42 incidents recorded at Achill bridges since Easter

Achill councillor Paul McNamara has called for an emergency application to replace three bridges at Cashel on Achill Island, citing 42 incidents since Easter and warning of a 'fatality inevitable' without intervention

By Jack Good Published 29th Sep 2026, 10:00 BST Updated 29th Sep 2026, 10:00 BST A vehicle which collided with one of the bridges in the Cashel area of Achill back in 2024. | Mayo News Achill councillor Paul McNamara has called for an emergency application to replace three bridges at Cashel on Achill Island, citing 42 incidents since Easter and warning of a 'fatality inevitable' without intervention Achill councillor Paul McNamara has called for an emergency application to replace three bridges at Cashel on the island, telling a meeting of the Westport-Belmullet Municipal District on Monday that there have been 42 incidents at the location since Easter.

Read More Mayo councillor claims 'squall of wind' would knock Achill bridges 'End of an era' as Iconic Mayo bar closes after 156 years of trading Mayo regional roads being 'discriminated' by lack of funding claims Achill councillor Three bridges road in Achill will need realignment claims Mayo Head of Roads Mayo councillor demands update on progress of three Achill bridges World premiere of play ‘Achill Sound’ set for Mayo town Cllr McNamara said the narrow bridges, combined with an 80km/h speed limit on the regional road, pose a severe safety risk. He said a three-vehicle collision had occurred the previous day, the 42nd incident since Easter 2026.

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He said one bridge has been hit three times and rebuilt twice, and currently has cones in place because of a lack of barriers.

“So now we need probably a full-time blocklayer there now in the outdoor staff in Achill to keep the bridges in cash and built,” he said. He noted that the drop into the river at that point is 20 feet, with no barriers or protection.

Cllr McNamara warned that without intervention a fatality was inevitable, and pointed to a previous tragedy in Dugort. There, he said, a local road repeatedly flooded and an elderly man drove into floodwater on a bad winter's night and lost his life. Within a month of his death, a barrier costing around €100,000 was installed, he said.

“It's a terrible thing to say, that it's going to take a fatality at one of these bridges before anything is being done,” he told the meeting. He asked whether it would take “a cross being erected in memory of” someone before action was taken.

He also acknowledged that Mayo County Council had introduced traffic-calming strips on the approach last year, but said drivers on the regional road still believe they can pass each other on the bridges.

Heather Gibbons, Senior Executive Engineer with Mayo County Council, said the primary concern is not the structural integrity of the bridges but the narrowness of the road. She said a condition survey had rated the structures as good, with no immediate structural safety concern.

She said short-term measures, including road markings to highlight the approach, were taken last year.

Read More “Very substantial” energy response in Budget 2027 - Mayo Minister “We can't simply rely on community,” Mayo TD calls for major childcare package in Budget 2027 Twelve Mayo rural schools identified as being at risk of closure Mayo environmental advocates selected for national portrait series The road design section has raised the Cashel bridges and the incidents there on a number of occasions, and is formulating a case to bring to the Department for a more comprehensive scheme.

In the meantime, she said, the municipal district could apply for a low-cost safety scheme next year, which would place a yield sign at each bridge on the way into Achill so that one lane of traffic passes at a time. Widening the bridges to allow larger vehicles to pass would, she said, require road realignment and widening of all the bridges.

Cllr McNamara rejected the proposal. “Putting up a yield sign, like really, that's a get-out-of-jail card for the roads department,” he said. He said he could not understand how the first bridge on the way out of Achill could be considered structurally fine, given the number of collisions.

He said he would commission an independent structural report and an independent safety report on the bridges. “I'm definitely going to receive the phone calls when there's a fatality at that bridge ... why wasn't something done about this?” he said.

He formally asked for an emergency application to be submitted to the Department immediately for replacement of the bridges. “I want an application before the department ASAP, not to survey them after a low-cost safety scheme or the replacement of the bridges,” he said. His motion was seconded.

Cllr Brendan Mulroy backed his Fianna Fianna Fáil colleague, saying the situation was extremely serious and that someone would be killed “stone dead” if a lorry met a car on the bridge in winter. He suggested a protest be organised at the site. Cllr Mulroy said Cllr McNamara had raised the issue in the chamber some 26 or 27 times since his election.

He also said the council was trying to promote Achill as a major tourist destination, yet visitors were being sent over bridges with cones at the side of the road. “As sure as night follows day, someone's going to get killed here,” he said.

Cllr Mulroy added that “the people of Achill and Cllr McNamara deserve a lot more respect from the Mayo County Council” than to have the matter raised meeting after meeting with what he described as a blind eye turned to it.