Murder Hole Beach

Boyeeghter Strand[1] or Boyeeghter Bay, commonly known as Murder Hole Beach, is a beach situated on the Melmore head peninsula beside Downings in County Donegal, Ireland. It has cliffs, hills, dunes, and small caves. When the tide is in there are two beaches, which merge into one when the tide is out.[2] There is a small tidal island roughly 15 meters from the shore, called Rough Island. The beach is not suitable for swimming.[3][4]

View of Murder Hole Beach from Rough Island, a tidal island

The area is undeveloped with no direct road access,[5] and significant traffic issues reported during August 2020.[6][7] Prior to 2022, beach access was possible only via a route across private land,[4][8][9] and an increase in visitors during 2018 prompted a local landowner to post a notice about access concerns.[10] By April 2022, another local landowner had built a carpark and spent several "months developing a pathway at Melmore [..providing access..] from a different route".[4]

Etymology

The official name of the beach, Boyeeghter Strand, derives from the Irish Trá Bhá Íochtair meaning the strand of the lower (or northern) bay.[1]

The common name of the beach, Murder Hole Beach, is rumoured to originate from the 1800s, when a young woman reputedly fell from a cliff near the beach. Other reports suggest that the name is derived from how the dangerous currents make swimming perilous.[11]

See also

References
  1. "Trá Bhá Íochtair / Boyeeghter Srand". logainm.ie. Irish Placenames Commission. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  2. "Boyeeghter Bay". thewildatlanticway.com. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  3. "Young girl swept out to sea by riptide at Murder Hole Beach, Donegal". extra.ie. Associated Newspapers (Ireland). 26 August 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  4. "Delight As New Public Pathway Opened To Stunning Murder Hole Beach". donegaldaily.com. Donegal Daily. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  5. "WATCH: Murder Hole - Ireland's most mysterious secret beach". Independent.ie. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  6. "Traffic is proving 'Murder' at famous Donegal beach". donegaldaily.com. Donegal Daily. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  7. "Traffic Mayhem at Murder Hole Beach". highlandradio.com. Highland Radio. 5 August 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  8. "Bathers at famous Murder Hole Beach warned they risk bull attack". Independent.ie. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  9. "Locals warn of dangers at the Murder Hole". donegallive.ie. Donegal Live. 12 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  10. "Access to Murder Hole Beach Blocked for Public Safety". donegaldaily.com. Donegal Daily. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  11. "Watch: Donegal's Murder Hole Crowned Ireland's Top Hidden Beach". donegalwoman.ie. Retrieved 25 September 2019.


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