Discover Mallaranny: Greenway, heather and coastal scenery

Mallaranny combines varied walking routes with distinctive scenery and special cultural attractions. The Mulranny Loop features heather, the Mulranny causeway and Trawoughter Bay. The Great Western Greenway offers another perspective on the area; arts activities and the Old Irish Goat Visitor Centre add to the nature experiences. This gives you the option of choosing different focuses for your trip rather than reducing the area to a single activity.

Heather, salt marsh and views

The Mulranny Loop leads to Ireland’s only stand of Mediterranean heather. It also runs along Mulranny’s unique causeway through Trawoughter Bay. These features give the circular route its own character: it combines a distinctive plant habitat with the causeway and the bay. The route is of moderate difficulty, 5.5 kilometres long and takes about two and a half hours. When planning your day, take into account both the approximate duration and the stated difficulty.

The surrounding area also includes Mulranny Saltmarsh, one of the largest salt marshes along Clew Bay. It lies behind Mulranny Beach. From the sandy beach southwest of the village of Mulranny, you can look out over the sheltered waters of Clew Bay and the mountains beyond. If you want to include a variety of landscapes in your trip planning, alongside the route through the bay you will find a beach, salt marsh and mountain panorama as distinct attractions.

Exploring on foot or along the Greenway

For a shorter circular walk, a four-kilometre route leads from Mulranny Village towards Mulranny Saltmarsh. Its length clearly distinguishes it from the 5.5-kilometre Mulranny Loop; the two routes also offer different landscape highlights. When planning your day, you can choose between the walk towards the salt marsh and the moderately difficult loop through Trawoughter Bay.

The Great Western Greenway also has a clearly defined section: the Mulranny–Achill route is 13 kilometres long and passes through Rossmurrevagh Machair in the Mulranny area. An official Greenway access point is at Mulranny’s old railway station, behind the Mulranny Park Hotel. The Mulranny Loop also starts at the Mulranny Park Hotel. These specific starting and access points are useful for finding your way; the 13 kilometres refers to the Mulranny–Achill section, not the Mulranny Loop.

Art, history and the Old Irish Goat

Mulranny Arts offers day, weekend and week-long courses, as well as workshops. The different formats let you include art in your itinerary as either a short activity or a longer pursuit. Mulranny Arts is housed in a former Mulranny convent building, constructed around 1904. The former convent building links the cultural offering to a specific historic place.

The Old Irish Goat is another attraction. Mulranny’s goats were identified as some of the last surviving representatives of the old Irish goat type. The Old Irish Goat Visitor Centre includes a visit to the Old Irish Goat, art, history and science exhibitions, a documentary about the conservation project, and a craft shop. The visit thus ranges from the goats themselves to exhibitions and a film, offering a different focus from the routes through the landscape.

Choosing the right place to stay

If you are looking for a holiday rental in Mallaranny, the experiences you want to focus on during your trip can help guide your choice of location. For a stay focused on walking routes and the Greenway, the routes and access points described here are useful guides. If you are more interested in art or the Old Irish Goat Visitor Centre, you can also give these attractions greater weight when planning.

More destinations: The Quay, Islandeady, Knock, Crossmolina, Bellagarvaun, Aghamore, Gweesalia and Hollymount.

For the broader travel overview: County Mayo.