. The scenery and wilderness qualities of this area are outstanding.
Ballycroy National Park is Ireland’s sixth National Park and its new Visitor Centre opened in 2009. Dominated by the Nephin Beg mountain range this is one of the last intact active blanket bog systems in Ireland and Western Europe and is home to a large variety of important habitats and species.
Access to the National Park can be gained by walking along the Bangor Trail, which itself has a long history possibly dating back to 16th century.
