

Ireland pictures : Gallery 4 : Deserted village, Slievemore, Achill Island Although abandoned as a permanent settlement sometime in the late 19th century, the deserted village at Slievemore, Achill Island, was used as a 'booley' well into the 20th century (some accounts suggest as recently as the 1940s). A booley village is one that is occupied for only part of the year, for instance for the summer months to allow cattle to graze on fresh pasture. Booleying was common on Achill Island in former times, and Slievemore is but the largest of many other former booley settlements on the island. A striking feature of the buildings at Slievemore is the height of the south-facing gable ends (see picture, below) which, to account for the slope of the ground, measure up to 3m in height. [more...]