Megalithic Achill Island and its Awesome Beaches

On Thursday we headed out to Achill Island. We wanted rent some bikes and take a ride on the greenway, and (naturally) see an incredible beach.

Achill island is the largest island off the coast of Ireland.

It is 87 percent peat bog (!).

Achill has a history of human settlement that is at least 5,000 years old. The remains of megalithic tombs and monuments suggest settlement by Neolithic man in the 3rd or 4th centuries BC.

These people significantly changed the landscape of the area, which at the time was heavily forested. Neolithic culture brought farming to Achill, requiring the clearing of forest for cereal crops, and walled fields for livestock. It is estimated that at the end of the Neolithic period, about 4,000BC, Achill had a population of 500-1000 people.

Evidence of Bronze Age (c. 2000BC) settlement on Achill includes hut platforms and associated field systems and enclosures in the area of Slievemore. The remains of several promontory forts along the coast show that settlement expanded across Achill Island in the Iron Age (c. 400BC).

Path to the tomb. People who own land on or around these notable places seem amenable to visitors as there are usually gates and pathways marking the correct direction.

The tomb.

More recently Don Allum, an English oarsman, was the first person to row across the Atlantic Ocean in both directions. He landed at Dooagh on Achill Island on his way home. He and his cousin rowed their boat nicknamed the QE3, taking 77 days to complete the journey.

Achill Island is also the start of the bike greenway. Sheila had heard about the Greenway from Ed and Susan and jumped on it. We took a 12 km bike ride from Achill to Mulranny. It was really amazing. Most of the path was along an old train track that was paved over. We rode through peat bogs and along the coast. It was lovely.

 

Peat mining.

Peat and rhododendron.

Sheila on path.

The coach's laundry.

 

Our main reason for heading to the island were its amazing "blue flag" beaches. Honestly, we couldn't even decide which one to go to and because of the time of day and the fact that it was probably too cold to go to two separate beaches, we had to choose one. We ended up at Keel (although I spent a long night considering heading back just to see Keem!).

 

The beach was amazing.

 

Check out the pictures below. The water was incredibly clear and teal/green with the cliffs in the background. Again, had it been 10 degrees (Celsius) warmer, we would move here.

 

 

Johnny skipping on Keel Beach.

Check out that clean teal water and the cliffs.

We even enticed our bookworm into the water.

Cold, but clean.

 

This is the playground behind the beach. Check out the sheep grazing.



 

We headed back to Westport and out for a snack. Check out Johnny skipping on the sidewalk at the restaurant. This is after 12km of biking and an hour or two of swimming in the North Atlantic! Oh, and it was probably 10 p.m. at the taking of this picture. I think I had a typo in an earlier blog that the sun doesn't go down until after 11 here. Woah!