Overview
The Bills’ Rocks are three sea stacks – known locally as ‘The Bill’ – standing about 124 feet (38 m) out of the Atlantic, roughly nine miles off the south of Achill Island. On a clear day you can pick them out from Keel Beach as three points on the southern horizon. There is no landing and no facilities, so seeing them up close means a boat, which makes it a proper excursion rather than a coastal stroll.
The rocks are a designated Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive, covering 149.66 hectares (EU site code IE0004177) to protect their breeding seabirds. If the sea is up, don’t count on getting out to them – this is a fair-weather trip, and plenty of visitors settle for the view from the Achill shore.
The name and the shipwreck
The rocks are named for Mathias De Bille, a captain in the Royal Danish Navy. In January 1782 his frigate Bornholm, dismasted in a hurricane, was driven onto this coast; De Bille brought the ship into Melcombe Bay near Newport, clearing the offshore stacks, but died in Newport that St Patrick’s Day. The Danish crown paid for De Bille House on Newport’s Main Street in thanks. The family kept an Irish link: his grandson, Torber de Ville, served as Danish ambassador to the Court of St James in 1860 and married an Irishwoman, Louisa Elizabeth Domville.
There is an older story too. Local lore ties the Bills to Plato’s account of Atlantis, casting the stacks as the last of a drowned land – the kind of tale that attaches itself to any rock far enough out to sea.
Wildlife and conservation
As a Natura 2000 seabird site, the whole point of the Bills’ Rocks is the birds that breed on them, a colony recorded here since the early 20th century. The stacks are busiest in spring and early summer, when the seabirds are nesting. Boats keep their distance and landing is not permitted – both to avoid disturbing the birds and because there is nowhere safe to put ashore on rock this exposed.
The waters around the stacks are deep and cold, and the reefs draw anglers and the occasional dive boat, along with grey seals and, less predictably, passing cetaceans. Sightings are never guaranteed; the reward is the Atlantic itself as much as any single species.
Getting there
Because the rocks are offshore, a visit depends entirely on boat operators and the sea. Charter and small-boat trips run out of Achill through the summer, weather permitting, usually circling the stacks slowly for photographs and birdwatching. There are no fixed departures and no opening hours – operators cancel when swell or wind climb, so confirm on the morning you plan to go. Achill Tourism can point you to the operators running that season.
What to bring
- Warm, waterproof layers – even in summer, sea spray and wind chill bite offshore
- Binoculars for the birds
- A camera with a zoom lens
- Seasickness medication if you’re prone to it
- Cash or card for charter fees
Safety and conservation The site is for observation only. Landing on the rocks is prohibited, both to protect nesting birds and because of the swell and tides around them. Follow the crew’s instructions, stay seated in transit and keep a respectful distance from wildlife.
Nearby
- The dramatic coastline and beaches of Achill Island, the launch point for any trip out to the stacks
- The bogs and mountains of Wild Nephin National Park on the mainland
Time a visit for spring or early summer, when the birds are nesting and the stacks are at their busiest – then pick a settled morning, because whether you get out at all is at the mercy of the Atlantic.