Local Essentials
The practical stuff most travel sites skip. Everything you need to know before visiting Achill Island, from parking to pharmacies.
Emergency Services
General Emergency
112 or 999
Coast Guard
112 or 999, ask for the Coast Guard. The whole island coastline, including Keem Bay, Keel strand and the Atlantic Drive, is covered by the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI. Dial 112 or 999 rather than trying to contact a local unit directly.
Garda Station
Achill Sound Garda Station (Gob an Choire), Achill Sound, Co. Mayo, F28 YT21, +353 98 20830
Mayo University Hospital, Westport Road, Knockaphunta, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, F23 H529. 24-hour Emergency Department, all ages. About 50 km and roughly 50 minutes by road from Achill Sound, and about 65 km and a little over an hour from the western villages such as Keel and Dooagh.
+353 94 904 2379Achill Health Centre
Sraheens, Achill Sound, Achill Island, Co. Mayo, F28 E142
+353 98 45231HSE primary care and public health nurse services, Monday to Friday. Not an emergency department.
Open Monday to Friday 9:30am to 5pm, closed weekends and public holidays. There is no emergency department on the island. The same building hosts the Westdoc out-of-hours GP clinic, but on weeknights only, from 6pm to 9am Monday to Friday; it does not open at weekends or on public holidays. Phone Westdoc on 0818 360 000 before travelling and you will be directed to the nearest open centre, which at weekends is Castlebar or Westport.
There is no emergency department on Achill Island itself; the nearest is Mayo University Hospital in Castlebar, and there is no injury unit anywhere in Co. Mayo. For a cliff, water or hillwalking emergency (Keem Bay, Croaghaun, the Atlantic Drive coastline) dial 112 or 999 and ask for the Coast Guard or Mountain Rescue as appropriate. Note that the Westdoc out-of-hours GP clinic on the island runs on weeknights only and does not open at weekends or on public holidays; phone Westdoc on 0818 360 000 and you will be directed to the nearest centre that is open, which at weekends is on the mainland. Mind the tide at Keem Bay and along the Atlantic Drive shoreline.
Pharmacies
Achill Pharmacy
Achill Sound, Co. Mayo
The main pharmacy serving Achill Island, at Achill Sound near the bridge from the mainland.