Overview
Old Head Wood is a 17-hectare oak woodland on a headland above the south shore of Clew Bay, just west of Louisburgh in County Mayo. It’s a national nature reserve, designated in 1984 and protected as a Special Area of Conservation, and it’s managed by the National Parks & Wildlife Service. The reason it matters is not its size, which is modest, but its dampness: the wood sits right in the path of the Atlantic weather, and that constant humidity has made it one of the richest sites for mosses and liverworts in the country.
The mosses are the point
More than a hundred species of moss and liverwort have been recorded here – among them the rare shining sickle moss (Drepanocladus vernicosus) and several kinds of Sphagnum. On the woodland floor you’ll see it plainly: moss over the bark, the stones and the fallen branches, an unbroken green layer that shifts colour as the light comes through the oaks. If you don’t know a liverwort from a lichen it can look like just a wet wood, but this is the bryophyte flora botanists come for, and it’s why the NPWS Western Region is drawing up a ten-year plan to protect the old oak woodland.
Birds and wildlife
The mix of mature canopy and dense understorey, right beside the sea, brings in a good range of birds. You might see tits, warblers, finches and chiffchaffs working the branches, jays caching acorns – which quietly helps the oaks regenerate – and spotted flycatchers in summer. (Earlier versions of this page listed nuthatches and woodpeckers; neither belongs here – the red-breasted nuthatch isn’t an Irish bird at all, and woodpeckers are rare in the west.) The shoreline adds cormorants, shearwaters, waders, gulls and terns, with peregrine falcons over the cliffs. Irish hare turn up in the clearings now and then, and on a calm day you can pick out seals on the rocks or swimming offshore.
Walking it – and one honest warning
These are informal paths, not a managed trail network. The ground is uneven and can be muddy and slippery, there are steep sections and barbed-wire fences, and there is nothing on site – no toilets, no visitor centre, no café. Wear waterproof hiking boots, bring your own water, and skip it if you’re not sure-footed. Dogs are welcome but must be on a lead; no fires or barbecues, and nothing – plant, moss or otherwise – is to be picked or removed. The free car park near the entrance fills up on fine weekends, so come early if you want it quiet.
There’s history in the wood too: a spot known as Leac an Aifrinn, the Mass flag, where Mass was said in secret during the Penal Laws.
Practical information
- Area: 17 hectares
- Status: National Nature Reserve & Special Area of Conservation (designated 1984)
- Managing body: National Parks & Wildlife Service
- Access: Free parking near the entrance off the R335; busy on fine weekends
- Admission: Free
- Opening hours: Open year-round, dawn to dusk
- Facilities: None on site – no toilets or visitor centre; bring water and supplies
- Website: NPWS – Old Head Wood Nature Reserve
- Coordinates: 53.776° N, 9.778° W
Getting there & nearby
The reserve is just west of Louisburgh on the R335; follow the coastal signs toward the Old Head peninsula and you’ll reach the small car park at the entrance. Public transport along this stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way is thin, so a car is the practical way in. The nearest towns are Westport, about 45 km north, and Castlebar, about 55 km east.
Right beside the wood, Old Head beach is a popular spot for surfers and windsurfers, and its rock pools open up as the tide falls. Further north lies Ballycroy National Park, with far longer trails and mountain scenery. If you want to pair the wood with the beach, check the tide table first – the lower paths and the shoreline are easiest around mid to low tide.