Welcome to Achill Island, an astoundingly beautiful Island on the remote western coast of that other beautiful island, Ireland.
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We approach via Achill Sound, the waterway separating the mainland from the island, and cross the bridge which will take us across from the mainland in County Mayo through the village of Achill Sound, the gateway to this most stunning part of Ireland.
We’re heading in this first of three films to Doogort on the extreme north of the island, an area with a totally amazing beach, so keep watching for that, but Achill is just so drop dead gorgeous that I felt the journey there should be captured too, as much as any of this scenery can be captured on a camera; I really think you have to come here to fully appreciate the countryside. We see Slievemore mountain in the distance. Sheep seem to rule this island so be careful when you’re driving.
Achill is the largest island off the coast of Ireland and sits of our wild west coast in the Northern Atlantic Ocean. Its population is around two and a half thousand, probably at least twice that if we count the sheep! It’s 147 sq km in area and 87% of this island is bogland. And yet the place has hosted human settlements since 4000 years BC.
Ireland as an island is well known for its emigration, probably many of you watching are of Irish descent, living perhaps in the US or Canada. But strangely Achill, during the 17th and 18th Centuries, benefited conversely from immigration. Its new inhabitants came from Ulster, my part of Ireland for those of you who haven’t yet detected the accent. They settled here fleeing the political and religious turmoil of the time - so some things never change! Consequently, and interestingly, two dialects of the Irish language were spoken here, which is why maps today still offer conflicting townland names.
Half the island is in what is classified as the Gaeltacht area of Ireland meaning a place where the Irish language is still spoken. And Achill Irish still has many traces of Ulster Irish in it. We approach Doogort, our destination, sometimes spelt DU rather than DOO for the reasons stated a moment ago.
I should say that I’m visiting the island at the end of October, so I’ve been very lucky with the weather. You won’t normally find such great weather in the west of Ireland at this time of year so bear that I mind when planning your holiday. Pack lots of jumpers and waterproof stuff for the autumn in Ireland.
We pull into our destination at the beach. In front of us we have the Strand Hotel, which is understandably looking a bit deserted on this October day. And this is our prize. This is the amazing Strand at Doogort. Imagine living here and Having the North Atlantic as your front garden!
Doogort is also the site of a controversial Church of Ireland mission lead by a Rev Edward Nangle that sought to convert Catholics to Protestantism during the 19th Century. There were accusations of ‘soupism’, this was the practise of offering food to people during the Irish famine if they would agree to change their religion. People who changed religion in these circumstances purely to stay alive, were said to have “taken the soup”.