Marvel at the beautiful West Coast and Wild Atlantic Way

Jo Kerrigan enjoys a walk through Ireland’s history and the spectacular scenery of its western seaboard.

Keem Beach on Achill Island, CoMayo, features prominently in a list of the world’s Top 50 beaches.

The west coast of Ireland is famed worldwide and it’s not hard to see why. Even those who have driven the Big Sur in California, or navigated the twisting roads of the Italian seaports will admit that there is nothing quite like this superb region.

The tossing Atlantic, deepest blue at one moment, emerald or turquoise the next, is ever-present as a backdrop. Sheer cliffs and rugged promontories, deserted sandy beaches and mysterious deep inlets, tempting offshore islands, are all there to be discovered. And at every corner there is something fascinating to discover about a townland, a village, a historical event.