Keem Bay Achill
Keem Bay at the western tip of Achill Island in County Mayo is widely regarded as the most beautiful beach in Ireland, a small arc of brilliant white sand enclosed beneath the dramatic shark's fin profile of Croaghaun mountain and accessible only by the spectacular clifftop road that provides the most dramatic beach approach drive available in Ireland. The combination of the beach quality, the extraordinary mountain setting, the clear turquoise water and the complete absence of commercial development creates a beach experience of exceptional beauty and wildness in one of the most remote accessible corners of the Wild Atlantic Way.
The beach faces northwest into the Atlantic Ocean and the clarity of the water, combined with the white sand beneath, creates the turquoise colour characteristic of the finest Atlantic beaches in conditions that belong more to the Caribbean in popular imagination than to the west coast of Ireland. The water is cold throughout the year but the beach provides excellent swimming in calm conditions during the summer months when the Atlantic is at its warmest.
The road to Keem Bay from the Achill Sound end of the island traverses the full dramatic length of Achill, the clifftop sections above the Atlantic providing a driving experience of remarkable scenic intensity. The combination of the road journey and the beach destination creates one of the most complete and most rewarding coastal experiences available on the Wild Atlantic Way.