'I take my life in my hands': Calls for action at notorious Mayo scenic blackspot

Residents say they are not looking for a quick fix, but a long-term solution that will finally make the stretch of road safe.

By Jack Good Published 19th Jul 2026, 18:00 BST A damaged wall at the bend on the Westport to Louisburgh road at Killadangan. | Mayo News Residents say they are not looking for a quick fix, but a long-term solution that will finally make the stretch of road safe. Sign up to our Mayo Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Mayo Live within your account.

Residents are demanding urgent safety measures at a dangerous bend outside Westport , where a woman's garden wall has been demolished by out-of-control cars four times in five years.

A stretch of road near Westport has become what locals describe as a persistent danger to drivers and pedestrians alike, with at least two accidents recorded at the same corner every year. Margaret McMenamin, whose property sits directly at the bend, says she lives in constant fear every time she steps outside her front gate.

"I take my life in my hands when I have to cross that road," she said.

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McMenamin has watched her garden wall be rebuilt three or four times in the last five years alone, each time after a vehicle failed to negotiate the bend and ploughed through it. Over the years she has dealt with a Spanish insurance company and a French insurance company — both of which paid out on photographic evidence — but the ordeal has taken its toll.

"I've had to deal with a Spanish insurance company and a French insurance company over the years, and they have paid up on photographs, and of course when I've repaired the wall — so it's a hassle," she said. "We need to get the road sorted."

The problem, McMenamin believes, is a combination of road conditions and driver behaviour.

The road is in very good condition and carries heavy traffic, which may encourage drivers to pick up speed coming from the Westport direction — only to be caught off guard by the sharp turn ahead.

"They're coming from Westport too fast — the bend, they don't anticipate it. Or they take the bend, but then I think they think the road is going straight," she said.

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A car overturned on the Westport to Louisburgh road at Killadangan. | Mayo News The scene of the most recent crash was marked by the distinctive leaves of a giant rhubarb plant growing behind the point of impact.

McMenamin has grown increasingly frustrated with what she describes as the local council's sluggish response to the danger. After the most recent crash, she personally visited the council offices to request that damaged traffic signage be replaced — but says no one ever came out.

"I went into the council office the week after that last crash. I told them, get out there and at least replace them. But they never came out," she said.

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The missing signs, she argues, only compound the existing hazard and leave drivers with even less warning of what lies ahead.

In correspondence with The Mayo News, Mayo County Council confirmed that they have replaced the chevrons arrow signs on the bend on the Westport to Louisburgh road at Killadangan a number of weeks after the latest accident.

Local resident Dr Ronan Clancy agrees that the current signage falls short of what is needed. While he acknowledges that warning signs are present, he believes they are positioned too close to the bend to give drivers adequate time to react.

"The signage is reasonable but it starts too near the bend, and obviously too late for some drivers to slow down," Dr Clancy said. "An electric LED slow down/bend warning nearer to Gannons might be more effective, similar to Murrisk village."

Such a system, he argues, would alert drivers to the hazard at a point where they still have time and distance to reduce their speed — potentially preventing the next crash before it happens.

Residents say they are not looking for a quick fix, but a long-term solution that will finally make the stretch of road safe. For now, Margaret McMenamin waits — and watches — from behind her newly rebuilt wall.