Surf's Up: Keem Beach and other Achill Island, Ireland Things to Do Tips

When you think of Ireland, you might not think of sandy beaches. Well, meet Keem Beach. It's the most Western point of the Achill Island, the largest island off the coast of Ireland (that's not saying much). In the 1830's and 40's, the Achill Mission called Keem Beach its home. A Protestant mission, it was unique because it was the first mission to use the Irish language instead of English. During the Great Famine, the mission declined as tensions between Catholics and Protestants rose. By the 1880s, financial troubles and anti-Protestant sentiments caused the mission to close completely. On the chillingly steep cliffs that lead down to the bay, there are still some ruins of clergy structures.
Besides being home to a lot of Protestant ghosts, the chilly waters are sometimes visited by the Basking Shark. The Basking Shark is huge - the world's second largest fish. And that fish has one huge liver. About twenty-five percent of the fish is liver. Unfortunately for the Basking Shark, people liked the oil in its liver and it was hunted greatly. They are protected now, though, as is all the wildlife on or around the beach. Keem is one of Achill's Blue Flag beaches, which means it has to maintain very strict ecological standards. There are heavy penalties for littering and the like here.
The thing I liked best about Keem Beach was the rock formations near the coast. Slippery, but fun to climb on, there is some interesting wildlife in between the rocks.
I saw some totally crazy people swimming, but I stayed on the rocks in my sweater and fuzzy cap.

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The Deserted Village atop Slievemore Mountain is one of Ireland's most famous archaeological sites. It's a bit of a hike over some uneven ground (including a small creek), but it’s worth it. The village emptied rather quickly during the famine, and the cottages that are left are an eerie reminder of the life that was once there. There are about eighty to one hundred stone cottage ruins - some of which still have all four walls and livestock hitches inside. Be careful where you walk, though, between the bog (pack Wellies), the sheep (they're friendly), and the pits created by archaeological students, it can be kind of hazardous to walk about. Also, the students can be pretty protective (with some rights) of the site. Don't disturb their work, and to be a decent person, don't take anything.
Also, I'd take a friend and a cell phone. There is a modern graveyard next to it, but other than that, you're on your own.

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The village of Baile na hAilte has been virtually untouched since it was inhabited. Baile na hAilte sits on the top of a hill overlooking the waters of Achill Sound, and tells a lot about life in the 19th century - from the patterns in the landscape left by old farming techniques to the relationships between landlords and tenants that are told by the architecture.
Downhill from the site is the Kildownet Cemetery and Church and the Tower of Kildownet - all named after 7th century Saint Dympna who built a church on that land. Whereas her church is gone, there is a small well near the bay that is said to be from her time and the ruins of a church built in the 19th century still stand. The roofless church contains a small altar and modern plaques depicting the stations of the cross. Like a lot of archaeological sites in Ireland, this church is a real example of how relics from the past are preserved through continual use. People still come to meditate and pray to the stations of the cross inside the church.
The church is surrounded by a cemetery which contains tombstones from centuries ago all the way to the modern era. In fact, two of Achill's most famous tragedies are eulogized there. It was foretold that if the railroad were to come to Achill, the first and last train to come to and from the island would carry in corpses. In fact the first train carried bodies home from a terrible fire that claimed the lives of farmers working on the mainland during the famine, and the last train brought the bodies of drowning victims from a boating accident at Clew Bay. Both mass graves are located in the church's graveyard. There are also some famine graves, though those are mostly unmarked.
The Kildownet Tower that stands next to the church was probably built in 1429 by the clan of Grace O'Malley. The tower is a striking contrast to the other structures on the coastline. The tower meets the sea directly on one side, and if you're brave you can shimmy out on the ledge and look at the water below.

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