Overview
Eight people live on Inishbiggle. In 1881 it was 171. The island has been emptying for a century, and what’s left is a 2.6 km² patch of the Bullsmouth Channel between the northeast tip of Achill Island and the Mayo mainland near Ballycroy, where sheep farming, small-scale fishing and winkle picking are still ordinary work rather than heritage displays. It’s reached only by boat, and there is almost nothing to do here – which, for the right kind of visitor, is exactly the appeal.
An unusual island
Inishbiggle is one of very few places in the Republic that is both a Gaeltacht, Irish-speaking, and traditionally Protestant. The two show up together in the bilingual signage and in Holy Trinity Church, a stone chapel on the eastern side of the island, ringed with pink rhododendrons in early summer and reachable from both ferry piers. It still holds the occasional service.
The island once had a school, a post office and an oyster fishery that dredged the channel and sold as far as County Clare – until, by local account, men from Murrisk wrecked the beds. The commercial life is gone now. In 1996 a proposed cable-car across the Bullsmouth Channel, which would have ended the island’s isolation, was rejected by Mayo County Council over worries about the look of it, traffic and property values. So the only way on is still the boat.
Getting there
Access depends entirely on weather and tide. The Bullsmouth Channel runs one of the strongest currents in Europe, and in winter the crossing can be impossible for days; in fair weather it takes about ten minutes. Two operators run it, and booking ahead is essential:
- From Achill: Joe O’Malley from Bullsmouth (Dooniver) – the O’Malley service has a website (inishbiggleferry.com) and also hires out bikes. Phone +353 86 0612482.
- From the mainland: Michael Leneghan from Doran’s Point, Ballycroy. Phone +353 87 1269618.
Fares and bike-hire rates aren’t published in a way worth quoting here, so check current prices with the operator when you book. Lifejackets are provided. There’s a helipad for emergencies, but for everyone else it’s the ferry or nothing.
The loop walk
The island’s one set-piece is a coastal loop of four to five kilometres (sources disagree on the exact distance), starting from the piers at Bullsmouth and Gubnadoogha. It’s flat and easy, winding through low pasture, past dry-stone walls and along sheltered shore, though a few stretches get muddy after rain – wear proper shoes. Allow 60 to 90 minutes, more if you stop for the views across the channel. Along the way you’ll pass Holy Trinity Church and its graveyard, scattered old cottages, and rock pools that locals still work for winkles at low tide. Seals and seabirds are part of the backdrop rather than a guaranteed show.
What to bring, and when to come
There’s nothing on the island – no shop, café, pub, accommodation or public toilets – so bring your own food and water and plan on a day trip. The August Bank Holiday weekend brings the Inis Bigil Festival, with traditional music, crafts and storytelling, and it’s about the only time the island sees a crowd; it’s a genuine chance to meet the people who live here. If you want a longer stay in the area, base yourself in Ballycroy or on Achill Island, and set aside a day for Ballycroy National Park inland.
Ring the ferry the evening before, check the forecast, and be ready to be told no – in a bad westerly, you simply won’t get across, and that’s part of what keeps Inishbiggle the way it is.