Events Calendar

Calendar of Events 2026 / 2027

Scroll down for a calendar of major events happening on Achill Island and the surrounding areas in 2026 and into 2027.

September 2026

5th September: Tour de Achill
Annual cycling event organised by local club Achill Wheelers and offering three courses with different challenge levels. Book online.

11th – 13th September: Dooagh Folk Festival
Line-up includes Damien Dempsey, Lúnasa, Dervish, Dan McCabe, Karen Casey Trio and many more Check dooaghfolkfest.ie for details.

18th September: Oíche Chultúir / Culture Night
Achill celebrates this national event with a talk on Achill music down the years followed by seisiún ceoil agus amhránáiochta. Patten’s Bar, Derreens, 8.30pm.

20th September: Féile na Garraí
Inaugural Achill Harvest Festival event at Achill Outdoor Education Centre, Cashel. 11am – 4pm.

25th – 27th September: Battle for the Lake
Watersports & Music Festival. Updates from battleforthelake.com

October 2026

October: Keel Sheep Show
Keel Sandybanks. More details.

26th October: Bank Holiday

November 2026

14th – 15th November: Circus Science by the Sea
Details TBC

December 2026

January 2027

1st January – New Year’s Day (Public Holiday)
Start the New Year with a bracing dip in the Atlantic at the traditional New Year’s Day Swim at Silver Strand beach, Dugort, 1pm.

February 2027

1st February – Imbolc (Public Holiday)
Public holiday on St. Brigid’s Day, traditionally seen as the beginning of spring.

March 2027

Wednesday 17th March – St. Patrick’s Day
Follow the Achill pipe bands on their traditional St. Patrick’s Day marches in lower Achill.

26th March – Good Friday

26th – 28th March: Island Life Festival
A celebration of arts and culture on Achill Island and the Currane Peninsula. Highlight will be the Easter Parade at Achill Sound on Easter Sunday. Details TBC.

29th March – Easter Monday (Public Holiday)

April 2027

April: Achill Camino Challenge Walks Festival
Three guided hikes in Achill and Currane. Dates and routes TBC.

May 2027

Monday 3rd May – May Day Bank Holiday

Heinrich Böll Memorial Arts Festival
Annual arts festival weekend with panel discussions, presentations, writers workshop, guided walks, live music and more.

Saturday 8th May – Darkness Into Light
Annual Darkness Into Light walk in aid of Pieta to support help with suicide and self-harm. 5km dawn walk in Keel. Register at darknessintolight.ie

June 2027

7th June: June Bank Holiday

July 2027

3rd July: Achill Half Marathon & 10K
Annual half marathon and 10K, starting and ending at Keel Sandybanks. Registration opens November 2026 at achillmarathon.com.

Dooagh Day
Annual village festival in Dooagh, includes family fun day. See Dooagh Day facebook page for updates.

Mayo International Kite Festival
Professional and amateur kite enthusiasts gather in Keel for this annual spectacular event. See mayokitefest.com for updates.

Achill RNLI Lifeboat Station Open Day
Family fun day at RNLI Lifeboat Station, Cloughmore, Achill. Date TBC.

Féile Dú Éige
Annual village festival in Dooega, includes family fun day with famous Dooega Duck Race. More details from Féile Dú Éige facebook page.

St. Colman’s Garden Fete
Annual fundraiser event at St. Colman’s Care Centre, Keel, with family fun events, bric-a-brac, huge raffle, food stalls and much more. St. Colman’s facebook page.

25th – 30th July – Scoil Acla
Achill’s famous summer school of traditional music, dance, arts and culture. 2027 events start Sunday 25th July. See scoilacla.ie for more details.

Tarry Fest
Annual village festival in Dookinella. More details from Tarry Fest facebook page.

August 2027

Monday 2nd August: August Bank Holiday

Féile Inis Bigil
A weekend of festival events on Inishbiggle Island. More details.

Féile Chill Damhnait
Family fun, music, art, sports, bingo. See Féile Chill Damhnait facebook page for updates.

Please contact Achill Tourism for further details of any of these events.
Níos mó eolas ó Turasóireacht Acla Teo

Planning a trip to Achill for any of these events? Check our sample itineraries in our Short Breaks on Achill Island section.