Achill Island is the largest of the Irish isles and lies off the west coast of Ireland in County Mayo. It has a population of 2,345. Its area is 148 km2 (57 sq mi). Achill is attached to the mainland by Michael Davitt Bridge, between the villages of Achill Sound and Polranny. A bridge was first completed here in 1887. Other centres of population include the villages of Keel, Dooagh, Dooega, Dooniver, and Dugort. The parish's main Gaelic football pitch and secondary school are on the mainland at Polranny. Early human settlements are believed to have been established on Achill around 3000 BC. The island is 87% peat bog. The parish of Achill consists of Achill Island, Achillbeg, Inishbiggle and the Corraun Peninsula.
Westport is a town in County Mayo in Ireland. It is at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of Ireland. Westport is a tourist destination and scores highly for quality of life. It won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition three times in 2001, 2006 and 2008. In 2012 it won the Best Place to Live in Ireland competition run by The Irish Times.
The Great Southern Railways Company was an Irish company that from 1925 until 1945 owned and operated all railways that lay wholly within the Irish Free State.
The MGWR Class D-bogie were first 4-4-0 operated by the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) of Ireland. They were rebuilt from MGWR Class D 2-4-0 locomotives in 1900/01 with the intention to use them on the Dublin to Sligo mainline but they proved underpowered for this work and were allocated to more suitable work around County Mayo, including Achill. This led to their nicknames of Mayo Bogies or Achill Bogies. Following the merger of the MGWR into Great Southern Railways (GSR) they also became designated class 530 or D16.
Murrisk is a village in County Mayo, Ireland, on the south side of Clew Bay, about 8 km west of Westport and 4 km east of Lecanvey.
Jonathan Beaumont is an author of a number of books on Irish interest. He also works as a tour guide.
The Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) was the third largest Irish gauge railway company in Ireland. It was incorporated in 1845 and absorbed into the Great Southern Railways in 1924. At its peak the MGWR had a network of 538 miles (866 km), making it Ireland's third largest network after the Great Southern and Western Railway (GS&WR) and the Great Northern Railway of Ireland.
Manulla Junction railway station is a transfer point for train passengers in County Mayo, Ireland.
Castlebar railway station serves the town of Castlebar in County Mayo, Ireland.
Westport railway station serves the town of Westport, County Mayo, Ireland.
Broadstone railway station was the Dublin terminus of the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR), located in the Dublin suburb of Broadstone. The site also contained the MGWR railway works and a steam locomotive motive power depot. A Luas tram station opened at the front of the station in 2017.
Dooagh is a village located on Achill Island in County Mayo, Ireland. It is best known for the nearby Keem Bay, a Blue Flag beach.
The MGWR class E was a small 0-6-0T steam locomotive class designed in 1891 by Martin Atock, the then locomotive superintendent of the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) and twelve engines were built. After the MGWR was merged into Great Southern Railways (GSR) in 1925 they were designated Class 551 or J26. They were also known as the Irish Terrier class.
Dumha Éige is a village in the south west of Achill Island on the west coast of Ireland in County Mayo. It is in the Gaeltacht and is the home of Coláiste Acla. It once had a National School. The scenic area is part of the Achill Atlantic Drive. Dumha Éige/Dooega has a Blue Flag beach, a church, a pub and guesthouse.
The Great Western Greenway is a greenway rail trail in County Mayo, Ireland. It is 42 kilometres long and begins in Westport and ends in Achill, passing through the towns of Newport and Mulranny as it runs along the coast of Clew Bay. It is an off-road trail intended for use by cyclists and walkers. It follows the route of the former Achill extension of the Westport railway line, which was constructed in the 1890s and closed in 1937. An estimated 300 people cycle and walk the trail each day, which was constructed at a cost of €5.7 million. The first section, from Newport to Mulranny, was opened in April 2010. It was named as the 2011 Irish winner of the European Destinations of Excellence award. The full route was opened by Taoiseach Enda Kenny, T. D. and Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring, T. D., on 29 July 2011.
The R319 road is a regional road in County Mayo, Ireland. It is the main road to Achill Island from the rest of the country.
The MGWR Class K was a Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) 2-4-0 designed by Martin Atock for passenger work and introduced from 1893. They replaced earlier MGWR Class D locomotives that carried the same namesand numbers. The class was also known as the Great Southern Railways (GSR) 650 G2 class.
Bridget Patricia Byrne is an Irish writer of narrative nonfiction. Two of her books deal with historical events in nineteenth-century Achill Island.
The Galway to Clifden Railway or Connemara Railway was a railway line opened in Ireland by the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) in 1895. It led from Galway to Clifden, the chief town of the sparsely populated Connemara region in western County Galway. It was closed by the MGWR's successor, the Great Southern Railways (GSR) in 1935.
