Uggool Beach ( ga, Trá an tOgúl) is a large beach in County Mayo, 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 ...

, located south of the town of

Louisburgh Louisburgh () is a small town on the southwest corner of Clew Bay in County Mayo, Ireland. It is home to Sancta Maria College and the Gráinne O'Malley Interpretive Centre. Transport Road access Louisburgh is located on the R335 regional r ...

. It is situated at the mouth of Killlary Harbour to its south, with Silver Strand to its north,

Mweelrea Mweelrea (; ) at , is the 26th-highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 34th-highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins", Co ...

mountain to its east and the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

ocean to its west. Uggool Beach is bordered by the townlands of Uggool, Doovilra and Mweelin. The Bunanakee River flows across Uggool Beach. The tidal Dooneen Island is on the southern edge of the beach.

Controversy

Uggool Beach is the subject of one of Ireland’s "longest running disputes over a right of way". In 1989, access to Uggool Beach was "effectively closed" by the erection of fencing. This action gave rise to public protests and altercations near Uggool Beach in subsequent years. In 1999, the Ombudsman upheld a complaint and ordered

Mayo County Council Mayo County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Mhaigh Eo) is the authority responsible for local government in County Mayo, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and ...

to act to restore public access to Uggool Beach. In the Office of the Ombudsman Annual Report 1999, the Ombudsman held at page 31 that "The fencing is of such an extensive nature, continuing at certain points on to the foreshore and beach, that it is difficult to see it solely as a means of protection of agricultural land. The conclusion that the fencing was intended to prevent access to the beach is unavoidable - nor did the Council dispute this conclusion." In 2001,

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

uncovered correspondence between Mayo County Council and the Ombudsman stating that the council "has decided to acquire access o Uggool Beachfor the public by means of a Compulsory Purchase Order". In September 2013, at a sitting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions, Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly described the issue as "one of the most intractable issues we ever dealt with". Effective public access to Uggool Beach has not been restored to-date.

References

Beaches of the Republic of Ireland {{Mayo-geo-stub