View of Boyeeghter strand from Rough tidal island

Boyeeghter Strand or Boyeeghter Bay, (Irish: Bá Íochtair) commonly known as The Murder Hole Beach, is a

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

situated on Rosguill, a

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

located on the north coast of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

in the north-west of

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

, the northern

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

in Ireland. The beach lies at the north-eastern end of Rosguill, being located near Melmore Head. It has

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

s, and small

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s. When the tide is in there are two beaches, which merge into one when the tide is out. Rough Island is a small

tidal island A tidal island is a piece of land that is connected to the mainland by a natural or man-made causeway that is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide. Because of the mystique surrounding tidal islands, many of them have been sites of ...

located approximately 15 metres offshore. The beach is not suitable for swimming. The area is undeveloped with no direct road access, and significant traffic issues were reported during August 2020. Prior to 2022, beach access was possible only via a route across private land, and an increase in visitors during 2018 prompted a local landowner to post a notice about access concerns. By April 2022, another local landowner had built a carpark and spent several "months developing a pathway at Melmore .providing access..from a different route".

Etymology

The English name of the beach, Boyeeghter Strand, derives from the Irish ''Trá Bhá Íochtair'' meaning the 'strand of the lower (or northern) bay'. The common name of the beach, Murder Hole Beach, is rumoured to originate from the nineteenth-century, when a young woman reputedly fell from a cliff near the beach. Other reports suggest that the name is derived from how the dangerous currents make swimming perilous.

References

Beaches of County Donegal {{Ireland-geo-stub

Etymology

See also

References