The Ancient Dark Past of Achill
Achill has a history of human settlement that is at least 5,000 years old. The remains of megalithic tombs and monuments suggest settlement by Neolithic man in the 3rd or 4th centuries BC. These people significantly changed the landscape of the area, which at the time was heavily forested. Neolithic culture brought farming to Achill, requiring the clearing of forest for cereal crops, and walled fields for livestock. It is estimated that at the end of the Neolithic period, Achill had a population of 500-1000 people.
Evidence of Bronze Age settlement on Achill includes hut platforms and associated field systems and enclosures in the area of Slievemore. The remains of several promontory forts along the coast show that settlement expanded across Achill Island in the Iron Age (c. 400BC). It is thought that many Ulster families sought refuge in Achill, and the prevalance of Ulster surnames in modern Achill supports this. Names such as Gallagher, O’Donnell, Corrigan, Cafferkey and Mulloy are common in Achill but have their origins in Ulster.The ‘Colony’ was very successful for a time, even buying two-thirds of the island. Its success provoked a great long-running row between Nangle and the Catholic Archbishop John McHale, who built a monastery in nearby Bunnacurry to counteract the strength of the Colony. Set at the foot of the south-facing slope of Slievemore mountain near Keel, the Deserted Village consists of the remains of almost 100 traditional stone cottages. It is thought that the village was occupied during several different stages in history, with some of the buildings perhaps being constructed on top of previous houses. Achill is thought to be one of the last places in Europe to have practised this lifestyle. There are a number of other booley villages on the island, including one at Bunowna (in the valley at Keem Bay) and another at Annagh, but Slievemore is by far the largest and best preserved.
Evidence of Bronze Age settlement on Achill includes hut platforms and associated field systems and enclosures in the area of Slievemore. The remains of several promontory forts along the coast show that settlement expanded across Achill Island in the Iron Age (c. 400BC). It is thought that many Ulster families sought refuge in Achill, and the prevalance of Ulster surnames in modern Achill supports this. Names such as Gallagher, O’Donnell, Corrigan, Cafferkey and Mulloy are common in Achill but have their origins in Ulster.The ‘Colony’ was very successful for a time, even buying two-thirds of the island. Its success provoked a great long-running row between Nangle and the Catholic Archbishop John McHale, who built a monastery in nearby Bunnacurry to counteract the strength of the Colony. Set at the foot of the south-facing slope of Slievemore mountain near Keel, the Deserted Village consists of the remains of almost 100 traditional stone cottages. It is thought that the village was occupied during several different stages in history, with some of the buildings perhaps being constructed on top of previous houses. Achill is thought to be one of the last places in Europe to have practised this lifestyle. There are a number of other booley villages on the island, including one at Bunowna (in the valley at Keem Bay) and another at Annagh, but Slievemore is by far the largest and best preserved.
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