A lifetime of Islands: Island 62 - Achill, County Mayo, Ireland

Achill Island is situated between Clew Bay to the south and Blacksod Bay to the north. The interior of the island is heath and bog covered mountain. There are also numerous sandy beaches and mountain lakes. The sea cliffs are said to be the highest in Europe.

Achill has been linked by a road bridge to the mainland since 1887. The first bridge was a swivel one. At the same time the railway line from Westport to Achill Sound was opened. In 2008 the Michael Davitt Bridge was built to replace the 1887 bridge.

Michael Davitt Bridge to Achill Island

Map of Achill Island

Geologically Achill is very old: the bedrock is Pre-Cambrian (over 600 million years old) schist, gneiss and quartzite. There are 3 main mountains on the island - Slievemore at 661 metres, Minawn at 460 metres and Croaghaun at 658 metres. Slievemore and Croaghaun are nunataks (peaks which were not covered by ice during the last ice age) and therefore they are host to relict flora from an earlier age. There are several corrie or cirque lakes on Achill, including Louch Acorrymore, Lough Nakeeroge East and Lough Bunafreeva West

Achill Island has been settled since 5,000 BC. The remains of middens, cooking sites, stone circles, megaliths, Ogham stones, hut sites, cairns and cashels have been found on the island.

The Reverend Edward Nangle arrived on Achill in 1831 to help the poor and to convert the islanders to Protestantism, despite opposition from the Catholic church. Some people felt that he took advantage of the extreme poverty of the islanders. He founded the Achill Mission and bought land from the landowners, who were the O'Donnells. He established a settlement at Dugort, drained land, grew crops and built houses, a school and St Thomas's Church. By 1852 he owned two thirds of the island. He died in 1883.

There is a deserted village on the southern slope of Slievemore. It was abandoned in the second half of the 19th century but the remains of the houses and lazybeds can still be seen. Above the deserted villages there is a track up into the mountain to booley houses. These were inhabited in the summer when livestock was taken up from the lowlands to the mountain pastures. This continued until the 1940s and was the last place in Ireland where transhumance was still practiced.

In the 19th century sportsmen were attracted to Achill for game shooting, especially migratory birds.

Captain Charles Boycott lived on Achill Island for 20 years from 1857. He probably introduced goats to the island. When he moved on to Ballinrobe on the mainland his name was added as to the English language as a verb meaning to shun or ostracize when local tenants refused to work for him due to his harsh treatment and refusal to reduce their rents.

The German author Heinrich Boll lived at Dugort on the north coast from the late 1950s until the 1970s. Several famous artists, including Paul Henry, have also spent time on the island and been inspired by its landscape.

Granuaile's Tower, Kildavnet

A three storey 15th Century tower house - constructed by the Clan O'Malley around 1429 but mainly associated with Grace O'Malley/Granuaile a local pirate queen who lived from around 1530 to 1603.

Kildavnet/Kildownet Old Church

Achill Sound from Kildownet Cemetery

Kirkintilloch Bothy Fire Memorial

On 16th September 1937 ten young men from Achill Island were killed in a fire at a bothy in Kirkintilloch, Scotland. They were working in the area picking potatoes. They were unable to escape because the doors of the bothy were locked from the outside.

St Dymphna's Holy Well, Kildownet

South Coast of Achill Island

I visited Achill Island for a couple of hours in 2004. We only had time to do the spectacular Atlantic Drive on the south east coast. I came back for another longer visit on a sunny afternoon/evening in May 2018. The scenery on the drive from Dooagh to Keem Beach is breathtaking and highly recommended.

Keem Beach

Don Allum Monument at Dooagh

Don Allum was the first person to row across the Atlantic Ocean in both directions. He landed at Dooagh on Achill Island in September 1987, having rowed from St John's in Newfoundland. He was English and was born in 1937. He died in 1992, aged 55.