Dún Briste

I will be writing articles on my interest in technology and nature. As you can see like to take some photos in my spare time.  This will feature dramatic coastal shots from the West Coast of Ireland. Enjoy!

Here is a Photo I took of Dún Briste (Broken Fort, direct English translation) or Downpatrick Head in Béarla.

This striking sea stack lies about 20 km from Killala. It was formed in Ireland during the Carboniferous period, possibly the Mississippian, around 350 million years ago.

You may be wondering how it came to have two names. As with many Irish folklore tales, there are several versions, but here is one of the most well-known.

According to local legend, an ancient and cruel deity known as Crom Dubh—meaning “the dark, crooked one”—once lived in the fort when it was still connected to the mainland. When St. Patrick, who was in the province at the time, heard of Crom Dubh’s misdeeds, he set out to confront him and attempt his conversion to Christianity.

But as Patrick approached, Crom Dubh released his hounds and lit a great fire, intending to throw the saint into it. Patrick, however, tamed the hounds and extinguished the flames. Realising Crom Dubh could not be converted, Patrick struck the ground with his crosier, causing the cliff to break away from the mainland. Crom Dubh was left imprisoned in his fortress, where he soon died.

And so the sea stack carries two names: one from the fort that broke away from the mainland, and the other from St. Patrick’s act of breaking it off.