AAA Traveler - Spring 2019 - Cover3

ROAD LESS TRAVELED

TRAVELER
The residents of
Ireland's Achill Island
know all too well the
power of weather. Prior
to 1984, the island off
the northwest coast
of Ireland boasted a
beach in Dooagh, where
according to The Irish
Times, English novelist
Graham Greene stayed
at a cottage and actress
Angela Lansbury visited
as a child. In the winter of
1984, however, a storm
robbed the Atlantic
Ocean-facing beach of its sand, leaving only rocks in its wake. Remarkably
in April 2017 over the course of about a week, a strong, persistent wind
helped restore golden sand to the beach in its horseshoe-shaped bay.
"[Our island] is a very special place," admits Sean Molloy, manager
of Achill Tourism. "This landscape and its people have provided the
inspiration for many writers and artists." He cites Nobel Prize-winning
German author Heinrich Boll and painters Paul Henry, Robert Henri and
Camille Souter specifically.
Such creative types - and those who appreciate dramatic landscapes
- largely have the storms, which regularly batter and reshape the
topography, to thank. Not only have the winds and waves developed
beaches, they also have formed corrie lakes. One of the most notable
pools is a few feet above Annagh Beach, which Molloy calls Achill's
"greatest secret." No road leads to this beach, located on the island's
northern edge. Instead, a 1.5- to two-hour hike rewards trekkers with
solitude and magnificent views. Visitors with less time often head to the
island's most famous beach, at Keem Bay, accessed via a cliff-top road.
A spin along the Atlantic Drive presents more spectacular views of the
ocean crashing onto the rocky coast.
The deserted village at the foot of Slievemore mountain reflects another
aspect of this unique island. Here, the ruins of nearly 90 stone homes
remain, vestiges of life in 19th-century Ireland before the Great Famine.
Today, the island hosts two traditional cottage industries: salt harvesting
and whiskey distilling. Achill
Island Sea Salt has a visitor
center and offers tours of its
Bunnacurry factory. Whiskey
producer IrishAmerican
Trading Company also plans
to open a visitor center on
Achill in 2019.
- Amity Moore Joyce

Achill Island

SPRING 2019

PUBLISHER

Dave Parsons
EDITOR

Kristy Tolley
ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Janean Flowe
CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Wayne Kan
SENIOR DESIGNER

Amanda Johnson
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Morgan Keith
Rachel Hawkins
VICE PRESIDENT,
TRAVEL & BRANCH OPERATIONS

Sarah Henshall
SR. MANAGER,
TRAVEL MARKETING & PRODUCT

Darcy Grimes
MANAGER, TRAVEL MARKETING

Julie Elberson

AAA INQUIRIES:
Attn. Travel Marketing
6600 AAA Drive
Charlotte, NC 28212
704-569-3600

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Editorial Inquiries:

kltolley@AAACarolinas.com
AAA Traveler - Spring 2019

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