Achill Tourism Wins National Award at 2025 IPB Pride of Place Awards
Achill Tourism has been named winner of the Community Tourism Initiative category at the prestigious 2025 IPB Pride of Place Awards, recognising its outstanding contribution to community-based tourism and sustainable development on Achill Island and the Corraun Peninsula. Now in its 23rd year, the IPB Pride of Place Awards -…
Achill Island Named One of the World’s 10 Most Beautiful Islands
Big 7 Travel Ranks Achill #8 in the World Achill Island has been ranked 8th in the world in a prestigious list of the Top 50 Most Beautiful Islands published by global travel site Big 7 Travel. The 2025 list places Achill in the company of international icons like the…
Four Achill Beaches Retain Blue Flag Status
Four of Achill’s beaches have retained their Blue Flag status for 2025, with a fifth, Dugort’s Golden Strand, moving to Green Coast status.
Achill’s Bathing Waters Rated ‘Excellent’
The EPA has published its Bathing Water Quality in Ireland report for 2024 and all five of Achill’s Blue Flag beaches have been rated as ‘excellent’. Dooega, Dugort (Silver Strand), Golden Strand, Keel and Keem beaches all attained the highest classification for their water quality. Nationwide, the EPA report found…
Achill Greenway Shortlisted for Award
The new extension of the Great Western Greenway from Achill Sound to Cashel was shortlisted at the 2025 All-Ireland Community and Council Awards. The awards event, which is held annually in conjunction with the Local Authority Members Association (LAMA) and Irish Public Bodies Insurances, took place in Cork on 22nd…
Keem Bay Wins More Accolades
Achill’s Keem Bay features in two more ‘best of’ lists. It was 4th in Ireland’s Top 10 Hidden Beaches, and 17th in the world for ‘Bluest Waters’.
Achill’s Keem Bay One of World’s Top 100 Beaches
Keem Bay, at the western tip of Achill Island, has been selected as one of the world’s top 100 beaches by prestigious travel magazine Lonely Planet. In its forthcoming book ‘Best Beaches: 100 of the World’s Most Incredible Beaches’, Lonely Planet describes Keem as “one of Ireland’s most glorious, secluded…
Keem Bay on Achill Island Listed in ‘The 50 Best Beaches In The World’
Keem Bay, the iconic horseshoe bay with golden sandy beach located at the western end of Achill Island, has been listed in ‘The 50 Best Beaches In The World’ by the travel website Big 7 Travel. The accolade is the latest in a string of awards for Keem, which achieved…
Banshees of Inisherin Wins Four BAFTA Awards
The Banshees of Inisherin, which was largely filmed on location on Achill Island, has won four BAFTAs at the 2023 awards ceremony. The film, which was also partially shot on Inis Mór in County Galway, had received a total of ten nominations for this year’s BAFTAs. Writer and director Martin…
Banshees of Inisherin Nets Nine Oscar Nominations
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…
Keem Bay #1, Keel Strand #4, in Lonely Planet Best Beaches in Ireland
Achill has two beaches in the top ten of the latest Lonely Planet Best Beaches in Ireland list. Keem Bay, also voted Ireland’s top beach in the Irish Independent’s Reader’s Awards this weekend, was rated at number one in the Lonely Planet list. And Keel’s Trawmore Strand came in at…
Keem Bay Voted Ireland’s Top Beach in Irish Independent Reader’s Awards
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…
Banshees of Inisherin Wins Big at 2023 Golden Globe Awards
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,…
Martin McDonagh Wins Best Screenplay Award for The Banshees of Inisherin at Venice Film Festival
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…
Colin Farrell Wins Best Actor Award at Venice Film Festival for The Banshees of Inisherin
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…
Keem Bay Named ‘Best Wild Swimming Spot in UK & Ireland’
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…
Achill Shortlisted in Irish Times Five Best Places to Holiday in Ireland
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…
Achill Listed in Irish Times Best Place to Holiday in Ireland 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;…
Book Launch: The Summer I Robbed A Bank by David O’Doherty
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…
Two Awards for Achill Half Marathon & 10K
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…