Achill Island, Co Mayo, in the west of Ireland, has long been an inspiration for artists and writers including Graham Greene, Heinrich Boll, Robert Henri and Paul Henry. Achill 24/7 profiles these artists and offers poems, Ireland pictures and tourism information about Achill Island.

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Achill Island 24/7

This Achill 24/7 Web site aims to offer information on artists and writers who have lived and worked on Achill Island, Co Mayo, in the west of Ireland. We also provide poems from Achill writer Anne Kelly (RIP) and galleries of Ireland pictures from the Achill area. A guide to tourism on Achill and a selection of links are included.

Ireland Pictures from Achill Island

Photo of Kildavnet, Achill Island

Five full galleries of Ireland pictures from Achill Island and Co Mayo - and more in the pipeline! We also have our original tourism gallery and pictures from St Patrick's Day on Achill Island.

Ireland Pictures index page

Poems from Achill Island

The late Achill Island writer Anne Kelly published three books of poetry. The third of these, 'A New Tomorrow' is still available for purchase (full details) with all proceeds going to the charity L'Arche. Many of her poems are based directly on people, places and events on Achill Island. We offer a daily poem from Anne Kelly's collection as well as a full archive of her remarkable poetry.

Achill poems by Anne Kelly



Achill Links

Achill Island Artists

Painting of 'The Road to the Mountains', by Paul Henry

Irish artist Paul Henry lived and worked on Achill between 1910-1919, a hugely formative period in his career. American artist Robert Henri stayed annually between 1924 and 1928 and painted hundreds of portraits of local Achill Island children, while the contemporary artist Camille Souter has had a home on Achill Island since the 1950s.

Achill Artists index page

Writers on Achill Island

English novelist Graham Greene visited and stayed on Achill Island with his mistress, the American society hostess Catherine Walston, in the late 1940s. Walston also entertained the Castlebar-born revolutionary and writer Ernie O'Malley at her cottage at Dooagh on Achill. The German writer Heinrich Boll, the German writer who was the winner of the 1972 Nobel Prize for Literature, first visited Achill Island in 1955. He returned regularly to Achill to write, renting a summer home in Dugort. Heinrich Boll's 1957 book 'An Irish Journey' records his first visit to Ireland and life as he found it in the 1950s on Achill Island. The Anglo-Irish playwright J.M. Synge was deeply influenced by life on Ireland's western seaboard and based his most famous work, 'The Playboy of the Western World', in north Mayo close to Achill Island.

Achill Writers index page

Planning a visit to Achill?
Turasòireacht Acla / Achill Tourism provides an official visitor's guide to Achill at its website www.achilltourism.com. Offering details of accommodation on Achill, events and festivals, places to vist on Achill and activities on Achill.

This guide to Achill Island also includes maps and travel information and details of Achill's history and culture.

Achill Cottages offers superior self catering accommodation on Achill Island.

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Popular Pages
Quick links to the top 20 most visited pages on Achill 24/7:
  1. Pictures index
  2. Poem: Hatred
  3. Paul Henry
  4. Daily Poem
  5. Achill Accommodation
  6. Paul Henry gallery
  7. Ireland pictures 2
  8. Ireland pictures 1
  9. Ireland pictures 3
  10. Tourism gallery
  11. Ireland pictures 5
  12. Ireland pictures 4
  13. Poem: Survival
  14. J.M. Synge
  15. Achill Links page
  16. Poem: Cancer
  17. Achill Artists
  18. Heinrich Boll
  19. Robert Henri gallery
  20. Graham Greene
(Based on stats from Jan 2011)