Keem Bay
About
A blue flag beach at the far western end of Achill, tucked into a natural amphitheatre between Croaghaun and Moyteoge Head. Keem was a working basking shark fishery in the 19th and early 20th centuries and later the site of a lifeboat station that operated for more than a hundred years. Captain Charles Boycott farmed here before his later notoriety gave the English language its word. The bay was also a filming location for The Banshees of Inisherin. The small car park above the beach fills up fast on a good summer day.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓blue-flag
- ✓cliff-backdrop
- ✓basking-shark-history
- ✓filming-location
Tips
- →Arrive early in July and August; the car park is small and fills by mid-morning.
- →The water is cold even in summer and currents can be strong away from the flagged swimming area.
Best Season
More Attraction Activities
Keel Beach (Trawmore / Keel Sandybanks)
Keel's long sandy blue flag beach, backed by the Cathedral Cliffs of Minaun, the island's watersports hub.
The Deserted Village, Slievemore
Around 80 empty famine-era stone cottages under Slievemore, freely accessible on foot.
Achill Island Golf Club
Links golf course at Keel, dune-backed with the Cathedral Cliffs of Minaun behind it.