Ballycroy has many things to do and see:
Ballycroy National Park – Visitors Centre. Enjoy a visit to the interpretation area, a nature trail with pond and refreshment in the cafe. The National Park runs an education centre with programmes for visiting primary and secondary schools. They also provide lectures and talk for other interested groups and 3rd level students.
You can also take the ferry to Inishbiggle Island from Doran’s point. There is a daily ferry service. Contact Michael Leneghan 087-1269618/098-45513. There are many smaller roads off the N59 you can cycle or drive around that provide wonderful views of the sea, mountains and bog land.
Ballycroy festival is held in July.
The Owenduff River is an excellent for salmon and sea trout.Deep Sea angling can be accessed at Doran’s point for fishing in Blacksod Bay.
You can enjoy sailing in Ballycroy with the Bellacragher Bay Boat Club.
Ballycroy is an important wintering site for the Greenland White-fronted Goose along with the golden plover and Hen harriers. We also have common sandpipers, woodcock, red grouse, dunlin, skylarks, meadow pipits, ravens, hooded crows and whooper swans. Birds of prey include kestrels and sparrowhawks.
Ballycroy has one of the last intact active blanket bog systems in Ireland and Western Europe. Therefore there are many interesting plants to be found within the bog habitat. These include spaghnum mosses, black bog rush, purple moor grass, bog cotton, deergrass, cross-leaved heath, bell heather, white beaked sedge, bog asphodel, bog myrtle, orchids, lousewort, milkwort, lichens, sundew and butterwort. Rare plants found in the National Park include the ivy leaved bellflower and the marsh saxifrage.Rhododendrons and gorse bushes can be found along many roads and are very pretty when in bloom.
Mammal species such as fox, badger, mountain hare, otter, pygmy shrew, bats, mink, and non-native red deer. There are many varieties of dragonflies and damselflies are found in this area.
History
Fahy Graveyard and church. Ruins of Grace O’Malley castle. The sinking of one of the ships from the Spanish Armada.
Order of Malta Stones in Claggan, Rock House – Claggan, Holy wells.
Inishbiggle church and school in 1870 circa. Both are historical buildings. The church is the first to have both Protestant and Catholic services held in it.
You can catch the ferry to Inishbiggle from Doran’s Point in Ballycroy.
Facts & Figures
Ballycroy has had some famous people holiday here – including Count John McCormack, Gay Byrne, Marian Finnucane, Charles Haughey and Brenda Fricker.
The film “The Ballroom of Romance” was for the most part made here. Brenda Fricker along with Niall Tobian and the late Mick Lally and Cyril Cusack were the leading stars in the film. You can see the old Ballroom of Romance, the dwelling house and have a drink in the local pub (Cleary’s) that was in the film.
Extracted from: mayo.ie