Killaspugbrone Church and Loop Trail

Overview

Killaspugbrone is one of the oldest church sites in Sligo – founded, tradition says, by a bishop who knew St Patrick – and it now stands, improbably, at the very end of the runway of Sligo’s little airport. The ruin sits at the north-west tip of the Coolera peninsula, just beyond the surf village of Strandhill. Its Irish name, Cill Easpaig Bróin, means ‘the church of Bishop Brón’, after Brón mac Icni, a 5th-century cleric and contemporary of St Patrick who died around 512. The stone walls face Coney Island across a wide sweep of sand, with the flat top of Ben Bulben and the round shoulder of Knocknarea closing the inland horizon.

Be clear about what you’re coming for: the ruin itself takes five minutes. It’s the walk and the setting – early-Christian stone against dunes, sea and passing light aircraft – that make the visit.

History & Local Legends

The site has been a place of worship for well over a millennium. The earliest church, known as Caiseal Irrae, was likely ringed by a stone cashel in the manner of an early monastic settlement; the rectangular nave you see now was built between about 1150 and 1220. The church survived repeated Viking raids along the Sligo coast and stayed in use as a parish church into the 16th century.

Local tradition ties the place to St Patrick himself. The story goes that the saint tripped on the threshold and lost a tooth here, kept afterwards as the Fiacail Pádraig, ‘Patrick’s Tooth’. The relic was later enshrined in an ornate 14th-century gold and silver casket commissioned by Thomas de Birmingham, Lord of Athenry, and now sits in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.

The one-acre walled graveyard around the church holds roughly 700 burials. Most are simple weathered slabs that predate the 16th-century shift to upright headstones; one stone records a local man who lived to 102, and the final burial took place in 1961. Across a narrow tidal channel lies Dúnán Padraig (Patrick’s Little Fort), a rocky islet that folklore says the tide never fully covers – which makes it a dependable subject for a photograph. The site is cared for by the Killaspugbrone Preservation Society, which has drawn on the Heritage Grant Scheme to fund masonry-repair training and keep the walls standing.

The Killaspugbrone Loop Trail

The loop begins at the northern end of Strandhill’s seafront promenade and follows purple arrows on white discs around a 7 km circuit. It’s graded moderate and usually takes about two hours at a steady pace, through dunes, salt-marsh and a stretch of pine woodland.

• Strandhill to Domin’s Strand: the trail heads north along the promenade, passing cafés and shops before reaching Domin’s Strand. This broad stretch of sand and shingle is good for birdwatching, but it can flood at high tide, so check tide times before setting out.
• Dunes and salt-marsh: beyond the beach the path climbs into a protected dune system. Marram grass binds the sand while salt-marsh pools draw waders like curlew, dunlin and oystercatcher. A low concrete barrier holds back erosion and keeps walkers on firm ground.
• Sligo Airport perimeter: the loop skirts the edge of the runway, where you may catch a light aircraft taking off or landing against Sligo Bay. The contrast of early-Christian stone and small-plane aviation is the trail’s signature.
• Headland return: the last stretch follows a gentle ridge above the water, with open views back toward Strandhill before rejoining the promenade near the northern car park.

Practical Information

Visitor Tips

• The ruins and dunes are fully exposed to Atlantic wind and rain; a waterproof layer and sturdy footwear pay off year-round.
• Behind the church is a small sandy beach – known locally as Killaspugbrone or Nuns Beach – that looks straight out at Coney Island.
• Stay on the marked trail through the dunes to protect fragile vegetation and nesting birds, and keep dogs on a short lead near the airport perimeter and in the graveyard.
• Strandhill has good bases for a longer stay – Shells Café and Honestly Farm Kitchen for food, Strandhill Lodge & Suites among the places to sleep. To extend the walking, the Benbulben Forest Walk is a short drive inland.

Come for sunset if you can – the low light over Dúnán Padraig and the Coney Island channel is the shot everyone comes back with. But check the tide first, because Domin’s Strand floods and can cut off the way back.