By hamptons.ie research desk · 2 November 2026 · machine-drafted, desk-polished
We keep a running list of places in Co. Mayo worth the detour. This is the Belmullet entry. The practical bits come first.
Béal an Mhuirthead is the Irish name. It means “mouth of the Mullet Peninsula.” Belmullet is a coastal Gaeltacht town on the Mullet Peninsula. It sits in the barony of Erris, County Mayo, Ireland. The population stands at 1,019.
Belmullet is the commercial and cultural heart of the barony of Erris. The wider area holds almost 10,000 people. Language use varies. In the 2016 census, 50% of people in the town could speak Irish. Only 4% spoke it daily outside the education system.
Two bays shape the town. Blacksod Bay is on one side. Broadhaven Bay is on the other. Carter’s Canal runs through the middle, linking them.
Practical. The town is free to visit. Specific sites on the Mullet carry their own arrangements. Confirm current prices before travelling. Best time: may to September for the longest light on the bays. The town works in any settled weather. Evening light on the canal is the best. The town and the bays are open and free. Mullet country is open ground. Check the forecast before the drive out onto the peninsula. Getting there: from Westport, the road runs northwest to Belmullet at the Mullet’s isthmus. The canal and the two bays are in the town centre.
Where to stay. Belmullet (in the town) — The town itself — guesthouses and B&Bs sit at the isthmus, on the canal. Mullet villages (10–25 min by car) — Aughleam, Elly, Corclough and Binghamstown — bay villages, a short drive out.
Nearby, if the day runs long. Achill Island (Achill is Ireland's largest western island, connected to the mainland since 1887.); Ballina (Ballina sits at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, between the Ox and Nephin Mountains.); Clare Island (Clare Island sits at the mouth of Clew Bay in County Mayo.);
Keep it in Saved if the trip is still a while off. The place page will tell you when the practical details have been re-checked.
Checked 19 October 2026. Full details, map and sources: Belmullet on the places pages.