View source for Achill Island

{{Short description|Island in County Mayo, Ireland}}
{{redirect|Achill|the village on the island of Canna, Scotland|A'Chill}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox islands
| name             = Achill
| image_name       = Achillsatmap.jpg 
| image_caption    = [[Topography]] of Achill
| image_map        = Achill Island - County Mayo.svg
| pushpin_map      = island of Ireland
| pushpin_relief   = yes
| coordinates      = {{coord|53.964|-10.003|display=it}}
| native_name      = Acaill, Oileán Acla
| native_name_link = 
| nickname         = 
| location         = Atlantic Ocean
| archipelago      = Achill
| total_islands    = 3 (Achill, Innisbiggle and Achillbeg islands)
| major_islands    = Achill
| coastline_km     = 128
| highest_mount    = [[Croaghaun]]
| elevation_m      = 688
| area_acre        = 36572 
| country          = Ireland
| country_admin_divisions_title     = [[Provinces of Ireland|Province]]
| country_admin_divisions           = [[Connacht]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1   = [[Counties of Ireland|County]]
| country_admin_divisions_1         = [[County Mayo|Mayo]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_2   = [[Barony (Ireland)|Barony]]
| country_admin_divisions_2         = [[Burrishoole]]
| population       = 2,345
| population_as_of = 2022 
| population_footnotes =<ref name="Central Statistics Office">{{cite report |title=Population of Inhabited Islands Off the Coast|publisher=Central Statistics Office|date=2023 |access-date=29 June 2023|url=https://data.cso.ie/table/F1019}}</ref>
| density_km2      = 17.3
| additional_info  = Ireland's largest island
}}

'''Achill Island''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|k|əl}}; {{langx|ga|Acaill, Oileán Acla}}) is located off the west coast of Ireland in the [[barony (Ireland)|historical barony]] of [[Burrishoole]], County Mayo. It is the largest of the [[Irish isles]] and has an area of approximately {{convert|148|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. Achill had a population of 2,345 in the 2022 census.<ref name="Central Statistics Office"/> The island, which has been connected to the mainland by a bridge since 1887, is served by [[Michael Davitt Bridge]], between the villages of [[Achill Sound]] and [[Polranny]]. Other centres of population include the villages of [[Keel, County Mayo|Keel]], [[Dooagh]], [[Dooega]], [[Dooniver]], and [[Dugort]]. There are a number of [[peat bog]]s on the island.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Natural World – Achill Tourism |url=https://achilltourism.com/experience-achill/the-natural-world/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517225729/https://achilltourism.com/experience-achill/the-natural-world/ |archive-date=2024-05-17 |access-date=2024-05-17 |website=achilltourism.com | publisher = Achill Tourism}}</ref>

Roughly half of the island, including the villages of Achill Sound and [[Bun an Churraigh]], are in the [[Gaeltacht]] (traditional Irish-speaking region) of Ireland,<ref>{{cite web|title=Gaeltacht Boundaries Generalised to 50m|url=https://census2016.geohive.ie/datasets/b7ff1553e4b64799a88d82da5106efc8_1|access-date=2020-11-21|website=census2016.geohive.ie|language=en-gb|archive-date=7 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407123550/https://census2016.geohive.ie/datasets/b7ff1553e4b64799a88d82da5106efc8_1|url-status=dead}}</ref> although the vast majority of the island's population speaks English as their daily language.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

The island is within a [[civil parishes in Ireland|civil parish]], also called Achill, that includes [[Achillbeg]], [[Inishbiggle]] and the [[Corraun Peninsula]].
[[File:Elizabeth Thompson our-escort-into-glenaragh.jpg|thumbnail|''Our Escort into Glenaragh'', from the sketch book and diary of [[Elizabeth Thompson]]]]

==History==
It is believed that at the end of the [[Neolithic Period]] (around 4000 BC), Achill had a population of 500–1,000 people. The island was mostly forest until the Neolithic people began [[agriculture|crop cultivation]]. Settlement increased during the [[Iron Age]], and the dispersal of small [[promontory fort]]s around the coast indicates the warlike nature of the times. [[Megalithic tomb]]s and forts can be seen at Slievemore, along the Atlantic Drive and on [[Achillbeg]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Achill Island: Archeology, History, Folklore|last=McDonald|first=Theresa|publisher=I.A.S. Publications|year=2006|isbn=0951997416|location=Tullamore, Co. Offaly, Ireland|pages=1–6}}</ref>

===Overlords===
Achill Island lies in the [[barony (Ireland)|historical barony]] of [[Burrishoole]], in the territory of ancient [[Umaill|Umhall]] (Umhall Uactarach and Umhall Ioctarach), that originally encompassed an area extending from the [[County Galway]]/Mayo border to Achill Head.

The hereditary chieftains of Umhall were the O'Malleys, recorded in the area in 814 AD when they successfully repelled an incursion by Viking attackers in [[Clew Bay]]. The [[Anglo-Normans|Anglo-Norman]] invasion of [[Connacht]] in 1235 AD saw the territory of Umhall taken over by the Butlers and later by the de Burgos. The Butler Lordship of Burrishoole continued into the late 14th century when Thomas le Botiller was recorded as being in possession of Akkyll and Owyll.<ref name=":0" />

===Immigration===
In the 17th and 18th centuries, there was migration to Achill from other parts of Ireland, including from [[Ulster]], due to the political and religious turmoil of the time. For a period, there were two different [[dialect]]s of Irish being spoken on Achill. This led to several townlands being recorded as having two names during the 1824 [[Ordnance Survey]], and some maps today give different names for the same place. Achill Irish has been described as having an [[Ulster Irish]] [[superstratum]] on top of a northern [[Connacht Irish]] substratum.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Irish of Achill, Co. Mayo |first=Gerard |last=Stockman |series=Studies in Irish Language and Literature, Department of Celtic, Q.U.B. |volume=2 |publisher=Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast |year=1974 |chapter=Preface |page=II}}</ref> In the 19th and early 20th centuries, seasonal migration of farm workers to [[East Lothian]] to pick potatoes took place; these groups of 'tattie howkers' were known as Achill workers, although not all were from Achill, and were organised for potato merchants by gaffers or gangers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Holmes |first=Heather |title='As good as a holiday': Potato harvesting in the Lothians from 1870 to the present |publisher=Tuckwell |year=2000 |isbn= |location=East Linton, East Lothian |pages=185–219}}</ref> Groups travelled from farm to farm to harvest the crop and were allocated basic accommodation. On 15 September 1937, ten young migrant potato pickers from Achill died in a fire at [[Kirkintilloch]] in Scotland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Kirkintilloch Tragedy, 1937 – The Irish Story |url=https://www.theirishstory.com/2012/09/24/the-kirkintilloch-tragedy-1937/#.Y-5FOnbP2M8 |access-date=2023-02-16 |language=en-GB |archive-date=16 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216150511/https://www.theirishstory.com/2012/09/24/the-kirkintilloch-tragedy-1937/#.Y-5FOnbP2M8 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kirkintilloch Disaster |url=https://www.rte.ie//archives/category/disasters/2017/0917/902699-kirkintilloch-disaster/ |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=RTÉ Archives |language=en |archive-date=16 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216150510/https://www.rte.ie/archives/category/disasters/2017/0917/902699-kirkintilloch-disaster/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Achill was connected to the mainland by [[Michael Davitt Bridge]], a bridge connecting [[Achill Sound]] and [[Polranny]], in 1887.

===Specific historical sites and events===
====Grace O'Malley's Castle====
[[Carrickkildavnet Castle]] is a 15th-century tower house associated with the O'Malley Clan, who were once a ruling family of Achill. [[Grace O' Malley]], or Granuaile, the most famous of the O'Malleys, was born on [[Clare Island]] around 1530.<ref name="piratequeen">{{cite news |last=Lynch |first=Peter |url= http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20160615-the-pirate-queen-of-county-mayo |title=The Pirate Queen of County Mayo |publisher=BBC |date=2016-06-20 |access-date=2017-02-02}}</ref> Her father was the chieftain of the barony of [[Murrisk]]. The O'Malleys were a powerful seafaring family, who traded widely. Grace became a fearless leader and gained fame as a sea captain and pirate. She is reputed to have met [[Queen Elizabeth I]] in 1593. She died around 1603 and is buried in the O'Malley family tomb on Clare Island.

====Achill Mission====
[[File:The Colony, Achill (21330853923).jpg|thumbnail|left|View of the "Colony", prior to 1900]]
The Achill Mission, also known as 'the Colony' at [[Dugort]], was founded in 1831 by the Anglican ([[Church of Ireland]]) Rev [[Edward Nangle]]. The mission included schools, cottages, an orphanage, an infirmary and a guesthouse.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Dugort, Achill Island 1831–1861|last=Ni Ghiobuin|first=Mealla C|publisher=Irish Academic Press|year=2001|isbn=0716527405|location=Dublin|pages=7–21}}</ref>

The Colony gave rise to mixed assessments, particularly during the Great Famine when charges of "[[souperism]]" were leveled against Nangle.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Great Irish Famine: Impact, Ideology and Rebellion|url=https://archive.org/details/greatirishfamine00kine|url-access=limited|last=Kinealy|first=Christine|publisher=Palgrave|year=2002|isbn=9780333677735|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/greatirishfamine00kine/page/n172 160]–166}}</ref> The provision of food across the Achill Mission schools - which also provided 'scriptural' religious instruction - was particularly controversial.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Byrne|first=Patricia|date=January 2022|title=God's Scourge on a Sinful Nation: The Great Famine from an Achill Mission Perspective|journal=Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society|volume=73|pages=29–30}}</ref>

For almost forty years, Nangle edited a newspaper called the ''[[Achill Missionary Herald and Western Witness]]'', which was printed in Achill. He expanded his mission into Mweelin, Kilgeever, West Achill where a school, church, rectory, cottages and a training school were built. Edward's wife, Eliza, suffered poor health in Achill and died in 1852; she is buried with six of the Nangle children on the slopes of Slievemore in North Achill.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/a-controversial-mission-1.1521276|title=A controversial Mission|last=Byrne|first=Patricia|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|date=25 February 2020|archive-date=28 May 2022|access-date=25 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528014131/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/a-controversial-mission-1.1521276|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1848, at the height of the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]], the Achill Mission published a prospectus seeking to raise funds for the acquisition of significant additional lands from Sir Richard O'Donnell. The document gives an overview, from the Mission's perspective, of its activities in Achill over the previous decade and a half including considerable sectarian unrest.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Byrne |first=Patricia |date=2022 |title=Evangelical Mission Pivots to Landlord in Famine Achill |url=https://www.historyireland.ie |journal=History Ireland |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=28–31 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In 1851, Edward Nangle confirmed the purchase of the land which made the Achill Mission the largest landowner on the island.

The Achill Mission began to decline slowly after Nangle was moved from Achill and it closed in the 1880s. When Edward Nangle died in 1883 there were opposing views on his legacy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theirishstory.com/2013/09/09/weapons-of-his-own-forging-edward-nangle-controversial-in-life-and-in-death/|title=Weapons of his own forging: Edward nangle, Controversial in Life and in Death|last=Byrne|first=Patricia|website=The Irish Story|access-date=10 February 2020|archive-date=2 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002023740/http://www.theirishstory.com/2013/09/09/weapons-of-his-own-forging-edward-nangle-controversial-in-life-and-in-death/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Railway====
In 1894, the Westport – Newport railway line was extended to Achill Sound. The railway station is now a hostel. The train provided a great service to Achill, but it also is said to have fulfilled an ancient prophecy. [[Brian Rua U'Cearbhain|Brian Rua O' Cearbhain]] had prophesied that 'carts on iron wheels' would carry bodies into Achill on their first and last journey. In 1894, the first train on the Achill railway carried the bodies of victims of the Clew Bay Drowning. This tragedy occurred when a boat overturned in Clew Bay, drowning thirty-two young people. They had been going to meet the steamer SS ''Elm''<ref>{{cite web |title=32 Achill People Drowned at Westport Quay |url=https://achilltourism.com/experience-achill/history/clew-bay-drownings-1894/ |website=achilltourism.com |access-date=15 October 2024 |archive-date=20 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240720025050/https://achilltourism.com/experience-achill/history/clew-bay-drownings-1894/ |url-status=live }}</ref> which would take them to Britain for potato picking.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Byrne|first=Patricia|title=The Veiled Woman of Achill|publisher=The Collins Press|year=2012|isbn=9781848891470|location=Cork|pages=6–15}}</ref>

The Kirkintilloch Fire in 1937 almost fulfilled the second part of the prophecy when the bodies of ten victims were carried by rail to Achill. While it was not literally the last train, the railway closed just two weeks later. These people had died in a fire in a [[bothy]] in [[Kirkintilloch]]. This term referred to the temporary accommodation provided for those who went to Scotland to pick potatoes, a migratory pattern that had been established in the early nineteenth century.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Coughlan|first=Brian|title=Achill Island, tattie hokers in Scotland and the Kirkintilloch tragedy 1937|publisher=Four Courts Press|year=2006|isbn=9781846820038|location=Dublin}}</ref>
[[File:Memorial for the victims of the Clew Bay Drowning on 15 June 1894 at Kildavenet Graveyard, Achill Island.jpg|thumb|Memorial for the victims of the Clew Bay Drowning on 15 June 1894 at Kildavenet Graveyard]]

====Kildamhnait====
Kildamhnait on the south-east coast of Achill is named after St. Damhnait, or [[Dymphna]], who founded a church there in the 7th century.<ref>{{cite news |date=17 June 2002 |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irishman-s-diary-1.1060876 |title=An Irishman's Diary |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |issn=0791-5144 |location=Dublin |language=en-ie |access-date=8 February 2022}}</ref> There is also a holy well just outside the graveyard. The present church was built in the 1700s and the graveyard contains memorials to the victims of two of Achill's greatest tragedies, the Kirchintilloch Fire (1937) and the Clew Bay Drowning (1894).

====The Monastery====
In 1852, [[John MacHale]], Roman Catholic Archbishop of Tuam, purchased land in [[Bunnacurry]], on which a Franciscan Monastery was established, which, for many years, provided an education for local children. The building of the monastery was marked by a conflict between the Protestants of the mission colony and the workers building the monastery. The dispute is known in the island folklore as the ''Battle of the Stones''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Joyce|first=P.J.|url=https://archive.org/details/forgottenpartofi00joycrich|title=A Forgotten Part of Ireland|year=1910|publisher=none|location=Tuam, Ireland|pages=[https://archive.org/details/forgottenpartofi00joycrich/page/148 148]}}</ref>

A monk who lived at the monastery for almost thirty years was Paul Carney. He wrote a biography of James Lynchehaun who was convicted for the 1894 attack on an Englishwoman named Agnes MacDonnell, which left her face disfigured, and the burning of her home, Valley House, Tonatanvally, North Achill. The home was rebuilt and MacDonnell died there in 1923, while Lynchehaun escaped to the US after serving 7 years and successfully resisted extradition but spent his last years in Scotland, where he died. Carney's great-grandniece, Patricia Byrne, wrote her own account of Mrs MacDonnell and Lynchehaun, entitled ''The Veiled Woman of Achill''.<ref>[https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/assault-on-achill-1.515399 "Assault on Achill"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027183556/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/assault-on-achill-1.515399 |date=27 October 2022 }}, irishtimes.com. Accessed 27 October 2022.</ref>

Carney also wrote accounts of his lengthy fundraising trips across the U.S. at the start of the 20th century.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Byrne|first=Patricia|year=2009|title=Teller of Tales: An Insight into the Life and Times of Brother Paul Carney (1844–1928), Travelling 'Quester' and Chronicler of the Life of James Lynchehaun, nineteenth-century Achill Criminal.|url=https://tbreen.home.xs4all.nl/Journals/Galway.html|journal=Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society|volume=61|pages=156–169|access-date=9 March 2020|archive-date=21 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121204240/https://tbreen.home.xs4all.nl/Journals/Galway.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ruins of this monastery are still to be seen in Bunnacurry today.

====Valley House====
The historic Valley House is in [[Tóin an tSeanbhaile|Tonatanvally]], "The Valley", near [[Dugort]], in the northeast of Achill Island. The present building sits on the site of a hunting lodge built by the Earl of Cavan in the 19th century. Its notoriety arises from an incident in 1894 in which the then owner, an Englishwoman, Agnes McDonnell, was savagely beaten and the house set alight by a local man, James Lynchehaun. Lynchehaun had been employed by McDonnell as her land agent, but the two fell out and he was sacked and told to quit his accommodation on her estate. A lengthy legal battle ensued, with Lynchehaun refusing to leave. At the time, the issue of land ownership in Ireland was politically charged. After the events at the Valley House in 1895, Lynchehaun falsely claimed his actions were carried out on behalf of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. He escaped from custody after serving seven years<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theirishstory.com/2011/01/05/today-in-irish-history-caught-fugitive-criminal-lynchehaun-arrested-5-january-1895/|title=Today In Irish History – Caught! Fugitive Criminal Lynchehaun Arrested, 5 January 1895|last=Byrne|first=Patricia|access-date=10 February 2020|archive-date=24 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224220517/https://www.theirishstory.com/2011/01/05/today-in-irish-history-caught-fugitive-criminal-lynchehaun-arrested-5-january-1895/|url-status=live}}</ref> and fled to the United States seeking political asylum (although [[Michael Davitt]] refused to shake his hand, calling Lynchehaun a "murderer"), where he successfully defeated legal attempts by the British authorities to have him extradited to face charges arising from the attack and the burning of the Valley House. McDonnell suffered severe injuries from the attack but survived and lived for another 23 years, dying in 1923. Lynchehaun is said to have returned to Achill on two occasions, once in disguise as an American tourist, and died in Girvan, Scotland, in 1937. The Valley House is now a hostel and bar.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Veiled Woman of Achill: Island Outrage and A Playboy Drama|last=Byrne|first=Patricia|publisher=The Collins Press|year=2012|isbn=9781848891470|location=Cork, Ireland}}</ref>
[[File:Deserted village - Achill.jpg|thumb|View of the deserted village from beside the ruins of one of the houses]]
[[File:Inside deserted house - Achill.jpg|thumb|Inside the ruins of one of the houses at the deserted village]]

====Deserted Village====
Close to Dugort, at the base of [[Slievemore]] mountain lies the Deserted Village. There are between 80 and 100 ruined houses in the village.<ref name="meehan2004p636">{{cite book |last=Meehan |first=Cary |date=2004 |title=Sacred Ireland |url= |location=Somerset |publisher=Gothic Image Publications |page=636|isbn=0-906362-43-1 |access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://achilltourism.com/experience-achill/places-of-interest/deserted-village-achill-island-co-mayo-ireland/ | website = achilltourism.com | title = Deserted Village | accessdate = 3 May 2025 }}</ref> The houses were built of unmortared stone. Each house consisted of just one room. In the area surrounding the Deserted Village, including on the mountain slopes, there is evidence of '[[lazy beds]]' in which crops like potatoes were grown. In Achill, as in other areas of Ireland, a '[[rundale]]' system was used for farming. This meant that the land around a village was rented from a landlord. This land was then shared by all the villagers to graze their cattle and sheep. Each family would then have two or three small pieces of land scattered about the village, which they used to grow crops. For many years people lived in the village and then in 1845 famine struck in Achill as it did in the rest of Ireland. Most of the families moved to the nearby village of Dooagh, which is beside the sea, while others emigrated. Living beside the sea meant that fish and shellfish could be used for food. The village was completely abandoned and is now known as the 'Deserted Village'.<ref name="meehan2004p636"/>

While abandoned, the families that moved to Dooagh (and their descendants) continued to use the village as a 'booley village'.<ref>[http://www.achill247.com/pictures/slievemore-7.html ''Deserted village, Slievemore, Achill Island'', achill247.com] Retrieved on 17 February 2008.</ref> This means that during the summer season, the younger members of the family, teenage boys and girls, would take the livestock to the area and [[Transhumance|tend flocks or herds]] on the hillside and stay in the houses of the Deserted Village.  They would then return to Dooagh in the autumn. This custom continued until the 1940s. Boolying was also carried out in other areas of Achill, including Annagh on Croaghaun mountain and in Curraun. At Ailt, Kildownet, the remains of a similar deserted village can be found. This village was deserted in 1855 when the tenants were evicted by the local landlord so the land could be used for cattle grazing; the tenants were forced to rent holdings in Currane, Dooega and Slievemore. Others emigrated to America.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

===Archaeology===
[[File:Desert Village sullo Slievemore, Achill Island.jpg|thumb|The "Deserted Village" at the foot of [[Slievemore]] was a 'booley' village (see [[transhumance]]).]]
In 2009, a summer field school excavated Round House 2 on Slievemore Mountain under the direction of archaeologist Stuart Rathbone. Only the outside north wall, entrance way and inside of the Round House were completely excavated.<ref>Amanda Burt, member of Achill Field School, Summer 2009.</ref>

From 2004 to 2006, the Achill Island Maritime Archaeology Project directed by [[Chuck Meide]] was sponsored by the [[College of William and Mary]], the Institute of Maritime History, the Achill Folklife Centre (now the Achill Archaeology Centre), and the [[St. Augustine Light|Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP)]]. This project focused on the documentation of archaeological resources related to Achill's rich maritime heritage.  Maritime archaeologists recorded a 19th-century fishing station, an ice house, boat house ruins, a number of anchors which had been salvaged from the sea, 19th-century and more recent [[currach]] pens, a number of traditional vernacular watercraft including a possibly 100-year-old Achill yawl, and the remains of four historic shipwrecks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.maritimehistory.org/content/achill-island-maritime-archaeology-project |title=Achill Island Maritime Archaeology Project &#124; Institute of Maritime History |publisher=Maritimehistory.org |date=20 February 2012 |access-date=20 March 2012 |archive-date=19 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719185233/http://www.maritimehistory.org/content/achill-island-maritime-archaeology-project |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Meide, Chuck and Kathryn Sikes (2014) Manipulating the Maritime Cultural Landscape: Vernacular Boats and Economic Relations on Nineteenth-Century Achill Island, Ireland. Journal of Maritime History 9(1):115–141 |date=18 June 2014 |doi=10.1007/s11457-013-9123-3 |volume=9 |journal=Journal of Maritime Archaeology |pages=115–141 |author=Meide Chuck|s2cid=161863374 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Other places of interest==
{{More citations needed|section|date=December 2022}}
[[File:KeemBayAchillJune.JPG|thumb|[[Keem Bay]]]]
[[File:Croaghaun cliff.jpg|thumb|[[Croaghaun]], the third highest sea cliff in Europe]]
[[File:Slievemore.jpg|thumb|[[Slievemore]] mountain dominates the centre of the island]]
[[File:Caisleán ghráinne.jpg|thumb|[[Caisleán Ghráinne]], also known as Kildownet Castle]]
The cliffs of [[Croaghaun]] on the western end of the island are the third highest sea cliffs in Europe but are inaccessible by road. Near the westernmost point of Achill, Achill Head, is [[Keem Bay]]. Keel Beach is visited by tourists and used as a [[surfing]] location.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} South of Keem beach is Moytoge Head, which with its rounded appearance drops dramatically down to the ocean. An old British observation post, built during [[World War I]] to prevent the [[Germany|Germans]] from landing arms for the [[Irish Republican Army (1917–22)|Irish Republican Army]], still stands on Moytoge. During [[The Emergency (Ireland)|the Emergency (WWII)]], this post was rebuilt by the Irish Defence Forces as a lookout post for the Coast Watching Service wing of the Defence Forces. It operated from 1939 to 1945.<ref>See Michael Kennedy, ''Guarding Neutral Ireland'' (Dublin, 2008), p. 50</ref>

The mountain of [[Slievemore]], (672&nbsp;m) rises dramatically in the north of the island. On its slops is an [[abandoned village]], the "Deserted Village". West of this ruined village is an old [[Martello tower]], again built by the British to warn of any possible French invasion during the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. The area also has an approximately 5000-year-old [[Neolithic tomb]].

[[Achillbeg]] (''{{lang|ga|Acaill Beag}}'', ''Little Achill'') is a small island just off Achill's southern tip. Its inhabitants were resettled on Achill in the 1960s.<ref>Jonathan Beaumont (2005), ''Achillbeg: The Life of an Island''; {{ISBN|0-85361-631-0}}</ref> A plaque to the boxer [[Johnny Kilbane]] is situated on Achillbeg and was erected to celebrate 100 years since his first championship win.<ref>{{cite news |last=McNulty |first=Anton |date=12 June 2012 |title=Statue of former boxing champion unveiled |url=https://www.mayonews.ie/news/home/1095104/statue-of-former-boxing-champion-unveiled.html |work=The Mayo News |location=Westport, Ireland |access-date=15 October 2024 |archive-date=5 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205094731/https://www.mayonews.ie/news/home/1095104/statue-of-former-boxing-champion-unveiled.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Caisleán Ghráinne]], also known as Kildownet Castle, is a small tower house built in the early 1400s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mythandlegends.net/newirelcastle1.html|title=Irish Castles-Grace O'Malley|website=mythandlegends.net|access-date=13 June 2016|archive-date=5 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105134327/http://www.mythandlegends.net/newirelcastle1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It is located in Cloughmore, on the south of Achill Island. It is noted for its associations with [[Grace O'Malley]], along with the larger [[Rockfleet Castle]] in Newport.

==Economy and tourism==
While a number of attempts at setting up small industrial units on the island have been made, its economy is largely dependent on tourism. Subventions from Achill people working abroad allowed a number of families to remain living in Achill throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} In the past, fishing was a significant activity but this aspect of the economy has since reduced. At one stage, the island was known for its shark fishing, and [[basking shark]] in particular was fished for its valuable [[shark liver oil]].

During the 1960s and 1970s, there was growth in tourism. The largest employers on Achill include its two hotels.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irelandbyways.com/top-irish-peninsulas/the-west/the-western-isles/achill-island-co-mayo/ |title=Achill Island (Co. Mayo) |publisher=Irelandbyways.com |access-date=20 March 2012 |archive-date=15 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415235127/http://www.irelandbyways.com/top-irish-peninsulas/the-west/the-western-isles/achill-island-co-mayo/ |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> The island has several bars, cafes and restaurants. The island's [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] location means that seafood, including [[Homarus gammarus|lobster]], [[mussel]]s, [[salmon]], [[trout]] and [[Common periwinkle|winkles]], are common. Lamb and beef are also popular.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gotoireland.today/achill-island.html |title=Achill Island |website=gotoireland.today |access-date=28 June 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325060641/http://www.gotoireland.today/achill-island.html |archive-date=25 March 2020 }}</ref>

==Religion==
Most people on Achill are either [[Roman Catholic]] or Anglican ([[Church of Ireland]]).{{fact|date=October 2024}} 

Catholic churches on the island include: [[Bunnacurry]] Church ([[Saint Joseph]]s), [[Tóin an tSeanbhaile|The Valley]] Church (only open for certain events), [[Pollagh (Achill)|Pollagh]] Church, [[Dooega]] Church and [[Achill Sound]] Church.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

There is a Church of Ireland church (St. Thomas's church) at [[Dugort]].{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

The [[House of Prayer, Achill|House of Prayer]], a controversial "religious retreat" on the island,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20349394.html | title=House of Prayer returns to profit as donations increase | date=21 August 2015 | access-date=18 October 2024 | archive-date=5 December 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205104114/https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20349394.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30824349.html | title=Mayo religious retreat accused of 'spiritual injury' by relatives of elderly man | date=23 January 2018 | access-date=18 October 2024 | archive-date=5 December 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205094205/https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30824349.html | url-status=live }}</ref> was established in 1993.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/high-court/man-under-spiritual-dominance-when-he-donated-200-000-to-house-of-prayer-court-told-1.3365731 | title=Man under 'spiritual dominance' when he donated €200,000 to House of Prayer, court told | newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] | archive-date=5 December 2024 | access-date=18 October 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205093308/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/high-court/man-under-spiritual-dominance-when-he-donated-200-000-to-house-of-prayer-court-told-1.3365731 | url-status=live }}</ref>

== Artists ==
For almost two centuries, a number of artists have had a close relationship with Achill Island, including the [[Landscape painting|landscape painter]] [[Paul Henry (painter)|Paul Henry]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Tourism|first=Achill|date=7 September 2021|title=Artists Inspired by Achill|url=http://www.achill247.com/artists/paulhenry3.html|url-status=live|website=Achill Tourism|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020111233139/http://www.achill247.com/artists/paulhenry3.html|archive-date=11 January 2002|access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref> Within the emerging Irish Free State, Paul Henry's landscapes from Achill and other areas reinforced a vision of Ireland of communities living in harmony with the land.<ref>{{Cite book|last=National Gallery of Ireland|title=Shaping Ireland – Landscapes in Irish Art|publisher=National Gallery Of Ireland|year=2019|isbn=978-1-904288-76-3|location=Dublin|page=9}}</ref> He lived in Achill for almost a decade with his wife, artist [[Grace Henry]] and, while using similar subject-matter, the pair developed very different styles.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Steward|first=James Christen|title=When Time Began to Rant and Rage – Figurative Painting from Twentieth-century ireland|publisher=Merrell Holberton|year=1999|isbn=1-85894-059-1|location=London|page=68}}</ref>

This relationship of artists with Achill was particularly intense in the early decades of the twentieth century when [[Eva O'Flaherty]] (1874–1963) became a focal point for artistic networking on the island.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Murphy|first=Mary J|title=Achill's Eva O'Flaherty – Forgotten Island Heroine|publisher=Knockma Publishing|year=2012|isbn=978-0-9560749-1-1|location=Ireland}}</ref> A network of over 200 artists linked to Achill is charted in "Achill Painters - An Island History" and includes painters such as the Belgian [[Marie Howet]], the American [[Robert Henri]], the modernist painter [[Mainie Jellett]] and contemporary artist [[Camille Souter]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://achilltourism.com/siopa/product/achill-painters-an-island-history/ | title=Achill Painters – an Island History | access-date=7 September 2021 | archive-date=20 January 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120140916/https://achilltourism.com/siopa/product/achill-painters-an-island-history/ | url-status=live | website = achilltourism.com }}</ref>

The 2018 ''Coming Home Art & The Great Hunger'' exhibition,<ref>{{Cite book|editor-last=O'Sullivan|editor-first=Niamh|title=Coming Home: Art and the Great Hunger|publisher=Ireland's Great Hunger Museum, Quinnipiac University, USA|year=2018|isbn=978-0-9978374-8-3|location=Ireland|pages=172, 178}}</ref> in partnership with The Great Hunger Museum of Quinnipiac University, USA, featured Achill's Deserted Village and the island lazy beds prominently in works by [[Geraldine O'Reilly]] and [[Alanna O'Kelly]]; also included was an 1873 painting, 'Cottage, Achill Island' by [[Alexander Williams (artist)|Alexander Williams]] – one of the first artists to open up the island to a wider audience.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Byrne|first=Patricia|date=9 September 2021|title=Book Review: Mary J. Murphy, Achill Painters – An Island History|url=https://www.theirishstory.com/2020/08/24/book-review-mary-j-murphy-achill-painters-an-island-history/#.YTdiMI5KjIU|journal=The Irish Story|via=www.theirishstory.com|archive-date=7 September 2021|access-date=7 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907131135/https://www.theirishstory.com/2020/08/24/book-review-mary-j-murphy-achill-painters-an-island-history/#.YTdiMI5KjIU|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Education==
Following the 1695 introduction of [[Penal laws (Ireland)|Penal Laws]] that prohibited Catholics and Presbyterians in Ireland from practising their religion, unofficial or secret hedge schools were active in Achill during the 17th to 19th centuries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Ireland |url=https://www.wildernessireland.com/history-ireland/ |access-date=2025-07-05 |website=Wilderness Ireland |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ghiobúin |first=Mealla C. Ní |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QgPZAAAAMAAJ |title=Dugort, Achill Island, 1831–1861: A Study of the Rise and Fall of a Missionary Community |date=2001 |publisher=Irish Academic Press |isbn=978-0-7165-2740-4 |pages=24, 37–38 |language=en}}</ref>

At the turn of the 21st century, nine [[National school (Ireland)|national schools]] operated on the island;<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=McNulty |first=Anton |date=2022-06-22 |title=Another national school closes in Achill |url=https://www.mayonews.ie/news/home/1132879/another-national-school-closes-in-achill.html |access-date=2025-07-05 |website=Mayo News |language=en}}</ref> as of 2022, there were six.<ref name=":1" /> The island also had two secondary schools, McHale College and Scoil Damhnait, which amalgamated in 2011 to form [[Coláiste Pobail Acla]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-24 |title=Mayo schools in limbo over loss of vital support |url=https://www.con-telegraph.ie/2016/01/24/mayo-schools-in-limbo-over-loss-of-vital-support/ |access-date=2025-07-05 |website=Connaught Telegraph |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Transport==
[[File:All hands on deck at Achill Railway station.jpg|thumb|As of the early 20th century, a railway station operated on Achill.]]

===Rail===
[[Achill railway station]], still on the mainland and not on the island, was opened by the [[Midland Great Western Railway]] on 13 May 1895, the terminus of its line from [[Westport, County Mayo|Westport]] via [[Newport, County Mayo|Newport]] and [[Mulranny]]. The station, and the line, were closed by the [[Great Southern Railways]] on 1 October 1937.<ref>{{cite web |title=Achill station |url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf |work=Railscot – Irish Railways |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926042407/http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf |archive-date=26 September 2007 |access-date=8 September 2007}}</ref> The [[Great Western Greenway]], created during 2010 and 2011, follows the line's route<ref>{{cite web |title=Home |url=http://www.greenway.ie/ |work=Great Western Greenway |access-date=10 August 2011 |archive-date=30 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110730062455/http://greenway.ie/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and has proved to be very successful in attracting visitors to Achill and the surrounding areas.

===Road===
The [[R319 road (Ireland)|R319 road]] is the main road onto the island.<ref name="si54-2012">{{cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2012/en/si/0054.html|title=S.I. No. 54/2012 — Roads Act 1993 (Classification of Regional Roads) Order 2012|work=Irish Statute Book|access-date=27 February 2013|archive-date=9 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509191521/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2012/en/si/0054.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Bus Éireann]]'s route 450 operates several times daily to Westport and [[Louisburgh]] from the island. Bus Éireann also provides transport for the area's secondary school children.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

==Sport==
Achill has a Gaelic football club which competes in the junior championship and division 1E of the Mayo League. There are also [[Achill Rovers F.D.A.C.|Achill Rovers]] which play in the [[Mayo Association Football League]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://inform.fai.ie/League/Clubs/portals/AchillRoversFC/ |title=FAI Club Portal for Achill Rovers |access-date=21 September 2013 |archive-date=28 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928035653/http://inform.fai.ie/League/Clubs/portals/AchillRoversFC/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

There is a 9-hole [[Links (golf)|links]] golf course on the island.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discoverireland.ie/Activities-Adventure/achill-golf-club/49339|title=Achill Golf Club|year=2019|website=Discover Ireland|access-date=2019-02-07|archive-date=9 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209180101/https://www.discoverireland.ie/Activities-Adventure/achill-golf-club/49339|url-status=live}}</ref> Outdoor activities can be done through Achill Outdoor Education Centre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.achilloutdoor.com/|title=Achill Outdoor|author=Dave Jordan|access-date=10 March 2011|archive-date=9 March 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010309013839/http://www.achilloutdoor.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> Achill Island's rugged landscape and the surrounding ocean offers multiple locations for outdoor adventure activities, like surfing, kite-surfing and sea kayaking. Fishing and [[watersports]] are also common.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} Sailing regattas featuring a local vessel type, the Achill Yawl, have been run since the 19th century.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

==Demographics==
In 2016, the population was 2,594,<ref>{{cite web|title=ArcGIS Web. Application|url=http://airomaps.nuim.ie/id/AI_Atlas/?mobileBreakPoint=400/|access-date=2020-11-21|website=airomaps.nuim.ie|archive-date=1 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101103428/http://airomaps.nuim.ie/id/AI_Atlas/?mobileBreakPoint=400/|url-status=dead}}</ref> with 5.2% claiming they spoke Irish on a daily basis outside the education system.<ref>{{cite web|title=ArcGIS Web Application|url=http://census.cso.ie/p10map51/|access-date=2020-11-21|website=census.cso.ie|archive-date=28 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171128021020/http://census.cso.ie/p10map51/|url-status=dead}}</ref>  The island's population has declined from around 6,000 before the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]] of the mid-19th century.

The table below reports data on Achill Island's population taken from ''Discover the Islands of Ireland'' (Alex Ritsema, Collins Press, 1999) and the census of Ireland. {{Historical populations
| align = none
| cols = 3
|footnote= Sources: {{cite web |url= http://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Statire/SelectVarVal/Define.asp?Maintable=CNA17&Planguage=0 |title= CNA17: Population by Off Shore Island, Sex and Year  |author= Central Statistics Office |website= CSO.ie |access-date=12 October 2016}}     {{cite report |title=Population of Inhabited Islands Off the Coast|publisher=Central Statistics Office|date=2023 |access-date=29 June 2023|url=https://data.cso.ie/table/F1019}}

|1841|4901
|1851|4030
|1861|4424
|1871|4757
|1881|5060
|1891|4677
|1901|4825
|1911|5260
|1926|4790
|1936|4808
|1946|4918
|1951|4906
|1956|4493
|1961|4069
|1966|3598
|1971|3129
|1979|3089
|1981|3101
|1986|3161
|1991|2802
|1996|2718
|2002|2620
|2006|2620
|2011|2569 
|2016|2440
|2022|2345
}}

==Notable people==

* [[Heinrich Böll]], German writer who spent several summers with his family and later lived several months per year on the island
* [[Charles Boycott]] (1832–1897), unpopular landowner from whom the term ''boycott'' arose
* [[Nancy Corrigan]], pioneer aviator, second female commercial pilot in the US.
* [[Dermot Freyer]] (1883–1970), writer who opened a hotel on the island
* [[Graham Greene]], author, who stayed on the island several times in the late 1940s and wrote parts of several novels there<ref>{{Cite web |title=Graham Greene Achill Island, Ireland - page 1 of 3 |url=http://www.achill247.com/writers/ggreene.html |access-date=2025-09-29 |website=www.achill247.com}}</ref>
* [[Paul Henry (painter)|Paul Henry]], artist, stayed on the island for a number of years in the early 1900s
* [[James Kilbane]], singer, lives on the island
* [[Johnny Kilbane]], boxer
* [[Saoirse McHugh]], former [[Green Party (Ireland)|Green Party]] politician
* [[Danny McNamara (musician)|Danny McNamara]], musician
* [[Richard McNamara]], musician
* [[Eva O'Flaherty]], Nationalist, model and milliner
* [[Manus Patten]], recipient of the [[Scott Medal]]
* [[Thomas Patten (socialist)|Thomas Patten]], from Dooega. Died during the [[Siege of Madrid]] in December 1936
* [[Honor Tracy]], author, lived there until her death in 1989

==In popular culture==
The island is featured throughout the film ''[[The Banshees of Inisherin]]'' in various locations on the island including [[Keem Bay]], Cloughmore, and Purteen Pier.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Niall |date=2022-11-01 |title=Exact Filming Locations of 'The Banshees of Inisherin' (Ultimate In-Depth Guide) |url=https://www.sweetisleofmine.com/the-banshees-of-inisherin-exact-filming-locations/ |access-date=8 November 2022 |archive-date=3 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103083227/https://www.sweetisleofmine.com/the-banshees-of-inisherin-exact-filming-locations/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The island is also the primary setting of the visual novel ''[[If Found...]]''.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

==Further reading==
*[[Heinrich Böll]]: ''Irisches Tagebuch'', Berlin, 1957
*Bob Kingston ''The Deserted Village at Slievemore'', Castlebar, 1990
*Theresa McDonald: ''Achill: 5000 B.C. to 1900 A.D.: Archeology History Folklore'', I.A.S. Publications [1992]
*Rosa Meehan: ''The Story of Mayo'', Castlebar, 2003
*[[James Carney (scholar)|James Carney]]: ''The Playboy & the Yellow lady'', 1986 Poolbeg<ref>{{cite book|author=James Carney |url=https://openlibrary.org/b/OL2431852M/playboy_the_yellow_lady |title=The playboy & the yellow lady |publisher=Open Library |access-date=20 March 2012|isbn=9780905169828 |year=1986 }}</ref>
*[[Hugo Hamilton (writer)|Hugo Hamilton]]: The Island of Talking,<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25469746 | jstor=25469746 | title=The Island of Talking | last1=Hamilton | first1=Hugo | journal=Irish Pages | date=2007 | volume=4 | issue=2 | pages=23–31 | archive-date=10 July 2024 | access-date=10 July 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710213230/https://www.jstor.org/stable/25469746 | url-status=live }}</ref> 2007
*Mealla Nī Ghiobúin: ''Dugort, Achill Island 1831–1861: The Rise and Fall of a Missionary Community'', 2001
*Patricia Byrne: ''The Veiled Woman of Achill – Island Outrage & A Playboy Drama'', 2012
*Mary J. Murphy: ''Achill's Eva O'Flaherty – Forgotten Island Heroine'', 2011
*Patricia Byrne: ''The Preacher and The Prelate – The Achill Mission Colony and The Battle for Souls in Famine Ireland'', 2018
*Mary J. Murphy, ''Achill Painters – An Island History'', 2020

==See also==
* [[List of islands of County Mayo]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Achill Island}}
{{Commons}}
{{EB1911 poster|Achill}}
* [http://www.ouririshheritage.org/category_id__29_path__0p2p.aspx Colaiste Pobail Acla students project on the Achill area]
* [http://www.staugustinelighthouse.org/LAMP/Research/achill-island Achill Island Maritime Archaeology Project]
* [http://www.visitachill.com VisitAchill multilingual visitor's site]
{{Gaeltacht}}
{{Mountains and hills of Connacht}}
{{County Mayo}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Achill Island| ]]
[[Category:Islands of County Mayo]]
[[Category:Gaeltacht places in County Mayo]]