Has anyone been to Achill Island in County Mayo? If so, how did it compare to other, more commonly traveled parts of Ireland? Thanks.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Only discussion had here of Achill Island is this:
Achill Island
You'll get more answers re Achill Island or Achill Sound
by going here
Posted by
Kirkland
213 posts
Matt, my wife and I spent a month in Ireland in April/May and toured the Beara, Kerry, and Dingle peninsulas. We also visited Westport for 4 days and spent a day driving around Achill Island. Bottom line, Achill (and County Mayo) was our favorite. It was the least touristed, most authentic, and had beautiful drives and vistas. I'll also put a plug in for Westport as a base to explore the area - it's a wonderful Georgian town.
Posted by
Chico, CA, USA
1 posts
Hi Matt,
Yours is the first post I've replied to. I am torn between wanted to return to some of my old haunts and finding new ones, Achill being one of them. However we only have week this time and my question is for the person who replied to you. Is it much travelling (we will have a car) to get to the island from Connemara area, which is were we are staying?
Posted by
Kirkland
213 posts
Amee, I'm assuming your question was directed to me. I don't know where you're staying in the Connemara so I'll give you the longest time scenario and assume you're staying in Galway. It's 1.5 - 2 hours by car from Galway to Westport. Driving to the tip of Achill (no stops) is probably 45-60 minutes each way. So, although you could make the roundtip in a day, I question whether you'll have time to really enjoy the visit. Done right, Achill itself is 5-6 hours roundtrip from Westport. Instead of Achill maybe spend your time exploring the south coast of Connemara - the coastline and beaches are magnificent. You also do a private response to me if you have more questions.