Slievemore — Famine Curse Secrets

Your journey begins in the heart of the Slievemore Deserted Village, a National Monument Ireland, where 80 to 100 19th-century dry-stone houses stand silently. This archaeological site, preserved since the 1980s, immerses you in the 'rundale' agrarian system typical of Irish islands before the famine. From 1845 to 1855, the Great Famine forced Achill residents to emigrate or join the 'tillage' system on the landlord's lands, John George Bloomfield, whose decisions shaped the fate of these families. Every summer since 1991, archaeologists from University College Dublin excavate this site, revealing the layers of a broken rural life.

A short walk from the abandoned village, you reach Slievemore Cemetery, another Great Famine Heritage Site. Used from the 19th century until the 1940s, this sacred place holds communal graves, or 'lisheen', linked to the victims of the Great Famine of 1845-1852. Approximately 0.5 km northwest of the Deserted Village parking, accessible within a 10-minute walk, you can observe Celtic crosses and Gaelic inscriptions dating from the 1840s, poignant testimonies of the distress and faith of the era. These stones speak of a time when survival was a daily struggle on Achill Island, in Connacht.

Your path then leads you to Dugort Church (St. Mary's Church), an Anglican church built in 1817 in Dugort, about 1 km from the Deserted Village. Erected by the Church Mission Society to convert local Catholics during the famine, it symbolizes a period of religious tensions. Reverend Edward Nangle, a key figure in the evangelical mission from 1831 to 1874, led his congregation here. With its 20-meter-high tower and original capacity for 200 worshippers, this church offers a perspective on attempts at influence and social control during the crisis in Achill.

As you head towards Slievemore Mountain, you discover the Slievemore Round Tower, a primitive 'cloichteach' dating from the 10th-12th century. About 10 meters high and located 0.8 km from the Deserted Village, it is visible during your walk. Probably built by monks to monitor the coasts against the Vikings, this tower has been classified as a National Monument by the Irish Office of Public Works since 1987. It reminds you of the ancient threats that weighed on Connacht, long before the famine, and the resilience of Achill's communities in the face of adversity.

Your exploration of Achill's secrets concludes with an understanding of the links between these sites. The ruins of Carrickkildavnet Castle, built in the 15th century by the O'Malley clan and associated with Grace O'Malley (Granuaile, 1530-1603), remind you of the island's long history of resistance. This castle, 1.2 km southwest of the parking, served as a temporary refuge during the famine, as did Kildownet Castle (O'Malley Castle) from the 14th century, whose remains were consolidated in 2005 by Heritage Ireland. You leave Achill with a comprehensive view of its heritage, from medieval struggles to the sufferings of the Great Famine, an unforgettable thematic circuit to understand the history of this Connacht island.