Overview
The bedrock under Bangor Erris is 1,753 million years old, the oldest in Ireland, which is the reason geologists turn up in a village most people only drive through. The rock is the headline; everything else here is a base. Bangor Erris sits on the N59 about 40 km west of Ballina, on the banks of the Owenmore River, a crossroads of just over 300 people that acts as the gateway to the Erris peninsula and the empty Nephin Beg country behind it.
There isn’t much to do in the village itself – a few pubs, shops and a takeaway. The reasons to stop are the trail that starts here and the fishing that surrounds it. If you’ve come to walk, the Bangor Trail is the thing. If you’ve come to fish, the Owenmore and Carrowmore Lake are among the best salmon waters in the country.
History
Major Denis Bingham, who had inherited almost half of Erris through his mother, came to live here around 1796 and built a house on the hillside above the road. He laid out the village proper around 1820 as a stopping place for travellers crossing to Erris, choosing the spot because the crossroads was sheltered from the prevailing Atlantic winds and sat beside the river. Two older roads met here – one from the Mullet Peninsula to Castlebar, the other from Inver at Kilcommon to Newport – both repaired by order of the County Assizes in 1793. Bangor held the first licensed premises in Erris; the licence later moved to Belmullet when the pub closed. In 1823 Bingham was granted a patent to hold fairs in the town.
The 20th century left its marks on the land. A landslide at Largan in September 1928 destroyed a bridge and cut the road; another at Upper Glencullen in February 1931 took out a house and killed cattle. In 1934 roadworks turned up a hidden cache of arms. The village also kept its craftsmen: the Lynn family, stonemasons who settled in the area, left their work around the parish, and Pat Lynn carved the stone cross on the south gable of the chapel.
What to see and do
The Crying Stone
Beside the N59 just east of the centre stands the Crying Stone, a sculpture by Colm Brennan commissioned for Mayo County Council’s Millennium Initiative. It’s the one deliberate landmark in a village that doesn’t trade on monuments, and a useful spot to pull in and stretch the legs.
The Bangor Trail
The Bangor Trail is a 35 km (22-mile) mountain pass across the Nephin Beg range to Newport, following an old route through some of the emptiest land in Ireland along the edge of Ballycroy National Park. It is not a casual walk. The ground is rough and boggy, the weather comes straight off the Atlantic, there’s little shelter and no waymarking to fall back on. Reckon on ten hours or more, and don’t set out without a map, a compass and the skills to use both. A shorter day of about 26 km is possible if you leave a second car at the Letterkeen trailhead.
For most visitors the honest move is to walk an hour or two out from the village and turn back. You get the scale of the place – the bog stretching to the foot of the mountains, Irish hare and red grouse in the open ground – without committing to a full crossing.
Fishing the Owenmore and Carrowmore Lake
The Owenmore runs through the village and Carrowmore Lake lies 2 km north, both managed by the Bangor Erris Angling Club, which sells day and weekly permits to visiting anglers. Spring salmon run from February into early May; grilse and sea trout take over from June; brown trout fishing runs May to October. The catch is the water itself: the Owenmore is a spate river, so levels rise and drop fast with the weather. Check conditions with the club before you commit to a day on it.
Folklore on the Ballycroy road
The road between Bangor and Ballycroy carries its own cast of stories. A phantom dog and a white cow are said to appear as omens of a coming death, and water horses are reckoned to rise from the lakes to lure riders in and drown them. About a mile west of the village stand three stone forts, credited in local lore to the Tuatha Dé Danann.
Nearby
- Carne Golf Links (≈ 30 min) – an 18-hole links with views out to the Inishkea and Inishglora islands.
- Céide Fields Visitor Centre (≈ 30 min) – one of the oldest and largest Neolithic field systems in Europe, with a strong exhibition.
- Ballycroy National Park (≈ 45 min) – vast Atlantic blanket bog and native woodland under one of Ireland’s darkest skies.
- Tullaghan Bay and Bog – a Natural Heritage Area on the Wild Atlantic Way with coastal walking and migratory birds.
Practical information
Getting there – Bangor Erris sits directly on the N59. Bus Éireann route 446 connects the village with Bellacorick, Crossmolina and Ballina four times daily each way, with an extra Friday-evening service from Ballina. The nearest rail station is at Ballina, with onward bus links to Belmullet.
Parking – Free roadside parking is available near the village centre, and there’s a car park at the Letterkeen trailhead for the Bangor Trail, sign-posted from the N59.
Accommodation – Most visitors stay in self-catering cottages scattered around the area; the village has no hotel.
Angling permits – Buy permits directly from the Bangor Erris Angling Club, which can also advise on pool locations and seasonal regulations.
Download offline maps before you set out. Phone signal thins quickly once you leave the N59, and on both the river and the mountain the day’s plan can change with the next band of rain.