Malin Head

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Northernmost part of mainland Ireland

title: "Malin Head" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["meteorological-stations", "headlands-of-county-donegal", "extreme-points-of-ireland"] description: "Northernmost part of mainland Ireland" topic_path: "philosophy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malin_Head" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Northernmost part of mainland Ireland ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Malin_Head_(2019).jpg" caption="Looking out into the [[North Atlantic]] from Malin Head"] ::

Malin Head () is the most northerly point of mainland Ireland, located in the townland of Ardmalin on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal. The head's northernmost point is called Dunalderagh at latitude 55.38ºN. It is about 16 km north of the village of Malin. The island of Inishtrahull is further north, about 10 km northeast of the headland. Malin Head gives its name to the Malin sea area. There is a weather station on the head, which is one of 22 such stations whose reports are broadcast as part of the BBC Shipping Forecast. A tower built in 1805 is on Altnadarrow, also known locally as the Tower Hill.

Ptolemy's Geography (2nd century AD) described a point called Βορειον (Boreion, "the northern") which probably referred to Malin Head.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Ballyhillin_Raised_Beach_2014_09_11.jpg" caption="Raised beach of Ballyhillin at Malin Head"] ::

Locality

To the northeast Inistrahull Island can be seen. The first lighthouse on the island was put into operation in 1813, and the light flashes every 30 seconds.

Below Altnadarrow to the east lies Ballyhillion beach, a unique raised beach system of international scientific importance. The very distinct shorelines show the changing relationship between the sea and the land from the time the glaciers began to melt, some 15,000 years ago. At that time County Donegal was depressed by the weight of an immense ice sheet, so the level of the sea, relative to today's shore, was up to 80 feet higher than today.

Scenes from Star Wars: The Last Jedi were filmed in Malin Head.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/MalinHeadNEPano1.jpg" caption="Malin Head panorama looking NE to Tor Beg Rock" alt="Panoramic view from Malin Head looking NE to Tor Beg Rock"] ::

Weather station

Weather reports commenced in Malin Head in 1885. In 1955 a new Meteorological station was built beside the coastguard station by Met Éireann. Hourly data points, which include sunshine, wind, rain etc., are recorded here.

Climate

Malin Head has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen class Cfb). As a result of its exposed coastal location, high winds and storms are a notable presence for much of the year. Summers are typically mild bordering on cool, while winters have cool days and crisp nights. |location = Malin Head WMO ID: 03980; coordinates ; elevation: 22 m; 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1885–present |metric first = Yes, |single line = Yes |Jan record high C = 14.4 |Feb record high C = 15.0 |Mar record high C = 19.0 |Apr record high C = 20.7 |May record high C = 25.1 |Jun record high C = 27.2 |Jul record high C = 27.0 |Aug record high C = 27.1 |Sep record high C = 28.9 |Oct record high C = 22.8 |Nov record high C = 17.6 |Dec record high C = 16.8 |year record high C = 28.9 |Jan high C = 8.1 |Feb high C = 8.1 |Mar high C = 9.3 |Apr high C = 10.8 |May high C = 13.1 |Jun high C = 15.1 |Jul high C = 16.8 |Aug high C = 17.0 |Sep high C = 15.6 |Oct high C = 13.0 |Nov high C = 10.4 |Dec high C = 8.6 |year high C = 12.2 |Jan mean C = 5.9 |Feb mean C = 5.8 |Mar mean C = 6.9 |Apr mean C = 8.3 |May mean C = 10.5 |Jun mean C = 12.7 |Jul mean C = 14.5 |Aug mean C = 14.7 |Sep mean C = 13.3 |Oct mean C = 10.8 |Nov mean C = 8.2 |Dec mean C = 6.4 |year mean C = 9.8 |Jan low C = 3.6 |Feb low C = 3.5 |Mar low C = 4.4 |Apr low C = 5.8 |May low C = 7.8 |Jun low C = 10.3 |Jul low C = 12.1 |Aug low C = 12.3 |Sep low C = 10.9 |Oct low C = 8.5 |Nov low C = 6.1 |Dec low C = 4.2 |year low C = 7.5 |Jan record low C = -6.2 |Feb record low C = -6.7 |Mar record low C = -5.0 |Apr record low C = -3.9 |May record low C = -0.6 |Jun record low C = 2.6 |Jul record low C = 5.6 |Aug record low C = 4.8 |Sep record low C = 2.0 |Oct record low C = 0.0 |Nov record low C = -2.6 |Dec record low C = -5.5 |year record low C = -6.7 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 117.4 |Feb precipitation mm = 84.8 |Mar precipitation mm = 85.9 |Apr precipitation mm = 63.1 |May precipitation mm = 56.9 |Jun precipitation mm = 69.1 |Jul precipitation mm = 76.8 |Aug precipitation mm = 93.2 |Sep precipitation mm = 91.8 |Oct precipitation mm = 118.4 |Nov precipitation mm = 104.5 |Dec precipitation mm = 114.2 |year precipitation mm = 1076.0 |time day = 15:00 LST |Jan humidity = 80.8 |Feb humidity = 77.0 |Mar humidity = 77.1 |Apr humidity = 75.7 |May humidity = 75.7 |Jun humidity = 78.7 |Jul humidity = 80.6 |Aug humidity = 79.8 |Sep humidity = 77.5 |Oct humidity = 77.6 |Nov humidity = 79.7 |Dec humidity = 81.3 |year humidity = 78.5 |unit precipitation days = 1 mm |Jan precipitation days = 18 |Feb precipitation days = 13 |Mar precipitation days = 15 |Apr precipitation days = 12 |May precipitation days = 11 |Jun precipitation days = 11 |Jul precipitation days = 14 |Aug precipitation days = 14 |Sep precipitation days = 14 |Oct precipitation days = 17 |Nov precipitation days = 17 |Dec precipitation days = 16 |year precipitation days = |Jan snow days = 5.1 |Feb snow days = 5.2 |Mar snow days = 3.4 |Apr snow days = 1.6 |May snow days = 0.1 |Jun snow days = 0.0 |Jul snow days = 0.0 |Aug snow days = 0.0 |Sep snow days = 0.0 |Oct snow days = 0.0 |Nov snow days = 1.1 |Dec snow days = 3.8 |year snow days = 20.4 |Jan sun = 38.2 |Feb sun = 63.7 |Mar sun = 93.0 |Apr sun = 152.3 |May sun = 199.4 |Jun sun = 165.6 |Jul sun = 142.1 |Aug sun = 136.5 |Sep sun = 113.0 |Oct sun = 80.3 |Nov sun = 44.2 |Dec sun = 35.1 |year sun = |source 1 = Met Éireann{{cite web | url = https://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/1981-2010/malin.html | title = Malin Head 1981–2010 averages | publisher = Met Éireann | access-date = 27 May 2015}}{{cite web | url = http://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/extreme_maxtemps.pdf | title = Absolute Maximum Air Temperatures for each Month at Selected Stations | publisher = Met Éireann | access-date = 27 May 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304124135/http://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/extreme_maxtemps.pdf | archive-date = 4 March 2016 | url-status = dead | url = http://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/extreme-mintemps.pdf | title = Absolute Minimum Air Temperatures for each Month at Selected Stations | publisher = Met Éireann | access-date = 27 May 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170129063649/http://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/extreme-mintemps.pdf | archive-date = 29 January 2017 | url-status = dead |source 2 = |date= October 2014

Wartime use

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Met-eireann-malin-head.jpg" caption="The [[Met Éireann]] station at Malin Head"] ::

A military watchtower was built on Altnadarrow in 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars. Around 1902, a signal station used by the Marconi Company was built close to the old Napoleonic watchtower. Both of these buildings still stand.

During The Emergency (World War II), the Government of Ireland allowed the British Government to site two radio direction finders on Malin Head. This top-secret operation was mentioned in The Cranborne Report. The RDF equipment was used by Allied naval and air forces to monitor U-boat and aerial activity in the North Atlantic. A detailed history of radio at Malin Head, Marconi Wireless Radio Station: Malin Head from 1902 was published in 2014.

To the north of Altnadarrow and just before Dúnalderagh, a ground marker reading '80 EIRE' can be seen in large letters that were formed from placing stones together to form the letters. This was to signify to overflying planes that they were crossing Irish territory and that Ireland was neutral.

Ornithology

Malin Head is an ideal vantage point from which to view the autumnal movements of seabirds such as gannets, shearwaters, skuas, auks and others, on their southward migration flights. Rarities have included Black-browed Albatross, Feas Petrel and many other rare seabirds have been recorded here. This is also a good vantage point for viewing Basking sharks and the resident pod of Bottle-nosed Dolphins.

Gallery

Image:Malin head4.JPG|Cross at Malin Head Image:Hell's hole.jpg|Hell's hole cavern. Image:Malin head coast.jpg|Malin head coastline looking towards the north. Image:Malin head6.JPG|View of the rugged coast around the Head. Image:Malin head5.JPG| Low tide beneath the cliffs at Malin Head.

References

References

  1. "Malin Head/Cionn Mhálanna". [[Placenames Database of Ireland]].
  2. "Ardmalin/Ard Mhálanna". [[Placenames Database of Ireland]].
  3. "Ireland Geographical Facts, Figures and Physical Extremities". Travel through the Ireland story....
  4. Homer, Peter. ''A Brief History of Malin Head''. Inishowen Maritime Museum & Planetarium. 2014.
  5. (8 February 2019). "Ireland".
  6. "Malin Head". Archives Service, Donegal County Council.
  7. "Star Wars in Ireland".
  8. "Weather observing stations".
  9. Sorcha Pollak, Tim O'Brien. (26 May 2017). "Ireland set for another scorcher as heatwave continues". Irish Times.
  10. Homer, Peter and O'Connor, Finbar, ''Marconi Wireless Radio Station: Malin Head from 1902,'' 2014.
  11. (October 27, 2015). "A sign of history restored in Malin Head". Derry Journal.

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meteorological-stationsheadlands-of-county-donegalextreme-points-of-ireland