Overview
The Stags rise out of the Atlantic off north Mayo. They are part of the Stags of Broad Haven Special Protection Area (site code 004072), which protects breeding storm petrels and Leach’s storm petrels. Give the stacks and their birds space. For most visitors the honest advice is to look, not land: the Stags are uninhabited, and the best way to see them is from the mainland.
The five stacks
The group is five distinct stacks, each with its own Irish name:
- Teach Dónal Ó Cléirigh – the central stack.
- Teach Mór
- An Teach Beag – cut through by a natural sea tunnel.
- An t-Oighean
- Carraig na Faola – the smallest.
Nearby Kid Island lies further east in the bay but isn’t part of the Stags.
Geology
The stacks are semi-pelitic schist, a hard metamorphic rock that resists erosion and gives the islands their jagged faces – so distinctive that it’s locally called “Stags of Broadhaven Schist.” Atlantic swells have driven the tunnel clean through An Teach Beag and cut sea arches into the others.
Wildlife and conservation
The Stags are a Special Protection Area managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and they hold an important seabird colony, including Leach’s storm petrel and storm petrel. Seabirds breed here through spring and summer, so keep your distance and leave the stacks and their nesting birds undisturbed. Check the NPWS site page for the qualifying species and the current designation.
The surrounding waters of Broadhaven Bay are a Special Area of Conservation and are important for marine mammals and other sea life.
Seeing them from land
For views of the coast, follow the Carrowteige Beach Loop from the village. The marked route combines quiet roads and sandy tracks. Keep dogs on leads and turn back if winds or visibility make the coast unsafe. Bring binoculars and stay back from cliff edges.
Practical information
- Access: the Stags themselves are an offshore protected site. Watch from the marked mainland routes and follow any notices on the day.
- Safety: the coast is fully exposed to Atlantic weather. Check the Met Éireann forecast, stay back from cliff edges and turn back if visibility drops.
Exploring North Mayo
Use Belmullet as a base for accommodation. To the south, Ballycroy National Park has blanket bog and dark-sky viewing. For more coastal drama, Downpatrick Head has a blow-hole, a ruined 16th-century church and the Dún Briste sea stack.