Overview
Ballynakill Bay (also spelt Ballinakill; Irish Baile na Cille, ‘settlement of the church’) is a deep, sheltered inlet on the north-west coast of County Galway, running a few miles inland between Cleggan Point to the west and Rinvyle Point to the east. From the head of it, Diamond Hill rises sharply and the Twelve Bens crowd the skyline behind. It’s the sea gate to Letterfrack, the village founded after the Famine by the Quakers James and Mary Ellis and now the main way into Connemara National Park. Turn off the N59 towards Tully Cross at Letterfrack to reach the harbour.
History and heritage
In 1588 the Spanish Armada ship Falco Blanco went down in these waters. An anchor recovered from the wreck is now on show at the Oceans Alive visitor centre – the most tangible thing in the bay’s long story.
Oyster cultivation started here in 1893, when farmers spotted how the sheltered water and the North Atlantic Drift suited the beds. For decades the mature oysters went by horse and cart to Clifden, then by rail to Dublin. DK Connemara Oysters still works the bay and runs guided tours from seed to plate; on spring tides the walk goes out across the exposed shore to the beds. Book ahead.
The Ellis family reshaped the land in the mid-1800s with a school, a farm and a web of wooden walkways that later became the boardwalks of the national park. The former Letterfrack Industrial School, open until 1973, now holds the Atlantic Technological University’s furniture-design college, a community radio station and the independent bookshop Books at One.
Sailing and anchoring
Sailors rate Ballynakill as a completely protected harbour with straightforward access – but daylight only, given the rocks. There are several anchorages, some with quays that dry at low tide, and a minimum depth of about 3 metres in the harbour. The preferred approach passes north of Freaghillaun South on a bearing of 113° True, lined up on Diamond Hill as a mark. Fuel can be had in jerry cans by arrangement, and there’s a slipway for small craft. Fish taken in the harbour include salmon, pollock and mackerel, and the bay holds the small island of Roeillaun (Red Island).
Oceans Alive visitor centre and boat tours
On the shore of Derryinver Bay, about 2.5 km from Letterfrack village, the Oceans Alive Visitor Centre and Seaside Garden opened in 1996 and holds over 200 exhibits on the region’s maritime life, the Falco Blanco anchor among them. Through the summer (roughly late May to early September) it runs the Letterfrack Sea Safari, hour-long glass-bottom boat trips over the mussel lines and tidal flats, with a good chance of grey seals, otters and seabirds. Tickets are sold at the harbour office; book ahead in peak weeks. Entry to the bay and harbour is free – the charge is for the centre, around €7 for two adults or €10 for a family of four. There’s a café and a small craft shop on site.
Walking
The bay sits at the edge of Connemara National Park, which is the real reason walkers come.
- Sruffaunboy Nature Trail – a gentle 1.8 km loop from the quay through salt marsh and wildflower meadow, good for migratory birds in season.
- Diamond Hill – the classic. A 7 km round trip climbing about 445 m to the summit cairn, starting on the Sruffaunboy boardwalk through bog and heath. From the top the view runs over Ballynakill Bay, the Twelve Bens, Kylemore Abbey and out to Inishturk and Inishbofin.
Deeper into the range, the Glencoaghan and Owenglin horseshoes give experienced hillwalkers long, hard days on the Twelve Bens, but they are mountain routes well beyond the bay itself. The park’s visitor centre in Letterfrack has maps, trail advice and a café.
Wildlife
Grey seals haul out on the rocks, most often in the colder months; harbour seals and dolphins show up in summer, and otters work the mussel lines and tidal edges. The salt marshes and mudflats pull in migratory waders in season. On the heath and boardwalks, heather and gorse come out in spring and summer. Early morning and dusk are the best times to look.
Rosleague Manor
On the western shore stands Rosleague Manor, a Regency house run by the Foyle family in 30 acres of woodland down to the water, part of the Connemara Garden Trail. It opens seasonally from Easter to mid-November, with 20 rooms, a kitchen built on local produce – Cleggan Bay crab, Killary lobster, Connemara lamb – and log fires in the drawing rooms. There’s a tennis court and pet-friendly rooms.
Practical information
Getting there – By road, take the N59 west from Galway and turn north onto the R344 for Letterfrack; the harbour lies between Cleggan Point and Rinvyle Point. Citylink and Bus Éireann run daily from Galway City to Letterfrack, a short walk from the harbour. By sea, keep north of Freaghillaun South on 113° True from Diamond Hill and pick your way around the rocks – Braadillaun, Carricklaghan and the ‘Cow and Calf’ at Glassillaun.
Facilities – Hot food and drink at the Oceans Alive café and at Veldons Seafarer Bar in Letterfrack. Basic supplies at Ross Lodge House by arrangement, more at the shop in Letterfrack about 2 km off. The harbour has steps and uneven ground; the park boardwalks are accessible, the anchorage and summit trails are not.
Nearby – Kylemore Abbey and its walled gardens are five minutes north; the Blue Flag strand at An Trá Mór is close by for a swim; and the Wild Atlantic Way runs on to Clifden and the rest of Connemara.
If you only do one thing, walk Diamond Hill on a clear morning – the whole bay lays itself out below the summit cairn.