CHANGE
One man leading the social and sport revolution in Mayo is Francois Colussiso. Originally from Northern France, Francois has set up shop in Achill Island off the West Coast of Mayo and is passionate about the area, organising a kite and music festival every year, battleforthelake.com. Why the move to Mayo for Francois?, “Because it is Pure Magic” he cutely says laughing while name dropping his SUP/Kitesurfing school, restaurant and lodge – puremagic.ie. Achill is Ireland’s largest island, connected to the mainland by a causeway and is home to a dazzling collection of beaches, cliffs and mountains. The largest beach, Keel faces south and is a great swell picker with banks all along its length and some great reefs nearby when conditions are right. A few hundred metres behind the beach is the safe waters of Keel Lake, situated at the foot of Slievemore Mountain with the area offering scenic surroundings for beginner and expert alike. A few miles further west lies the jewel in Achill’s natural crown, Keem bay, reached by a spectacular cliff top drive. The bay offers great SUP cruising and snorkelling with sea and wildlife encounters almost assured in the clear turquoise waters. Achill is just as noted for its off water activities, being a great hub for traditional music. As a young man I remember helping an elderly lady hang her Zimmer frame outside the window of a local pub as the pulsing jigs and reels drew so many people into listen that she felt obliged to put her frame outdoors so room for the audience could swell and the craic continue! In Achill the party is refreshingly open to everyone, regardless of age. In the wild days of the economic boom of the Celtic tiger it was once even imagined that Achill might become Ireland’s very own Ibiza like party island, but the derelict foundations of an unfinished hotel in Keel’s village centre tell a more salutary tale of the boom’s well publicized bust.
