Ballina

The town

Béal an Átha translates to “mouth of the ford.” That name sticks to Ballina because the town sits right where the River Moy spills into Killala Bay. It’s in north County Mayo, tucked into the Moy valley and the civil parish of Kilmoremoy. The Ox Mountains rise to the east. The Nephins loom to the west.

The town straddles two baronies. Tirawley covers the west bank of the river. Tireragh, which falls under County Sligo, takes the east side. The 2022 census counted 10,556 people living here. It’s a service centre for the valley, handling the river, the bay, and the mountains on either side.

The stone behind the station

Behind Ballina railway station, on a spot called “Primrose Hill,” stands the Dolmen of the Four Maols. It’s a Bronze Age cist, sometimes dated to about 2,000 BCE. Locals call it the “Table of the Giants.”

The legend is grim. The megalithic tomb is said to hold the “Four Maols.” These were four brothers who murdered Ceallach, a 7th-century bishop of Kilmoremoy. They ended up hanged at Ardnaree. This is the town’s oldest monument. The walk to it starts right behind the station.

The river and the mountains

The geography is straightforward. The River Moy runs out to Killala Bay at the town’s feet. The Ox Mountains stand to the east. The Nephins stand to the west. Ballina acts as the base for the whole of north Mayo.

You can reach Foxford to the south and Killala to the north from here. The walk through town goes from the river to the station, then up to the hill. It’s a practical layout for anyone wanting to see the water in the morning and the peaks in the afternoon.

Practical

Ballina sits at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay. It’s on the N59/N59 junction country. The Dolmen of the Four Maols is on Primrose Hill behind the railway station. The town works as the base for the Moy valley, the bay, and the two mountain ranges. Plan for the river in the morning and the mountains in the afternoon.