Sailing Inishowen
with Amazing Grace Yacht Charters, Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland.

Malin Head is located on the Inishowen Peninsula, County Donegal, Ireland and is the most northerly point of the island of Ireland. Banba's Crown, about 10 miles north of Malin Town is the most northerly point of the Irish mainland. Banba was one of the mythical queens of Ireland. The island of Inishtrahull is further north, located approximately 10 km (6 mi) north east of Malin Head. Further north still is the most northerly landfall of Ireland, Tor Beg rock.

Above Banba's Crown 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.

Malin Head is home to small businesses such as pubs, restaurants, shops and is the home of Caffe Banba, a popular coffee truck which travels around the area which also has its own café in Carndonagh.

A military watchtower was built at Banba's Crown in 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars. Around 1902, a signal station was also built at Banba's Crown, quite close to the old Napoleonic watchtower. Both of these buildings still stand.

During World War II, the Irish Government allowed the British Government to site two radio direction finders on Malin Head. This top-secret operationwas used to monitor U-Boat and aerial activity in the North Atlantic. After the war, the site became a weather station for the Met Éireann. Today, it is still used as a functioning weather station for the north west part of Ireland.

On a section of land jutting out from the mainland at Banba's Crown, the word 'Éire' 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 passing Ireland and that Ireland was neutral.

In the last few years, Malin Head has become the latest frontier in space! First, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield visited Inishowen, and compared the local scenery of Malin Head to another planet, adding “You don’t even see light this beautiful in space.”

His words must have struck a chord with Hollywood, as more recently, Malin Head came to international attention when it was selected as a location for the eighth 'Star Wars' movie, bringing Hollywood stars to the peninsula. The natural beauty and rugged landscape has also seen Audi and Skoda filming commercials in the area.