Famine Remains Haunt Achill Island
Written: Jan 27 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: remote, stunning landscape
Cons: dining out is expensive
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| hanhayes's Full Review: Ireland |
"Achill has a strange charm which everyone feels but none can fully explain," wrote the naturalist R. L. Praeger. The largest island off the Irish coast, Achill Island connects to the mainland by a bridge measuring a mere 740 feet.
Besides breathtakingly beautiful scenery, something else seems to grip visitors when they commune with people who have stubbornly clung to this island for generations.
A deserted famine village looks at first like a mere scattering of rocks scarring the bleak landscape on Slievemore. Drawing closer, the craggy clusters of gray stones eventually take the shape of tumbled down homes that once housed nearly 400 people.
Standing amid the roofless houses that cling to the side of the mountain, it is difficult not to be moved by the windswept, haunting landscape. Even on the sunniest days while the sheep graze near walls overgrown with grass and moss, the wind whips shrilly through the empty rooms, howling in perpetual misery.
History does not come alive; death echoes. In the vast emptiness, you want to catch a whisper within the tumbled down walls, a remnant from some past life that spilled out of these tiny rooms into narrow lanes.
In the past decade, Achill Island has gained popularity as a vacation spot, not just among Americans but the urban Irish as well. Buses run from most large towns on the West Coast, making it easily accessible.
There is something untouched and refreshingly rural about its landscape and its people reminiscent of an Ireland before the tourism boom of the 80s and 90s. The best time to visit is the Spring, before the summer tourist season begins, and when things are just in bloom.
The only drawback is that eating out is expensive, since you're on an island and have little choice. Pub grub is always hearty fare, although you might want to treat yourself to the wild salmon or fresh trout at one of the more upscale restaurants.
If you're on the West Coast, Achill Island is something that should not be missed.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
hanhayes
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Member: Hannah Hayes
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 19 members
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