Things To See & Do

The remains of Gweeshadan Castle can be seen atop the hill while standing in Gweeeshadan Graveyard. The opposite side of the castle ruin, which cannot be seen from the trail, is the shape of a great arch. The castle stands 20ft wide inside. The castle is said to have originally been rectangular, however today only the remains of the east and west walls are standing connected by the remains of the roof. Gweeshadan castle was a Burke castle, and in 1574, it was occupied by Riocard an Iarainn, legendarily known as Iron Dick. He was the husband of the famous pirate queen Grainne Uaille (Grace O Malley) and the father of Tiobald na loinge, who was shot by his own brother in law and now buried in Ballintubber Abbey.

Doonamona Castle was built originally by the Normans as an Irish Tower House. When it was actually built, it was called the ‘’10 pound castle because of a grant of 10 pounds was given to build it. In the early 15th century, it was occupied by the O’Kellys of Uimaine for a short while, before being sold back to the Bourkes In 1574. Doonamona was owned by the De Burgos family, better known as the Bourkes. The castle remained in the control of Bourkes until it was taken over by Bingham who was known at the time as the Black Tyrant of Connaught.   Doonamona castle was famous for being the place where the Indenture of Mayo was signed in 1586, after a majority of chieftains submitted to Bingham’s authority.

Sifnificant Neolithic Art Carvings Consisting of Cup and Ringmarks At Boheh, on the eastern approach to Croagh Patrick, ‘cup and ring’ marks cover the large natural outcrop of rock.  It is known locally as St. Patrick’s Chair, but also the Boheh Stone. The Boheh Stone is almost totally covered in carvings, consisting primarily of cupmarks, many enclosed by one or more circles. There are also several unusual patterns known as keyhole motifs.  This style of art dates to the late Bronze Age. In 1991 local historian, Gerry Bracken, discovered a unique event called ‘The Rolling Sun’.  When standing at the rock, the sun appears to set on the summit of Croagh Patrick and then proceeds to roll down the right hand slope of the mountain.  This event occurs on the Spring and Autumn Equinox.August 24th is St. Bartholomew’s Day, traditionally the first day of autumn and an important date for cereal production. It is believed April 18th had similar relevance in prehistoric times. The dates may have been used to celebrate the sowing and harvest seasons.

The trail goes through historic Brackloon Wood, this is a typical Atlantic oak woodland of 74 hectares dominated by sessile oak.. It represents one of the last remaining areas of Atlantic Oakwood in Ireland and is of significant national and international importance. Many stories about caves, hidden treasure and ancient monuments are told about the wood. King Conor MacNeasa and the Red Branch Knights are reputed to have ridden along the secluded road winding its way through the hills and woods to the coast. In 1998 there was extensive research carried out in the Brackloon area to identify distinctive stages in vegetation development since the last ice age. According to fossil pollen at Brackloon Lough, tall shrub and open woodland of birch and willow were flourishing from 9, 000 BC. From 7,000 BC to 4,500BC, the expansion of deciduous woodland such as hazel, elm, oak and birch became very prevalent. It was not until 1,200BC that human interference is suggested due to the decline in elm, oak and alder. This also coincides with an increase in human activity in the greater Clew Bay area. The dominance of this natural woodland over several thousand years suggests there were small population numbers in the […]