Killala Bay ( ga, Cuan Chill Ala) is a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

on the west coast of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

between

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

and

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local ...

. It is situated between Kilcummin Head to the west and Lenadoon Point to the east. and is the

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

for the

River Moy The River Moy () is a river in the northwest of Ireland. Name Ptolemy's ''Geography'' (2nd century AD) described a river called Λιβνιου (''Libniu'', perhaps from *''lei''- "flow") which probably referred to the River Moy. The Moy is fi ...

. The village of

Killala Killala () is a village in County Mayo in Ireland, north of Ballina. The railway line from Dublin to Ballina once extended to Killala. To the west of Killala is a Townsplots West (known locally as Enagh Beg), which contains a number of ancient ...

is situated at the southwest corner of the bay.

Geography

The bay is on the west coast of

between

and

. It is situated between Kilcummin Head to the west and Lenadoon Point to the east. and is the

for the

. The village of

is situated at the southwest corner of the bay.

Bartragh Island Bartragh Island () is a sandy island and a townland located in Killala Bay, County Mayo, Ireland. Geography The island is around 0.75 square miles (1.9 square kilometres) in area. It's located around a mile from the shore and, with low tide, c ...

is situated in the center of the bay.

Water

The bay is an extension of the estuary of the River Moy, with deep waters of the

continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island ...

close to the shore. The total area is . The bay is about wide and the maximum depth is . The middle of the bay is safe for boats but caution needs to be exercised near the shoreline.

Shore

Kilcummin Head, also known as Benwee Head, is regarded as the start of Killala Bay. As such excludes Lackan Bay and Creevagh Head which lie to the northwest. To the south of the head lies the village of Kilcummin. Counter-clockwise round the bay there is Killala, River Moy, Enniscrone, Pollacheeny Harbour, before Lenadoon Point.

Activities

Killala Bay is an excellent fishing location due to the close proximity of the deep waters of the

, having both deep water rock marks, beach marks, and opportunities to catch deep water species from charter boats. Cockles can be found in the bay due to its sheltered nature. Ross Strand on the bay near Killala village is a Blue Flag beach.

References

Notes

Footnotes

Sources

* * * * * * {{Refend Bays of County Mayo Ramsar sites in the Republic of Ireland