Lonely Planet keen on Keem as beach ranked among world’s best
KEEM Bay on Achill Island has been named as one of the 100 best beaches in the world by esteemed travel publication Lonely Planet.
The popular spot in Co. Mayo was described as ‘jaw-droppingly beautiful’ by the travel guide.
Keem Bay has found itself in good company on the list, having been lauded alongside iconic landscapes in Southeast Asia and the Caribbean.
In Lonely Planet’s new book, Best Beaches: 100 Of The World’s Most Incredible Beaches, it describes the horseshoe bay as a ‘pale-blonde beach’ set among
‘Sloping green hillsides’
‘sloping green hillsides’.
The entry adds: ‘A vertiginous yet jaw-droppingly beautiful 8km drive from Keel village, at the distant western end of Co. Mayo’s Achill Island, sets the scene for one of Ireland’s most glorious, secluded strands.’
It continues: ‘Sloping green hillsides spill down to a deep-set horseshoe bay, where a Blue-Flag delight of a pale-blonde beach sits framed by the Croaghaun Cliffs (Ireland’s highest sea cliffs) and the thundering moodyblue Atlantic.’
Keem was recently showcased on the big screen as it was used for several scenes in the popular film The Banshees Of Inisherin, starring Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan, catapulting the location to a worldwide audience as it was nominated for nine Oscars.
Director Martin McDonagh said he wanted to ‘capture the beauty of Ireland and lean into that’, adding: ‘The story is dark enough anyway, but we wanted the visuals and the locations to be as cinematic as possible.’
Other beaches to grace the Lonely Planet list include Maya Bay in Thailand and Bottom Bay in Barbados, both noted as major tourist attractions.