Achillbeg
Native name: Acaill Bheag | |
|---|---|
 Achillbeg's lighthouse | |
  Achillbeg | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 53°51′N 9°57′W / 53.850°N 9.950°W |
| Administration | |
| Province | Connacht |
| County | Mayo |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1 |
Acaill Bheag (Achillbeg) is a small island in County Mayo, Ireland, just off the southern tip of Achill Island.
Etymology
Its name means Little Achill.
History
Acaill Bheag was evacuated in 1965 after being inhabited for over 3000 years[1] and the inhabitants were settled on the main (Achill) island and nearby mainland. The main settlement was in the centre of the island, bounded by two hills to the north and south. There are a small number of holiday homes on the island, but they are usually empty for most of the year. Access to the island is from Cé Mhór, in the village of An Chloich Mhór (Cloghmore), by local arrangement. A lighthouse on Acaill Bheag's southern tip was completed in 1965.
A comprehensive book about the life and times of the island and the people and way of life there, "Achillbeg - The Life of an Island", by Jonathan Beaumont was published in 2005.[2]
In 2012, a small plaque was built on Achillbeg to celebrate 100 years since boxer Johnny Kilbane’s first championship win.[3]
The Irish artist Pete Hogan wrote a book about his time spent living on the island in 1983, The Artist on the Island: An Achill Journal which was published in 2013.[4]
Demographics
The table below reports data on Achillbeg's population taken from Discover the Islands of Ireland (1999)[5] and the Census of Ireland.
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| Source: Central Statistics Office. "CNA17: Population by Off Shore Island, Sex and Year". CSO.ie. Retrieved 12 October 2016. (E2021 for 2016 figures) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- ^ "Achill Beg". www.loveachill.ie. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ Beaumont, Jonathan (28 February 2005). Achillbeg: The Life of an Island. The Oakwood Press. ISBN 0853616310.
- ^ "Statue of former boxing champion unveiled". The Mayo News. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
- ^ Hogan, Pete (3 February 2014). The Artist on the Island: An Achill Journal. The Liffey Press. ISBN 9781908308498.
- ^ Ritsema, Alex (1 January 1999). Discover the Islands of Ireland. The Collins Press. ISBN 1898256675.
External links
Media related to Achillbeg at Wikimedia Commons
