The stunning Dún Briste (Broken Fort) Sea Stack stands just off Downpatrick Head in Co Mayo. The stack which stands 45m high and 228m from the shore, is crowned by the ruins of an ancient building, said to be a fort. The area on top of the stack measures about 50 metres long and 15 metres across its centre. It is said to have separated from the mainland in 1393 as a result of a great storm and the people were taken from it by means of ships’ ropes.
However, according to local folklore a cruel ancient deity, known as the Crom Dubh (meaning ‘dark crooked one’), lived in the fort when it was attached to the mainland. St Patrick being in the Province and hearing of the Crom Dubh’s misdeeds, set out to pay him a visit and convert him to Christianity. However, when the Saint approached the fort, the Crom Dubh let loose his hounds and lit a great fire with the intention of throwing Patrick into it. St Patrick tamed the hounds of their fierceness and extinguished the fire. Realising he could not convert the Crom Dubh to Christianity, he struck the ground in front of fort with his crosier. This caused that portion of the cliff to separate from the mainland, leaving the Crom Dubh imprisoned in his own fort until he died soon after. . .