

The Boil
A tradition whereby the first salmon of the season caught off Keem Bay was boiled on the beach in a bucket of spring water & seawater. It was eaten with your fingers straight from a fish crate. It could happen more often if salmon were plentiful.
Sea Rods
A type of seaweed - but mock rifles too? Listen to the audio for how they were used on Achill
Maolán
A rock that's mostly submerged by the sea. You need to know where it is, or you’ll smash up your boat, and be left “High and dry on the Maolán”. Also means a hornless cow, blunt object, low rounded hill, bald person.
Maoim
A shallow, or an area where the rocks are near the surface.
Greallach
A place where the cattle would go on to the mountain and they would have churned up this; muddy part of mountain from livestock. Also, mire, puddly ground, slush, quagmire.
Oichín
A cove - common on Achill and Clare Island. A small cove. Óichín duine marbh (Little Cove of the dead person) – a sailor’s body was washed up there during WWII. Óiche dhubh. The black cove.
Stranach (gen. stranaí)
The whistling or murmuring of the sea in a cove when the water rushes in and gets pulled out. Óichín Stranaí on Achill Head – the Little Cover of the murmuring sea. Gobán Stranaí. The little headland of the whistling sea. “
Gaoth
An inlet or estuary (only in Mayo & Donegal). An area of water where the tide comes in, or where it goes around a headland. On Achill Headland there is an Ghaoith, or the Gwee. Gaoth Sáile.
The Haul
The net gathering a the culmination of a practise of draught fishing in Keem Bay on Achill Island.
Coire (pronounced caiya on Achill)
A lake produced by a glacier during the Ice Age. An Coire Mór (Correymore) is where Captain Boycott lived. Coire an Dubair Linn (Corrie of the gloomy lake). Also means a large pot, or cauldron, amphitheatre. Pit. Whirlpool.
Ró
A headland sticking out. Smaller than a gob which is also a headland. Ró can also mean prosperous, success and balminess.
Bruth
A big swell. The surf. (Also means a rash, the down on a cat's cheek and heat.) Pronounced 'bruff' on Achill.
Carraig a' phota
A rock beyond Keem Bay where fishing boats would land a man to boil up a pot of spuds in saltwater, using some sods of turf lit on a rock.
Toiteog
Large waves on the shore. At Keem Beach fishermen would wait for 3 of them before a calm would come to allow them get out into their boat. (also a boom, or explosion.)
Scoith
The extreme/furthest away end of the beach, possibly from 'scoite' (seperated, isolated, scattered apart from.)
Scuthóg (pl. scuthóigí)
Waves under the sea, out from the coast that cause white horses, possibly from 'scothach' - a rocky ridge extending into the sea, a reef.
John Twin McNamara
Raidhse focal ó cheoltóír agus béaloideasóir as Acla.
John Twin of Scoil Acla has been a zealous guardian of Achill Island lore and placenames. He remembers the days of shark fishing from currachs and the names of every field passed down to him by his grandfather.
John Twin of Scoil Acla has been a zealous guardian of Achill Island lore and placenames. He remembers the days of shark fishing from currachs and the names of every field passed down to him by his grandfather.
Focail Farraige & Sea Terms - Oileán Acla (Achill Island, Co Mayo)
John Twin on How Achill Lost its language.(The image show his grandfather sitting in the chair)
Where did John Twin get his rich collection of placenames and words