January 26, 2023 Achill Tourism will be exhibiting again this weekend at the Dublin Holiday World Show in the RDS Simmonscourt. The event is open to the public from 12.30pm to 5.30pm on Friday 27th January, and from 11am to 5.30pm on Saturday and Sunday. Come along to stand S14/T17 and say hello,…

January 24, 2023 The movie The Banshees of Inisherin, which was filmed largely on Achill Island, has earned nine nominations for the 2023 Academy Awards. After winning three Golden Globe awards earlier this month, all eyes are now on the 12th March awards ceremony in Hollywood. The Banshees movie has been nominated in…

January 21, 2023 Keem Bay, on Achill Island, has been voted Ireland’s number one beach by visitors in the annual Irish Independent Reader’s Travel Awards. The Blue Flag beach, one of five on Achill Island, topped a public vote with the full results announced in The Irish Independent’s Weekend magazine on 21st January…

January 18, 2023 Achill Tourism will be one of the exhibitors at the 2023 Holiday World Show in Belfast this weekend. The event takes place at the Titanic Exhibition Centre on Friday 20th, Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd January, with entry from 12.30 – 5.30pm on Friday and 11am – 5.30pm on Saturday…

January 16, 2023 US TV network ABC has made available on YouTube its ‘On The Red Carpet’ episode on the making of The Banshees of Inisherin. The 30 minute programme provides an in-depth look at the making of the movie and includes clips from all the Achill locations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyJcZ_UHIVI The programme is peppered…

January 11, 2023 The movie ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, which was filmed extensively on location on Achill Island, has won three Golden Globe awards. The film, parts of which were also shot on location on Inis Mór island, in Co. Galway, won Best Motion Picture in the Musical or Comedy category. Colin Farrell,…

December 19, 2022 A short promotional video has been released for the Achill-based crime novel ‘The Branded’, by Martina Murphy. Published in August 2022, ‘The Branded’ is the follow-up to the 2021 debut ‘The Night Caller’ which introduced Achill Island detective sargeant Lucy Golden. The trailer video for The Branded sets the scene…

December 16, 2022 Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has revealed she would like the pub used in The Banshees of Inisherin movie to be rebuilt, so that she can visit. The fictional pub was constructed on location at Cloughmore on Achill Island and was the setting for many of the dramatic scenes in Martin McDonagh’s…

December 2, 2022 Looking for an Achill Christmas gift? Achill Tourism has opened a Christmas Shop in its information office at Davitt Quarter, Achill Sound to showcase local craft items. Open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, the shop stocks products and crafts from a number of local producers. Items available include mugs,…

October 27, 2022 Achill is to co-host a new festival exploring science and circus. The Circus Science by the Sea festival is Europe’s first and will be held on the weekend of 19th and 20th November. It promises ‘something for everyone’ and all the events are free. Produced by circus250, with support from…

September 16, 2022 The independent movie My Sailor, My Love, which was filmed on location in Achill, had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this week. Amid a raft of positive reviews, it was also announced that German-based distributors Global Screen has stuck a deal with Signature Entertainment for…

September 13, 2022 The line-up for the 2022 Battle for the Lake Achill Island event just gets better! After a Covid enforced two year hiatus, the popular watersports and music festival returns to Achill from Friday 30th September to Sunday 2nd October. The watersports on display include kitesurfing, windsurfing and stand up paddleboarding….

September 11, 2022 The Banshees of Inisherin, the movie that was filmed largely on location on Achill Island, has won a second award at the 79th Venice International Film Festival. After Colin Farrell won the Best Actor award for his portrayal of Pádraic Súilleabháin in the film, writer and director Martin McDonagh was…

September 11, 2022 Actor Colin Farrell, one of the stars of the movie The Banshees of Inisherin which was shot largely on location on Achill Island, has been awarded ‘Best Actor’ for this role at the Venice Film Festival. The inaugural screening of the movie at the festival was followed by a 13…

September 1, 2022 23rd – 25th September 2022 Roll up! Roll up! Achill Island will host not one, not two, but three fabulous circus-themed festivals on the weekend of 23rd to 25th September 2022. On Friday 23rd, as part of the national Culture Night initiative, there will be an evening of poetry, music,…

August 23, 2022 A fundraising cycle ride from London to Achill Island is in full swing, with the riders expected in Achill on Saturday 27th August. The event is in memory of Mayo man Shane Corrigan, who died from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) in 2018 at the age of just 23….

August 5, 2022 A survey has listed Achill’s Keem Bay as the number one ‘wild swimming spot’ in the British and Irish Isles. The list was compiled by Ocean Bottle, a UK-based reusable bottle company. Ocean Bottle used data on water quality compiled by Government agencies and cross-referenced the results for over 800…

August 4, 2022 The official poster and trailer have been released for the forthcoming movie ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, which was filmed on location here on Achill Island and on Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands. Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, the film reunites actors Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell after their…

July 22, 2022 UPDATE – the winner was The Burren, in Co. Clare. And then there were five! The judges in the Irish Times ‘Best Place to Holiday in Ireland’ competition have whittled the top 20 entries down to the final five … and Achill Island is one of them! The winner will…

July 13, 2022 Achill Tourism, in association with Mayo Sports Partnership and mayo.ie, is delighted to announce the provision of three new beach wheelchairs for Achill. They add to the one beach wheelchair already available and can be booked for use at Keel beach and/or Silver Strand beach in Dugort. To aid accessibility,…

July 9, 2022 Achill has been long-listed in the Irish Times ‘Best Place to Holiday in Ireland 2022’ competition, conducted in association with Fáilte Ireland. The longlist of 20 locations is based on reader nominations and in-person visits by the competition judges. The panel of judges consists of: Nadia El Ferdaoussi, travel blogger;…

July 7, 2022 A study by the Daily Mirror newspaper has identified Ireland’s top beaches from ratings and reviews of over 500 beaches on Google Maps. Achill’s Keem Beach was ranked number one, with a five star rating from over 1,500 reviewers. The fourth-rated beach in the research was Achill’s Silver Strand in…

April 20, 2022 Achill writer Adrian Lavelle has published his first novel, titled ‘The Keelman’s Fortnight (Volume One)’. The first of a two-part series, this crime story involves a student fleeing to Achill Island to hide out in a primal scream therapy commune. Copies of this book are available to buy in Achill…

May 27, 2021 Comedian David O’Doherty, a frequent visitor to Achill, has published a children’s novel based on Achill Island. Titled ‘The Summer I Robbed A Bank’ the story revolves around a plot to rob the travelling bank. Update – David O’Doherty’s debut novel was awarded winner of the Specsavers Children’s Book of…

August 8, 2020 In July Keem Bay was ranked at number 11 in a list of the 50 Best Beaches in the World by travel website Big 7 Travel. Now the iconic bay has been ranked at number three in Conde Nast Traveller’s 20 Best Beaches in the World. In both cases, Keem Bay was the…

August 2, 2020 Details of the launch of Mary J. Murphy’s book Achill Painters – An Island History in August 2020. This book is currently Out of Print.

July 15, 2020 Achill Tourism’s Keel information office hosts a pop-up bakery every Saturday morning (10am – 12 noon) and stocks ‘Achill Crafted’ local items every day.

July 10, 2020 Plans for a 10K extension of the Great Western Greenway track, from Achill Sound to Bunnacurry, have been approved by Mayo County Council.

July 1, 2020 RTE Radio One’s Morning Ireland programme reported from Achill Island on how tourism businesses and customers are adapting to a COVID-19 holiday season.

July 1, 2020 A poll of Irish people has voted Keem Beach on Achill Island as the seaside destination they would most like to visit in Ireland.

June 11, 2020 Failte Ireland has issued a series of guideline documents for each tourism industry sector to prepare to re-open following COVID-19 restrictions.

June 9, 2020 The 2020 Blue Flag beach awards see Achill retain the status on four beaches, including Keel which represents 32 consecutive years of the award.

June 2, 2020 A video of basking sharks in Keem Bay, Achill Island, has gone viral after being picked up by national and international media. Shot in May 2020 by Sean Molloy.

May 20, 2020 Padraig McCaul Launches Hurricane Lantern Collaboration Achill-based artist Padraig McCaul has launched an exciting new collection of works in an innovative collaboration with the Blue Ridge Craft Company of Coleraine. Five is his images are being moulded into the hardened wax of the company’s handcrafted hurricane lanterns. Once illuminated via…

May 12, 2020 The latest (May 2020) EPA report on Bathing Water Quality ranks four Achill beaches in the highest ‘Excellent’ category.

April 27, 2020 Keem Bay, the jewel in the crown of Achill Island, has once again been referenced as one of the top beach destinations in Ireland. Travel journalist Pol O Conghaile appeared today (Monday 27th April, 2020) on Newstalk Radio’s Pat Kenny show to discuss ‘The Best Beach Destinations for When We Can Travel. Asked by…

May 8, 2019 A Celebration of the Wildlife of Achill Announcing a series of nature walks and talks from wildlife experts in celebration of the wildlife of Achill, Co. Mayo, on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. All of the events listed below are free and family friendly (all except the bat training are suitable…

February 12, 2019 Achill Featured on RTÉ Getaways Programme – February 2019 Achill Island was featured as the ‘Short Getaway’ destination on the RTÉ travel programme ‘Getaways’, broadcast in Ireland on 5th February 2019 and in the UK on BBC1 NI on 11th February 2019. Viewers in Ireland can see the programme online…

January 15, 2019 January 2019 – RunIreland.com, Ireland’s premier running and triathlon website, announced the winners of its 2018 awards for Irish events and named the Achill Half Marathon as both Ireland’s Best Half Marathon and its Most Scenic Route. These twin awards are just rewards for the small army of volunteers who…

January 12, 2019 January 2019 – The sandy beach that reappeared at Dooagh Bay in 2017, sparking worldwide interest, has disappeared again following stormy weather. The ‘beach’ had been sand-free for 33 years, having disappeared in 1984, but came back in the spring of 2017. It is thought that the sand is lying…

March 23, 2018 A very rare white lobster has gone on display in an Achill aquarium after being caught in local waters. The one-in-a-million lobster was caught recently by fisherman Charlie O’Malley in pots close to Dooagh Bay. In 25 years of fishing, it is the first white lobster Charlie has seen. The ghost…

March 23, 2018 Venue: Ostán Oileán Acla, Achill SoundSaturday 24th March 2018, from 7pmAlso on display Sunday 25th March, 1pm – 6pm The launch of the brand new Maritime History Trail is an evening for the public to come and see up close the this new and exciting addition to Achill Island. The 14…

November 17, 2017 Following the return of sand to Dooagh beach in May 2017, a new story has emerged online as Ashleam Bay, on Achill’s spectacular Atlantic Drive, has sand for the first time in 12 years. According to locals, the sandy beach usually appears every seven years. In a stunning video, Malcolm Cooney tells…

October 13, 2017 BAFTA winning film maker, playwright, director and writer Kevin Toolis, whose father hails from Achill, launches his book ‘My Father’s Wake – How the Irish Teach Us to Live, Love and Die’ in Ted’s Bar, Cashel, at 7.30 on Wednesday 25th October 2017. Kevin Toolis introduces the book: On a remote…