112-546: Tóin an tSeanbhaile (Traditionally: Tóin a'tSean-bhaile , colloquial English: the Valley/Tonatanvally ) is a small village located on the north east point of Achill Island , Ireland . It lies within the Mayo Gaeltacht . Tóin an tSeanbhaile is one of the flattest places on Achill Island, a shallow plain encircled by low hills which is bordered mostly by the sea, with Ridge Point to the north, and Sruhill Lough to
224-401: A Crannóg near the centre of the modern village. A cillín , a burial ground for the unbaptised, mainly children, is also found on Caraun point, and which gives it its Irish name Rinn na Leanbh . John Goodacre sold the 1,900 acres (7.7 km) of land around Tóin an tSeanbhaile which had been bought by his father, Frederick Lambart, 8th Earl of Cavan in the early 1870s. Lambart built
336-408: A tapetum lucidum ; these adaptations allow for large amounts of light to pass through the eye and, therefore, a very clear image of the surrounding area. They also have glands on the eyelids and outer corneal layer that act as protection for the cornea. The olfactory lobes are absent in toothed whales, suggesting that they have no sense of smell. Some whales, such as the bowhead whale , possess
448-485: A vomeronasal organ , which does mean that they can "sniff out" krill. Whales are not thought to have a good sense of taste, as their taste buds are atrophied or missing altogether. However, some toothed whales have preferences between different kinds of fish, indicating some sort of attachment to taste. The presence of the Jacobson's organ indicates that whales can smell food once inside their mouth, which might be similar to
560-460: A ' rundale ' system was used for farming. This meant that the land around a village was rented from a landlord. This land was then shared by all the villagers to graze their cattle and sheep. Each family would then have two or three small pieces of land scattered about the village, which they used to grow crops. For many years people lived in the village and then in 1845 famine struck in Achill as it did in
672-473: A boat overturned in Clew Bay, drowning thirty-two young people. They had been going to meet the steamer SS Elm which would take them to Britain for potato picking. The Kirkintilloch Fire in 1937 almost fulfilled the second part of the prophecy when the bodies of ten victims were carried by rail to Achill. While it was not literally the last train, the railway closed just two weeks later. These people had died in
784-461: A close relationship with Achill Island, including the landscape painter Paul Henry . Within the emerging Irish Free State, Paul Henry's landscapes from Achill and other areas reinforced a vision of Ireland of communities living in harmony with the land. He lived in Achill for almost a decade with his wife, artist Grace Henry and, while using similar subject-matter, the pair developed very different styles. This relationship of artists with Achill
896-733: A different reason for it, for example, the killer whale was named "Ballena asesina" 'killer whale' by Spanish sailors. The term "Great Whales" covers those currently regulated by the International Whaling Commission : the Odontoceti family Physeteridae (sperm whales); and the Mysticeti families Balaenidae (right and bowhead whales), Eschrichtiidae (grey whales), and some of the Balaenopteridae (Minke, Bryde's, Sei, Blue and Fin; not Eden's and Omura's whales). The whales are part of
1008-460: A fire in a bothy in Kirkintilloch . This term referred to the temporary accommodation provided for those who went to Scotland to pick potatoes, a migratory pattern that had been established in the early nineteenth century. Kildamhnait on the south-east coast of Achill is named after St. Damhnait, or Dymphna , who founded a church there in the 7th century. There is also a holy well just outside
1120-570: A form of tourism around the world. The word "whale" comes from the Old English hwæl , from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz , from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kwal-o- , meaning "large sea fish". The Proto-Germanic *hwalaz is also the source of Old Saxon hwal , Old Norse hvalr , hvalfiskr , Swedish val , Middle Dutch wal , walvisc , Dutch walvis , Old High German wal , and German Wal . Other archaic English forms include wal, wale, whal, whalle, whaille, wheal , etc. The term "whale"
1232-563: A good growth of common reed, branched bur-reed and bulrush. Birds commonly sighted on the shore include cormorants , shags , snipe , lapwing , oystercatcher , common tern , Arctic tern , Sandwich tern , common gull , kittiwake , black-headed gull , great black-backed gull , lesser black-backed gull , herring gull . Further inshore, species commonly sighted include whooper swan , wigeon , teal , mallard , coot , lapwing , curlew , little grebe , grey heron , red-breasted merganser and light-bellied brent goose . From time to time
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#17330853821591344-510: A half including considerable sectarian unrest. In 1851, Edward Nangle confirmed the purchase of the land which made the Achill Mission the largest landowner on the island. The Achill Mission began to decline slowly after Nangle was moved from Achill and it closed in the 1880s. When Edward Nangle died in 1883 there were opposing views on his legacy. In 1894, the Westport – Newport railway line
1456-514: A hunting lodge on this land. In 1888, his wife (Caroline, the Countess of Cavan) sold the land to Mrs Agnes MacDonnell. Mrs MacDonnell and the estate became national and international news in October 1894, when Mrs MacDonnell was savagely attacked by her employee James Lynchehaun (c. 1864–1937) and left for dead after he set fire to her home at Valley House. His arrests and subsequent escapes were reported in
1568-405: A hyperoceanic blanket bog habitat. Tóin an tSeanbhaile is one of the oldest settlements on Achill island, as evidenced by its name ( Tóin an tSeanbhaile 'the end of the old village'), with a number of prehistoric archaeological sites, including a Cairn to the south of the village near Bun an Churraigh, a Midden , Ringfort and Enclosure on Caraun Point (where the first settlement existed),
1680-610: A local vessel type, the Achill Yawl, have been run since the 19th century. In 2016, the population was 2,594, with 5.2% claiming they spoke Irish on a daily basis outside the education system. The island's population has declined from around 6,000 before the Great Famine of the mid-19th century. The table below reports data on Achill Island's population taken from Discover the Islands of Ireland (Alex Ritsema, Collins Press, 1999) and
1792-552: A marginal flush that is extensive in parts. The flush contains bog mosses Sphagnum recurvum and S. cuspidatum , carnation sedge ( Carex panicea ), marsh pennywort ( Hydrocotyle vulgaris ), oblong-leaved sundew ( Drosera intermedia ), yellow iris ( Iris pseudacorus ) and many-stalked spike-rush ( Eleocharis multicaulis ). The slopes of the low-rising hills to the west of the site support a mosaic of blanket bog and dry heath. Species noted include ling heather, devil's-bit scabious ( Succisa pratensis ), hard fern ( Blechnum spicant ) and
1904-402: A number of attempts at setting up small industrial units on the island have been made, its economy is largely dependent on tourism . Subventions from Achill people working abroad allowed a number of families to remain living in Achill throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. In the past, fishing was a significant activity but this aspect of the economy has since reduced. At one stage, the island
2016-497: A population of 253, which has declined today to an estimated population of 113. Tóin an tSeanbhaile has a broad diversity of wildlife. Marine mammals ( whales , porpoises ) and basking shark are commonly sighted off Ridge point, and the area is well known for its diversity of mosses and liverworts . Common birdsfoot trefoil, ladys bedstraw, various small sedges and sand sedge are found on the Machair near Loch Dubh, and Loch na mBreac has
2128-415: A ruling family of Achill. Grace O' Malley , or Granuaile, the most famous of the O'Malleys, was born on Clare Island around 1530. Her father was the chieftain of the barony of Murrisk . The O'Malleys were a powerful seafaring family, who traded widely. Grace became a fearless leader and gained fame as a sea captain and pirate. She is reputed to have met Queen Elizabeth I in 1593. She died around 1603 and
2240-420: A small bulge sitting on top of its skull, whereas a sperm whale's head is filled up mainly with the melon. The whale eye is relatively small for its size, yet they do retain a good degree of eyesight. As well as this, the eyes of a whale are placed on the sides of its head, so their vision consists of two fields, rather than a binocular view like humans have. When belugas surface, their lens and cornea correct
2352-456: A strong desire on behalf of the whales to communicate with humans, as whales have a very different vocal mechanism, so imitating human speech likely takes considerable effort. Whales emit two distinct kinds of acoustic signals, which are called whistles and clicks: Clicks are quick broadband burst pulses, used for sonar , although some lower-frequency broadband vocalizations may serve a non-echolocative purpose such as communication; for example,
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#17330853821592464-429: A two- to three-chambered stomach that is similar in structure to those of terrestrial carnivores. Mysticetes contain a proventriculus as an extension of the oesophagus ; this contains stones that grind up food. They also have fundic and pyloric chambers. Whales have two flippers on the front, and a tail fin. These flippers contain four digits. Although whales do not possess fully developed hind limbs, some, such as
2576-855: Is Moytoge Head, which with its rounded appearance drops dramatically down to the ocean. An old British observation post, built during World War I to prevent the Germans from landing arms for the Irish Republican Army , still stands on Moytoge. During the Emergency (WWII) , this post was rebuilt by the Irish Defence Forces as a lookout post for the Coast Watching Service wing of the Defence Forces. It operated from 1939 to 1945. The mountain of Slievemore , (672 m) rises dramatically in
2688-481: Is also present. There are hollows colonised by bog asphodel ( Narthecium ossifragum ) and moss Campylopus atrovirens and the bog moss Sphagnum contortum also occurs. A report on the area by the National Parks and Wildlife service further details The lake in the south-east corner of the site supports pipewort ( Eriocaulon aquaticum ), bogbean ( Menyanthes trifoliata ) and bulbous rush ( Juncus bulbosus ) and
2800-607: Is buried in the O'Malley family tomb on Clare Island. The Achill Mission, also known as 'the Colony' at Dugort , was founded in 1831 by the Anglican ( Church of Ireland ) Rev Edward Nangle . The mission included schools, cottages, an orphanage, an infirmary and a guesthouse. The Colony gave rise to mixed assessments, particularly during the Great Famine when charges of " souperism " were leveled against Nangle. The provision of food across
2912-553: Is buried with six of the Nangle children on the slopes of Slievemore in North Achill. In 1848, at the height of the Great Famine, the Achill Mission published a prospectus seeking to raise funds for the acquisition of significant additional lands from Sir Richard O'Donnell. The document gives an overview, from the Mission's perspective, of its activities in Achill over the previous decade and
3024-515: Is characterized by the presence of baleen, a sieve-like structure in the upper jaw made of keratin , which it uses to filter plankton , among others, from the water. Odontocetes (toothed whales) are characterized by bearing sharp teeth for hunting, as opposed to their counterparts' baleen. Cetaceans and artiodactyls now are classified under the order Cetartiodactyla , often still referred to as Artiodactyla, which includes both whales and hippopotamuses . The hippopotamus and pygmy hippopotamus are
3136-437: Is helpful for a 100-ton whale), protection to some extent as predators would have a hard time getting through a thick layer of fat, and energy for fasting when migrating to the equator; the primary usage for blubber is insulation from the harsh climate. It can constitute as much as 50% of a whale's body weight. Calves are born with only a thin layer of blubber, but some species compensate for this with thick lanugos. Whales have
3248-406: Is home to elongated spindle neurons that, prior to 2007, were known only in hominids. In humans, these cells are involved in social conduct, emotions, judgement, and theory of mind. Whale spindle neurons are found in areas of the brain that are homologous to where they are found in humans, suggesting that they perform a similar function. Brain size was previously considered a major indicator of
3360-442: Is in their feeding adaptations and subsequent behaviour. Balaenopterids are the rorquals. These animals, along with the cetotheriids, rely on their throat pleats to gulp large amounts of water while feeding. The throat pleats extend from the mouth to the navel and allow the mouth to expand to a large volume for more efficient capture of the small animals they feed on. Balaenopterids consist of two genera and eight species. Balaenids are
3472-503: Is now a hostel and bar. Close to Dugort, at the base of Slievemore mountain lies the Deserted Village. There are approximately 80 ruined houses in the village. The houses were built of unmortared stone. Each house consisted of just one room. In the area surrounding the Deserted Village, including on the mountain slopes, there is evidence of ' lazy beds ' in which crops like potatoes were grown. In Achill, as in other areas of Ireland,
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3584-527: Is of international importance in the conservation of mosses and liverworts , with some scarce and rare species, Catoscopium nigritum and Fossombronia incurva , and is in fact the only location in Ireland that the liverwort Leiocolea gillmannii has been recorded at. Much of the southern townland was designated a Natural Heritage Area by Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, in 2007 due to its importance as
3696-504: Is served by the Bus Éireann 440 once a day in each direction. Achill Island Achill Island ( / ˈ æ k əl / ; Irish : Acaill, Oileán Acla ) is an island off the west coast of Ireland in the historical barony of Burrishoole , County Mayo . It is the largest of the Irish isles and has an area of approximately 148 km (57 sq mi). Achill had a population of 2,345 in
3808-438: Is sometimes used interchangeably with dolphins and porpoises , acting as a synonym for Cetacea . Six species of dolphins have the word "whale" in their name, collectively known as blackfish: the orca , or killer whale, the melon-headed whale , the pygmy killer whale , the false killer whale , and the two species of pilot whales , all of which are classified under the family Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins). Each species has
3920-442: Is taken in and expelled. They are warm-blooded , and have a layer of fat, or blubber , under the skin. With streamlined fusiform bodies and two limbs that are modified into flippers, whales can travel at speeds of up to 20 knots , though they are not as flexible or agile as seals . Whales produce a great variety of vocalizations, notably the extended songs of the humpback whale . Although whales are widespread, most species prefer
4032-401: Is then expelled through the baleen, leaving their prey trapped inside. This is an efficient method of hunting, in which the whale has no major competitors. Odontocetes are known as toothed whales; they have teeth and only one blowhole. They rely on their well-developed sonar to find their way in the water. Toothed whales send out ultrasonic clicks using the melon . Sound waves travel through
4144-562: The Indohyus , an extinct chevrotain -like ungulate, from which they split approximately 48 million years ago. Primitive cetaceans, or archaeocetes , first took to the sea approximately 49 million years ago and became fully aquatic 5–10 million years later. What defines an archaeocete is the presence of anatomical features exclusive to cetaceans, alongside other primitive features not found in modern cetaceans, such as visible legs or asymmetrical teeth. Their features became adapted for living in
4256-556: The County Galway /Mayo border to Achill Head. The hereditary chieftains of Umhall were the O'Malleys, recorded in the area in 814 AD when they successfully repelled an incursion by Viking attackers in Clew Bay . The Anglo-Norman invasion of Connacht in 1235 AD saw the territory of Umhall taken over by the Butlers and later by the de Burgos. The Butler Lordship of Burrishoole continued into
4368-595: The Gaeltacht (traditional Irish -speaking region) of Ireland, although the vast majority of the island's population speaks English as their daily language. The island is within a civil parish , also called Achill, that includes Achillbeg , Inishbiggle and the Corraun Peninsula . It is believed that at the end of the Neolithic Period (around 4000 BC), Achill had a population of 500–1,000 people. The island
4480-480: The Mayo Association Football League . There is a 9-hole links golf course on the island. Outdoor activities can be done through Achill Outdoor Education Centre. Achill Island's rugged landscape and the surrounding ocean offers multiple locations for outdoor adventure activities, like surfing, kite-surfing and sea kayaking. Fishing and watersports are also common. Sailing regattas featuring
4592-468: The Monodontidae (belugas and narwhals), Physeteridae (the sperm whale ), Kogiidae (the dwarf and pygmy sperm whale), and Ziphiidae (the beaked whales), as well as the six families of dolphins and porpoises which are not considered whales in the informal sense. Whales are fully aquatic, open-ocean animals: they can feed, mate, give birth, suckle and raise their young at sea. Whales range in size from
Tóin an tSeanbhaile - Misplaced Pages Continue
4704-541: The beluga and the narwhal . They both reside in the frigid arctic and both have large amounts of blubber. Belugas, being white, hunt in large pods near the surface and around pack ice, their coloration acting as camouflage. Narwhals, being black, hunt in large pods in the aphotic zone, but their underbelly still remains white to remain camouflaged when something is looking directly up or down at them. They have no dorsal fin to prevent collision with pack ice. Physeterids and Kogiids consist of sperm whales . Sperm whales consist
4816-433: The blowhole , forming an upward, steamy spout, followed by inhaling fresh air into the lungs; a humpback whale's lungs can hold about 5,000 litres (1,300 US gal) of air. Spout shapes differ among species, which facilitates identification. All whales have a thick layer of blubber . In species that live near the poles, the blubber can be as thick as 11 inches (28 cm). This blubber can help with buoyancy (which
4928-435: The census of Ireland. Whales Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals . As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea , i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and porpoises . Dolphins and porpoises may be considered whales from a formal, cladistic perspective. Whales, dolphins and porpoises belong to
5040-405: The marine environment . Major anatomical changes included their hearing set-up that channeled vibrations from the jaw to the earbone ( Ambulocetus 49 mya ), a streamlined body and the growth of flukes on the tail ( Protocetus 43 mya), the migration of the nostrils toward the top of the cranium ( blowholes ), and the modification of the forelimbs into flippers ( Basilosaurus 35 mya), and
5152-417: The photic zone . Ziphiids consist of 22 species of beaked whale . These vary from size, to coloration, to distribution, but they all share a similar hunting style. They use a suction technique, aided by a pair of grooves on the underside of their head, not unlike the throat pleats on the rorquals , to feed. As a formal clade (a group which does not exclude any descendant taxon ), odontocetes also contains
5264-424: The porpoises (Phocoenidae) and four or five living families of dolphins: oceanic dolphins ( Delphinidae ), South Asian river dolphins ( Platanistidae ), the possibly extinct Yangtze River dolphin ( Lipotidae ), South American river dolphins ( Iniidae ), and La Plata dolphin (Pontoporiidae). Whales are descendants of land-dwelling mammals of the artiodactyl order (even-toed ungulates). They are related to
5376-544: The 1824 Ordnance Survey , and some maps today give different names for the same place. Achill Irish has been described as having an Ulster Irish superstratum on top of a northern Connacht Irish substratum. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, seasonal migration of farm workers to East Lothian to pick potatoes took place; these groups of 'tattie howkers' were known as Achill workers, although not all were from Achill, and were organised for potato merchants by gaffers or gangers. Groups travelled from farm to farm to harvest
5488-534: The 1960s. A plaque to the boxer Johnny Kilbane is situated on Achillbeg and was erected to celebrate 100 years since his first championship win. Caisleán Ghráinne , also known as Kildownet Castle, is a small tower house built in the early 1400s. It is located in Cloughmore, on the south of Achill Island. It is noted for its associations with Grace O'Malley , along with the larger Rockfleet Castle in Newport. While
5600-484: The 2.6 metres (8.5 ft) and 135 kilograms (298 lb) dwarf sperm whale to the 29.9 metres (98 ft) and 190 tonnes (210 short tons) blue whale , which is the largest known animal that has ever lived. The sperm whale is the largest toothed predator on Earth. Several whale species exhibit sexual dimorphism , in that the females are larger than males. Baleen whales have no teeth; instead, they have plates of baleen, fringe-like structures that enable them to expel
5712-420: The 2.6-metre (8.5 ft) and 135-kilogram (298 lb) dwarf sperm whale to the 34-metre (112 ft) and 190-metric-ton (210-short-ton) blue whale. Overall, they tend to dwarf other cetartiodactyls; the blue whale is the largest creature on Earth. Several species have female-biased sexual dimorphism, with the females being larger than the males. One exception is with the sperm whale, which has males larger than
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#17330853821595824-443: The 2022 census. The island, which has been connected to the mainland by a bridge since 1887, is served by Michael Davitt Bridge , between the villages of Achill Sound and Polranny . Other centres of population include the villages of Keel , Dooagh , Dooega , Dooniver , and Dugort . There are a number of peat bogs on the island. Roughly half of the island, including the villages of Achill Sound and Bun an Churraigh , are in
5936-485: The 21st century there were two secondary schools in Achill: Mc Hale College and Scoil Damhnait. These two schools amalgamated, in 2011, to form Coláiste Pobail Acla . For primary education, there are eight national schools . These including Bullsmouth NS, Valley NS, Bunnacurry NS, Dookinella NS, Dooagh NS, Saula NS, Achill Sound NS and Tonragee NS. Achill railway station , still on the mainland and not on
6048-537: The Achill Mission schools - which also provided 'scriptural' religious instruction - was particularly controversial. For almost forty years, Nangle edited a newspaper called the Achill Missionary Herald and Western Witness , which was printed in Achill. He expanded his mission into Mweelin, Kilgeever, West Achill where a school, church, rectory, cottages and a training school were built. Edward's wife, Eliza, suffered poor health in Achill and died in 1852; she
6160-568: The British authorities to have him extradited to face charges arising from the attack and the burning of the Valley House. Agnes McDonnell suffered terrible injuries from the attack but survived and lived for another 23 years, dying in 1923. Lynchehaun is said to have returned to Achill on two occasions, once in disguise as an American tourist, and eventually died in Girvan, Scotland, in 1937. The Valley House
6272-536: The Gallagher family in 1942. It currently operates as a bar and hostel. In later years, the story of Mrs MacDonnell and Lynchehaun became the subject of fiction, with a book, The Playboy and the Yellow Lady , was published in 1986. The Veiled Woman of Achill published in 2012 A 1998 film, Love and Rage , starring Daniel Craig as Lynchehaun, and Greta Scacchi as Agnes MacDonnell, was made. The 1911 census showed
6384-550: The Inuit and the coastal peoples of Vietnam and Ghana, who sometimes hold whale funerals. Whales occasionally feature in literature and film. A famous example is the great white whale in Herman Melville 's novel Moby-Dick . Small whales, such as belugas , are sometimes kept in captivity and trained to perform tricks, but breeding success has been poor and the animals often die within a few months of capture. Whale watching has become
6496-603: The U.S. at the start of the 20th century. The ruins of this monastery are still to be seen in Bunnacurry today. The historic Valley House is located in Tonatanvally , "The Valley", near Dugort , in the northeast of Achill Island. The present building sits on the site of a hunting lodge built by the Earl of Cavan in the 19th century. Its notoriety arises from an incident in 1894 in which the then owner, an Englishwoman, Mrs Agnes McDonnell,
6608-528: The Valley House in 1895, Lynchehaun would falsely claim his actions were carried out on behalf of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and motivated by politics. He escaped from custody after serving seven years and fled to the United States seeking political asylum (although Michael Davitt refused to shake his hand, calling Lynchehaun a "murderer"), where he successfully defeated legal attempts by
6720-447: The baleen whales (Mysticetes) and the toothed whales (Odontocetes). Whales have torpedo-shaped bodies with non-flexible necks, limbs modified into flippers, non-existent external ear flaps, a large tail fin, and flat heads (with the exception of monodontids and ziphiids ). Whale skulls have small eye orbits, long snouts (with the exception of monodontids and ziphiids) and eyes placed on the sides of its head. Whales range in size from
6832-460: The building of new, more spacious (though still small by modern standards) homes outside of the traditional villages. The cliffs of Croaghaun on the western end of the island are the third highest sea cliffs in Europe but are inaccessible by road. Near the westernmost point of Achill, Achill Head, is Keem Bay . Keel Beach is visited by tourists and used as a surfing location. South of Keem beach
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#17330853821596944-574: The burning of her home, Valley House, Tonatanvally, North Achill. The home was rebuilt and MacDonnell died there in 1923, while Lynchehaun escaped to the US after serving 7 years and successfully resisted extradition but spent his last years in Scotland, where he died. Carney's great-grandniece, Patricia Byrne, wrote her own account of Mrs MacDonnell and Lynchehaun, entitled The Veiled Woman of Achill . Carney also wrote accounts of his lengthy fundraising trips across
7056-529: The closest living relatives of cetaceans are the hippopotamuses ; these share a semi-aquatic ancestor that branched off from other artiodactyls some 60 mya. Around 40 mya, a common ancestor between the two branched off into cetacea and anthracotheres ; nearly all anthracotheres became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene 2.5 mya, eventually leaving only one surviving lineage – the hippopotamus. Whales split into two separate parvorders around 34 mya –
7168-690: The colder waters of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and migrate to the equator to give birth. Species such as humpbacks and blue whales are capable of travelling thousands of miles without feeding. Males typically mate with multiple females every year, but females only mate every two to three years. Calves are typically born in the spring and summer; females bear all the responsibility for raising them. Mothers in some species fast and nurse their young for one to two years. Once relentlessly hunted for their products, whales are now protected by international law. The North Atlantic right whales nearly became extinct in
7280-404: The concentration of myoglobin than haemoglobin. Before going on long dives, many whales exhibit a behaviour known as sounding; they stay close to the surface for a series of short, shallow dives while building their oxygen reserves, and then make a sounding dive. The whale ear has specific adaptations to the marine environment. In humans, the middle ear works as an impedance equalizer between
7392-407: The crop and were allocated basic accommodation. On 15 September 1937, ten young migrant potato pickers from Achill died in a fire at Kirkintilloch in Scotland. Achill was connected to the mainland by Michael Davitt Bridge , a bridge connecting the of Achill Sound and Polranny , in 1887. Carrickkildavnet Castle is a 15th-century tower house associated with the O'Malley Clan, who were once
7504-444: The documentation of archaeological resources related to Achill's rich maritime heritage. Maritime archaeologists recorded a 19th-century fishing station, an ice house, boat house ruins, a number of anchors which had been salvaged from the sea, 19th-century and more recent currach pens, a number of traditional vernacular watercraft including a possibly 100-year-old Achill yawl, and the remains of four historic shipwrecks. A number of
7616-553: The females. Odontocetes, such as the sperm whale, possess teeth with cementum cells overlying dentine cells. Unlike human teeth, which are composed mostly of enamel on the portion of the tooth outside of the gum, whale teeth have cementum outside the gum. Only in larger whales, where the cementum is worn away on the tip of the tooth, does enamel show. Mysticetes have large whalebone , as opposed to teeth, made of keratin. Mysticetes have two blowholes, whereas Odontocetes contain only one. Breathing involves expelling stale air from
7728-610: The graveyard. The present church was built in the 1700s and the graveyard contains memorials to the victims of two of Achill's greatest tragedies, the Kirchintilloch Fire (1937) and the Clew Bay Drowning (1894). In 1852, John MacHale , Roman Catholic Archbishop of Tuam, purchased land in Bunnacurry , on which a Franciscan Monastery was established, which, for many years, provided an education for local children. The building of
7840-524: The huge mouthfuls of water they take in while retaining the krill and plankton they feed on. Because their heads are enormous—making up as much as 40% of their total body mass—and they have throat pleats that enable them to expand their mouths, they are able to take huge quantities of water into their mouth at a time. Baleen whales also have a well-developed sense of smell. Toothed whales, in contrast, have conical teeth adapted to catching fish or squid . They also have such keen hearing—whether above or below
7952-567: The intelligence of an animal. Since most of the brain is used for maintaining bodily functions, greater ratios of brain-to-body mass may increase the amount of brain mass available for more complex cognitive tasks. Allometric analysis indicates that mammalian brain size scales at approximately the ⅔ or ¾ exponent of the body mass. Comparison of a particular animal's brain size with the expected brain size based on such allometric analysis provides an encephalisation quotient that can be used as another indication of animal intelligence. Sperm whales have
8064-407: The island include: Bunnacurry Church ( Saint Josephs ), The Valley Church (only open for certain events), Pollagh Church, Dooega Church and Achill Sound Church. There is a Church of Ireland church (St. Thomas's church) at Dugort . The House of Prayer , a controversial "religious retreat" on the island, was established in 1993. For almost two centuries, a number of artists have had
8176-455: The island lazy beds prominently in works by Geraldine O'Reilly and Alanna O'Kelly ; also included was an 1873 painting, 'Cottage, Achill Island' by Alexander Williams - one of the first artists to open up the island to a wider audience. Hedge schools existed in most villages of Achill in various periods of history. A university was started by the missions to Achill in Mweelin. At the turn of
8288-536: The island, was opened by the Midland Great Western Railway on 13 May 1895, the terminus of its line from Westport via Newport and Mulranny . The station, and the line, were closed by the Great Southern Railways on 1 October 1937. The Great Western Greenway , created during 2010 and 2011, follows the line's route and has proved to be very successful in attracting visitors to Achill and
8400-946: The largely terrestrial mammalian clade Laurasiatheria . Whales do not form a clade or order ; the infraorder Cetacea includes dolphins and porpoises , which are not considered whales in the informal sense. The phylogenetic tree shows the relationships of whales and other mammals, with whale groups marked in green. ( carnivorans and allies) [REDACTED] ( horses , rhinos , tapirs ) [REDACTED] ( camels, llamas ) [REDACTED] ( pigs, hogs, peccaries ) [REDACTED] ( cattle , sheep , antelopes ) [REDACTED] ( hippos ) [REDACTED] ( † Ambulocetus , † Protocetus , † Basilosaurus ) ( right whales , grey whales , rorquals ) ( dolphins , porpoises , beluga whales , narwhals ) ( river dolphins ) ( sperm whales ) ( beaked whales ) Cetaceans are divided into two parvorders. The larger parvorder, Mysticeti (baleen whales),
8512-399: The largest and smallest odontocetes, and spend a large portion of their life hunting squid. P. macrocephalus spends most of its life in search of squid in the depths; these animals do not require any degree of light at all, in fact, blind sperm whales have been caught in perfect health. The behaviour of Kogiids remains largely unknown, but, due to their small lungs, they are thought to hunt in
8624-432: The late 14th century when Thomas le Botiller was recorded as being in possession of Akkyll and Owyll. In the 17th and 18th centuries, there was migration to Achill from other parts of Ireland, including from Ulster , due to the political and religious turmoil of the time. For a period, there were two different dialects of Irish being spoken on Achill. This led to several townlands being recorded as having two names during
8736-416: The lichens Cladonia uncialis and C. portentosa . Although a small village, Tóin an tSeanbhaile has a number of amenities, including a primary school (S.N Thóin a'tSeanbhaile, built 1914), soccer pitch (Fr. O'Brien Park, home ground of Achill Rovers , a Roman Catholic church, a pier and blue flag beaches, a pitch and putt course, as well as a bar and hostel. The village has one postbox, one bus stop and
8848-513: The media, and became part of the popular culture of the era, with references to the attack in J.M. Synge 's The Playboy of the Western World and James Joyce 's Ulysses (1922). The house was subsequently rebuilt by MacDonnell (who died in 1923, forced to wear a veil when in public due to her facial disfigurement) and completed in 1902. The estate was purchased from the MacDonnell family by
8960-586: The monastery was marked by a conflict between the Protestants of the mission colony and the workers building the monastery. The dispute is known in the island folklore as the Battle of the Stones . A monk who lived at the monastery for almost thirty years was Paul Carney. He wrote a biography of James Lynchehaun who was convicted for the 1894 attack on an Englishwoman named Agnes MacDonnell, which left her face disfigured, and
9072-517: The nearsightedness that results from the refraction of light; they contain both rod and cone cells, meaning they can see in both dim and bright light, but they have far more rod cells than they do cone cells. Whales do, however, lack short wavelength sensitive visual pigments in their cone cells indicating a more limited capacity for colour vision than most mammals. Most whales have slightly flattened eyeballs, enlarged pupils (which shrink as they surface to prevent damage), slightly flattened corneas and
9184-440: The neck vertebrae, while increasing stability when swimming at high speeds, decreases flexibility; whales are unable to turn their heads. When swimming, whales rely on their tail fin to propel them through the water. Flipper movement is continuous. Whales swim by moving their tail fin and lower body up and down, propelling themselves through vertical movement, while their flippers are mainly used for steering. Some species log out of
9296-511: The north of the island. On its slops is an abandoned village , the "Deserted Village". West of this ruined village is an old Martello tower , again built by the British to warn of any possible French invasion during the Napoleonic Wars . The area also has an approximately 5000-year-old Neolithic tomb . Achillbeg ( Acaill Beag , Little Achill ) is a small island just off Achill's southern tip. Its inhabitants were resettled on Achill in
9408-468: The oldest inhabited cottages in the area date from the activities of the Congested Districts Board for Ireland —a body set up around the turn of the 20th century in Ireland to improve the welfare of the inhabitants of small villages and towns. Many of the homes in Achill at the time were very small and tightly packed together in villages. The Congested Districts Board for Ireland (CDB) subsidised
9520-606: The order Cetartiodactyla , which consists of even-toed ungulates . Their closest non-cetacean living relatives are the hippopotamuses , from which they and other cetaceans diverged about 54 million years ago. The two parvorders of whales, baleen whales (Mysticeti) and toothed whales (Odontoceti), are thought to have had their last common ancestor around 34 million years ago. Mysticetes include four extant (living) families : Balaenopteridae (the rorquals), Balaenidae (right whales), Cetotheriidae (the pygmy right whale), and Eschrichtiidae (the grey whale). Odontocetes include
9632-417: The outside air's low impedance and the cochlear fluid's high impedance. In whales, and other marine mammals, there is no great difference between the outer and inner environments. Instead of sound passing through the outer ear to the middle ear, whales receive sound through the throat, from which it passes through a low-impedance fat-filled cavity to the inner ear. The whale ear is acoustically isolated from
9744-881: The outside north wall, entrance way and inside of the Round House were completely excavated. From 2004 to 2006, the Achill Island Maritime Archaeology Project directed by Chuck Meide was sponsored by the College of William and Mary , the Institute of Maritime History, the Achill Folklife Centre (now the Achill Archaeology Centre), and the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP) . This project focused on
9856-440: The pulsed calls of belugas. Pulses in a click train are emitted at intervals of ≈35–50 milliseconds , and in general these inter-click intervals are slightly greater than the round-trip time of sound to the target. Whistles are narrow-band frequency modulated (FM) signals, used for communicative purposes, such as contact calls. Whales are known to teach, learn, cooperate, scheme, and grieve. The neocortex of many species of whale
9968-411: The rare corn crake has nested inland also. The blanket bog to the south has a large biodiversity of flora, including black bog-rush , purple moor-grass , cross-leaved heath , ling heather , white beak-sedge , common cottongrass , deergrass , round-leaved sundew , lousewort , bog mosses ( Sphagnum spp.), lichens ( Cladonia spp.), Racomitrium lanuginosum , liverwort Pleurozia purpurea
10080-483: The remains of a similar deserted village can be found. This village was deserted in 1855 when the tenants were evicted by the local landlord so the land could be used for cattle grazing; the tenants were forced to rent holdings in Currane, Dooega and Slievemore. Others emigrated to America. In 2009, a summer field school excavated Round House 2 on Slievemore Mountain under the direction of archaeologist Stuart Rathbone. Only
10192-440: The rest of Ireland. Most of the families moved to the nearby village of Dooagh, which is beside the sea, while others emigrated. Living beside the sea meant that fish and shellfish could be used for food. The village was completely abandoned and is now known as the 'Deserted Village'. While abandoned, the families that moved to Dooagh (and their descendants) continued to use the village as a 'booley village'. This means that during
10304-464: The right whales. These animals have very large heads, which can make up as much as 40% of their body mass, and much of the head is the mouth. This allows them to take in large amounts of water into their mouths, letting them feed more effectively. Eschrichtiids have one living member: the grey whale. They are bottom feeders, mainly eating crustaceans and benthic invertebrates. They feed by turning on their sides and taking in water mixed with sediment, which
10416-549: The sensation of taste. Whale vocalization is likely to serve several purposes. Some species, such as the humpback whale, communicate using melodic sounds, known as whale song . These sounds may be extremely loud, depending on the species. Humpback whales only have been heard making clicks, while toothed whales use sonar that may generate up to 20,000 watts of sound (+73 dBm or +43 dBw ) and be heard for many miles. Captive whales have occasionally been known to mimic human speech. Scientists have suggested this indicates
10528-515: The shrinking and eventual disappearance of the hind limbs (the first odontocetes and mysticetes 34 mya). Whale morphology shows several examples of convergent evolution , the most obvious being the streamlined fish-like body shape. Other examples include the use of echolocation for hunting in low light conditions — which is the same hearing adaptation used by bats — and, in the rorqual whales, jaw adaptations, similar to those found in pelicans , that enable engulfment feeding. Today,
10640-400: The skull by air-filled sinus pockets, which allow for greater directional hearing underwater. Odontocetes send out high-frequency clicks from an organ known as a melon . This melon consists of fat, and the skull of any such creature containing a melon will have a large depression. The melon size varies between species, the bigger the more dependent they are on it. A beaked whale for example has
10752-440: The south. To the southeast lies the village of Dún Ibhir (Dooniver), to the west lies Dúmha Goirt (Dugort) and to the south lies Bun an Churraigh (Bunacurry). The bedrock of the area consists mainly of Schist and Gneiss , with lowland blanket bog to the south, and machair and rocky seashore to the north and west. The area has a number of lakes, Lough Gall ( Loch Geall , 'the bright lake'), Loch na mBreac ('the lake of
10864-429: The sperm whale and bowhead whale, possess discrete rudimentary appendages, which may contain feet and digits. Whales are fast swimmers in comparison to seals, which typically cruise at 5–15 kn, or 9–28 kilometres per hour (5.6–17.4 mph); the fin whale, in comparison, can travel at speeds up to 47 kilometres per hour (29 mph) and the sperm whale can reach speeds of 35 kilometres per hour (22 mph). The fusing of
10976-474: The summer season, the younger members of the family, teenage boys and girls, would take the livestock to the area and tend flocks or herds on the hillside and stay in the houses of the Deserted Village. They would then return to Dooagh in the autumn. This custom continued until the 1940s. Boolying was also carried out in other areas of Achill, including Annagh on Croaghaun mountain and in Curraun. At Ailt, Kildownet,
11088-526: The surface of the water—that some can survive even if they are blind. Some species, such as sperm whales, are particularly well adapted for diving to great depths to catch squid and other favoured prey. Whales evolved from land-living mammals, and must regularly surface to breathe air, although they can remain underwater for long periods of time. Some species, such as the sperm whale , can stay underwater for up to 90 minutes. They have blowholes (modified nostrils) located on top of their heads, through which air
11200-470: The surrounding areas. The R319 road is the main road onto the island. Bus Éireann 's route 450 operates several times daily to Westport and Louisburgh from the island. Bus Éireann also provides transport for the area's secondary school children. Achill has a Gaelic football club which competes in the junior championship and division 1E of the Mayo League. There are also Achill Rovers which play in
11312-551: The trout'), Lough Doo ( Loch Dubh , 'the black lake') and Sruhill Lough ('a tidal lake'). These lakes have healthy stocks of brown trout , some sea trout , and Lough Gall is also artificially stocked with rainbow trout . A machair exists near Lough Doo, which has been designated a Special Area of Conservation by the National Parks and Wildlife Service , under the European Habitats Directive. The site itself
11424-563: The twentieth century, with a population low of 450, and the North Pacific grey whale population is ranked Critically Endangered by the IUCN . Besides the threat from whalers, they also face threats from bycatch and marine pollution. The meat, blubber and baleen of whales have traditionally been used by indigenous peoples of the Arctic. Whales have been depicted in various cultures worldwide, notably by
11536-461: The water, which may allow them to travel faster. Their skeletal anatomy allows them to be fast swimmers. Most species have a dorsal fin . Whales are adapted for diving to great depths. In addition to their streamlined bodies, they can slow their heart rate to conserve oxygen; blood is rerouted from tissue tolerant of water pressure to the heart and brain among other organs; haemoglobin and myoglobin store oxygen in body tissue; and they have twice
11648-478: The water. Upon striking an object in the water, the sound waves bounce back at the whale. These vibrations are received through fatty tissues in the jaw, which is then rerouted into the ear-bone and into the brain where the vibrations are interpreted. All toothed whales are opportunistic, meaning they will eat anything they can fit in their throat because they are unable to chew. These animals rely on their well-developed flippers and tail fin to propel themselves through
11760-488: The water; they swim by moving their fore-flippers and tail fin up and down. Whale ribs loosely articulate with their thoracic vertebrae at the proximal end, but do not form a rigid rib cage. This adaptation allows the chest to compress during deep dives as the pressure increases. Mysticetes consist of four families: rorquals (balaenopterids) , cetotheriids , right whales (balaenids) , and grey whales (eschrichtiids) . The main difference between each family of mysticete
11872-672: The water; they swim by moving their fore-flippers and tail fin up and down. Whale ribs loosely articulate with their thoracic vertebrae at the proximal end, but they do not form a rigid rib cage. This adaptation allows the chest to compress during deep dives as opposed to resisting the force of water pressure. Excluding dolphins and porpoises, odontocetes consist of four families: belugas and narwhals (monodontids) , sperm whales (physeterids) , dwarf and pygmy sperm whales (kogiids) , and beaked whales (ziphiids) . The differences between families of odontocetes include size, feeding adaptations and distribution. Monodontids consist of two species:
11984-537: The whales' closest terrestrial living relatives. Mysticetes are also known as baleen whales. They have a pair of blowholes side by side and lack teeth; instead they have baleen plates which form a sieve-like structure in the upper jaw made of keratin, which they use to filter plankton from the water. Some whales, such as the humpback, reside in the polar regions where they feed on a reliable source of schooling fish and krill . These animals rely on their well-developed flippers and tail fin to propel themselves through
12096-433: Was extended to Achill Sound. The railway station is now a hostel. The train provided a great service to Achill, but it also is said to have fulfilled an ancient prophecy. Brian Rua O' Cearbhain had prophesied that 'carts on iron wheels' would carry bodies into Achill on their first and last journey. In 1894, the first train on the Achill railway carried the bodies of victims of the Clew Bay Drowning. This tragedy occurred when
12208-560: Was known for its shark fishing, and basking shark in particular was fished for its valuable shark liver oil . During the 1960s and 1970s, there was growth in tourism. The largest employers on Achill include its two hotels. The island has several bars, cafes and restaurants. The island's Atlantic location means that seafood, including lobster , mussels , salmon , trout and winkles , are common. Lamb and beef are also popular. Most people on Achill are either Roman Catholic or Anglican ( Church of Ireland ). Catholic churches on
12320-675: Was mostly forest until the Neolithic people began crop cultivation . Settlement increased during the Iron Age , and the dispersal of small promontory forts around the coast indicate the warlike nature of the times. Megalithic tombs and forts can be seen at Slievemore, along the Atlantic Drive and on Achillbeg . Achill Island lies in the historical barony of Burrishoole , in the territory of ancient Umhall (Umhall Uactarach and Umhall Ioctarach), that originally encompassed an area extending from
12432-737: Was particularly intense in the early decades of the twentieth century when Eva O'Flaherty (1874–1963) became a focal point for artistic networking on the island. A network of over 200 artists linked to Achill is charted in "Achill Painters - An Island History" and includes painters such as the Belgian Marie Howet , the American Robert Henri , the modernist painter Mainie Jellett and contemporary artist Camille Souter . The 2018 Coming Home Art & The Great Hunger exhibition, in partnership with The Great Hunger Museum of Quinnipiac University, USA, featured Achill's Deserted Village and
12544-405: Was savagely beaten and the house set alight by a local man, James Lynchehaun. Lynchehaun had been employed by McDonnell as her land agent, but the two fell out and he was sacked and told to quit his accommodation on her estate. A lengthy legal battle ensued, with Lynchehaun refusing to leave. At the time, in the 1890s, the issue of land ownership in Ireland was politically charged. After the events at
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