Overview
The name is literal. Neighbours around Bilberry Lake, out near Castlebar, still make bilberry pies and jam from the fruit that grows on the low ground by the water. The lake itself sits in the rural village of Islandeady, County Mayo, just off the N5 between Castlebar and Westport. It is not a manicured park – a working patchwork of pasture, alder and birch, with the hills rolling up toward Croagh Patrick in the distance. Come for a slow walk, a picnic or an afternoon’s fishing, not for facilities, of which there are none.
The setting is at its best in autumn, when the alder and birch along the shore turn gold and russet.
History and legend
Islandeady comes from the Irish Oileán Éadaígh, and two stories explain it. One says early settlers lived on a small island in the water – now the site of the old cemetery – and washed their clothes (éadaigh) in the shallows. The other, more widely told, links the name to Saint Eiden, or Aidan, a 13th-century hermit said to have lived on a peninsula in the lake and founded a church on its shore. That church survives as a roofless ruin at the water’s edge.
Local tradition also has Saint Patrick preaching by a lake in Islandeady in 440 AD on his way to Croagh Patrick, though which of the parish’s lakes isn’t recorded. The connection is still marked: St Patrick’s Church in Islandeady added an extension in 2009 named the St Aidan’s Room, in reference to the old ruin at the lake.
What to see and do
- St Eiden’s church ruins – the stone walls stand roofless right on the water’s edge, at their most photogenic when morning mist is still lifting off the surface.
- Old Islandeady cemetery – a short walk away on a gentle rise. This is the spot to aim for: it gives the clearest view of Croagh Patrick and the surrounding townlands, and the older headstones are worth a slow read.
- Lakeside walk – a narrow, unpaved track follows much of the shoreline through the trees, wide enough for a buggy in dry weather.
- Birdwatching – waders work the marshy edges, and there are ducks and swans on the open water. Early morning and late afternoon give the best light.
Fishing at Bilberry Lake
For years this was a stocked trout fishery run by the Bilberry Angling Club, which still holds the annual McConville Cup. It is now mixed water – pike and perch alongside brown trout – and is still stocked each year with catchable trout, so it fishes better than its size suggests. A permit is required, so sort that before you cast; Windermere House B&B, about a mile away on the N5, can arrange both a permit-worthy day’s boat hire and a bed for the night.
Pike are the main target and hold close to the reed-lined shallows and the small bays. Local anglers favour a few stretches – Hayes’s Bay, the marker rods known as the ‘Pins’, the shore from the German Shore down to the graveyard, and the pumphouse area near the outlet to Lough Lannagh, which suits trolling. Silver spoons and soft plastics fished quietly near the weed do the job. Catch and release is encouraged.
Practical information
There is no admission charge and no barrier – the lake is open ground, day and night, year-round. Park in the small lay-by beside the lake or at the entrance to the old cemetery; both are unstaffed and fill on a first-come basis.
The one real caveat is the track. It is unpaved, turns muddy or slippery after rain, and can flood and narrow during a wet spell, so wear boots and don’t count on getting a buggy the whole way round in bad weather. Follow the N5 signs for Islandeady, then the country road down to the parking area. Castlebar and Westport are each about ten minutes away, which makes this an easy half-day stop.
Visit in late spring or early autumn, when the pike are most active and the shoreline trees are at their best – and if you’re after the ruins, the first hour after sunrise, once the mist has burned off the water, is the one to catch.