Overview
Murlough Bay lies on the far north-eastern edge of County Antrim, near Fair Head, between that headland and Torr Head. It looks straight out across the water: Rathlin Island in front, and on a clear day the Mull of Kintyre, Islay and Jura on the Scottish coast beyond. The bay is backed by steep slopes and cliffs.
The cliffs are a clean lesson in Antrim geology: basalt capping older sandstone and limestone, in a rugged, multi-toned face. Weathered lime kilns survive on the lower slopes, left from a small industry that worked here before the place went back to being wild.
Planning your visit
Check the published Fair Head and Murlough Bay guide and follow local access signs. Use designated parking only. Stay on marked routes where open, keep well back from cliff edges and leave field gates and private entrances clear.
Come by car; there is no direct public transport. The setting is exposed, the ground can be uneven and slick in wet weather, and Atlantic weather changes fast, so wear sturdy footwear and carry a waterproof and windproof layer. Do not count on shops, cafés or toilets nearby: use the facilities in Ballycastle and pack what you need. Swimming here means cold water and strong currents, and is not advisable unless you are experienced and know the conditions.
History and the Casement memorial
The name comes from the Irish Murlach, simply ‘sea inlet’. Its recorded history reaches back to the early medieval period: according to the 11th-century preface to the Amra Coluim Cille, Saint Columba landed here around 595 AD after sailing from Iona, on his way inland to the Synod of Drumceat.
The bay’s better-known story is a modern and political one. Sir Roger Casement, the Irish nationalist executed by the British government in 1916, asked to be buried on its shores. His remains were eventually interred at Glasnevin in Dublin, but a plain stone plinth stands near the cliff edge, marking where a commemorative cross once stood.
For a different kind of pilgrim, Murlough Bay stood in for Slavers Bay in Game of Thrones, the stretch where Tyrion and Jorah were captured.
Landscape and wildlife
This is an Antrim clifftop bay, not a dune system. Birch, rowan and hazel grow on the sheltered slopes, running down to a rocky shore. Buzzards and peregrine falcons work the cliffs and headlands, while eider ducks and fulmars are regulars along the water. Offshore, grey seals haul out and bottlenose dolphins turn up now and then. It rewards a slow look more than a quick one.
Nearby
Murlough Bay sits just off the Causeway Coastal Route, easy to slot between bigger stops:
- Fair Head: a dramatic headland with high sea cliffs, popular with climbers and walkers.
- Rathlin Island: a short ferry from Ballycastle, a place of seabird colonies and quiet, with an RSPB seabird centre.
- Glens of Antrim: scenic river valleys inland, with waterfalls and villages like Cushendun.
- Ballycastle: the nearest town for cafés, food and beds, and the Ballycastle Museum for local history.