Achill Island - Main Page
Achill Island lies off the west coast of Ireland which is situated off the west of the European continent. Although it is an island it is connected to the mainland by a short bridge. It is so near to the mainland that at low tide it is nearly possible, at Achill Sound, to walk over the sandy gap which separates Achill from the rest of Ireland. When the tide is coming in or going out the force of the sea water rushing through the narrow gaps which separate the island from the mainland is very strong indeed and it would take a Hercules to swim across, and even at that, they would be swept far from a direct line between the set off point and the bank on the opposite side. Even a small boat with an outboard engine would find great difficulty going against the tidal flow. I haven't tried it myself - and I don't ever intend to! Being on the north-eastern edge of the Atlantic Ocean, the island is windswept and rugged. The weather is mainly influenced in summer by the warm air coming over from Africa and Europe which meets with the air coming from the Atlantic, and in winter by the cold air coming over from Europe which meets with the warm moist air coming from the Atlantic - this usually means damp weather with wind, and plenty of storms. The positive aspect to the winter weather is that the temperature in Achill is a lot milder than in either the midlands or the east coast of Ireland, mostly due to the gulf stream which brings warmer water to the west coast than what one would expect from our northerly position. So, is there anything good to be said about Achill? Of course there is! On a sunny summer's day - we do get a few of them! - Achill is a wonderful place to be. In the depths of winter there is time for contemplation, a time to relax, a time to enjoy life in the slow lane, a time to live, a time to sit in front of a turf fire and hear the storms and gales crashing outside . . . . . AND . . a time to pray that the roof stays on! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ O ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Achill pages on this siteTurf and Bogland in AchillTurf cut from the bogland in Achill can be used for fuel to burn in a fireplace. For more information and photographs follow the links. • Turf 1 - Introduction The basics of turf.• Turf 2 - Cutting Turf All about cutting turf, especially with a hand implement - the slane. • Turf 3 - Drying Turf The process of drying turf so it can be useful. • Turf 4 - Storing Turf The different ways of storing turf.
Paintings and Sketches of Achill
Photographs of Achill
Information and Culture in Achill Update: 1st March 2011 |
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