The main settlement was in the centre of the island, bounded by two hills to the north and south.

There are a small number of holiday homes on the island, but they are usually empty for most of the year.

A lighthouse on Acaill Bheag's southern tip was completed in 1965.

[2] In 2012, a small plaque was built on Achillbeg to celebrate 100 years since boxer Johnny Kilbane’s first championship win.

[3] The Irish artist Pete Hogan wrote a book about his time spent living on the island in 1983, The Artist on the Island: An Achill Journal which was published in 2013.