Achill Island (Acaill)
Ireland's largest island, joined to Mayo by a bridge, with cliffs and blue-flag beaches.
Achill offers some of Ireland's most dramatic scenery: the towering Croaghaun sea cliffs, the deserted village at Slievemore and the sweeping sands of Keem Bay. Much of the island is a Gaeltacht where Irish is still spoken.
At a glance
- Largest island off the Irish coast
- Croaghaun, among Europe's highest sea cliffs
- A Gaeltacht island reached by bridge
In County Mayo
Achill Island is in County Mayo, Maigh Eo in Irish, which means “plain of the yew trees”.
More in Mayo
- Croagh Patrick (Cruach Phádraig): Ireland's holy mountain, climbed by pilgrims for over a thousand years in honour of St Patrick.
- Céide Fields (Achaidh Chéide): The oldest known field systems in the world, preserved under blanket bog.
- Clare Island (Cliara): A mountainous island at the mouth of Clew Bay, home of the pirate queen.
Other places of this kind
- Aran Islands (Oileáin Árann): A group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay.
- Skellig Michael (Sceilg Mhichíl): A jagged island monastery off the Kerry coast, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a modern film location.
- Rathlin Island (Reachlainn): Northern Ireland's only inhabited offshore island, an L-shaped seabird haven off the Antrim coast.
- The Saltee Islands (Na Sailtí): Two small islands off the Wexford coast, one of Ireland's great bird sanctuaries.
- Devenish Island (Daimhinis): A serene monastic island on Lower Lough Erne, crowned by a perfect round tower.
- Boa Island (Inis Badhbha): A Lough Erne island famed for its enigmatic two-faced stone idol.
The Irish name
The Irish form of Achill Island is Acaill. You can hear it spoken, and take apart names like it, in the Placename Explorer. The authoritative record for any Irish place-name is logainm.ie.