The islands of Ireland: Achillbeg a beauty to behold off Mayo

Dwarfed by its magnificent neighbour, Achillbeg lies to the south east of the dominant landmass with which it shares a name. It forms the pinnacle of an inverted triangle and was once connected to Achill itself. Now, a narrow sound separates the two Achills through which a powerful current flows.

Clare Island lies just south — another formidable neighbour.

It may not have Achill’s size but what it lacks in scale it makes up in beauty. Two peaks are separated by a fertile valley at the edge of which the village population once thronged. And throng they did, for this relatively small island once boasted a population of 178 people (1841). The year-round population today is nil though some of the descendants of the islanders have holiday homes there which restores some life in the summer. In an odd twist of fate, the island was evacuated in 1965 which was the same year the lighthouse was built.