Achill Island Travel Forum

One rarely gets warnings/complaints about Midges in Ireland, but at least in areas with blanket bog (like Achill Island), they must be around.

Is my guess correct, that the problem is not as bad as in the Scottish Highlands? I'll be on Achill in July and should there be a warm and calm evening, it'd be great to be able to sit outside the cottage without having to fear Scottish-style air raids.

I'm a bit careful after my last year's experience from South Uist. People told me there weren't any midges on the Outer Hebrides, and if there had been (strictly theroetically speaking...), then it'd be always windy enough to keep them from flying. WELL, we had a hot week with temperatures well above 25 Celsius and NO wind...flat out calm... and GUESS WHO was VISITING US??? GRRRRRR HOW I HATE THOSE MIDGES!!!!

Midges or other biting insects can be a problem in any area, any country, with enough water and hight enough temperature. Preparation is everything - lots of repellent spray, backed up with antihistamine pills (cream/ointment is less effective) if the repellent doesn't work.

I walked around Achill 4 years ago in July.
There were midges obviously, but it was really bearable. I would say that there are less than on Ireland's main land.
Have a nice trip!
François

Warm weather & fresh water = Midges in all of the European locations i have visited.

When i visited Lake Myvatn
(lake of the Midges) in Iceland, i was advised that
only the Females start taking human+animal blood
when they need extra nutrition for their 2nd brood of
eegs (usually at the end of july).
I was there in June & not eaten.

Dave.

I've been to Sweden & Norway before visiting Scotland -- obviously lots of mosquitoes there. They were a nuisance, but nothing really to bother too much about. Midges are something different. They are tiny, but incredibly aggressive, and they make up in number what they lack in size.

And, with reference to the female midge, let me just cite from "Scotland for Beginners":
"Midge-bites can of course be most tiresome, but it may be as well to remember that these occur at only one time of year (the holiday season). Furthermore, midges themselves will be found only in parts of Scotland where there is water. Finally, it is only the female midge that bites. Needless irritation can therefore be avoided by the simple expedient of approaching only the male of the species."

Makes sense, doesn't it? ;-)

Mosquitoes are a bigger problem for me, as I react badly to them. Scandinavian mosquitoes are probably only a slight problem these days, but there was an outbreak of malaria around Stockholm about 100 years ago.

At any rate, I'll not forget to take along a bottle of Shoo ...

Compared to Scotland and New Zealand, the midges in Achill are tame and not in the same league. They are not really a problem. For instance, if they are about, a cigarette smoker would disperse them.

I have just returned from achill on 23 july and i can assure you their are part which are relly infested with midges. We stayed at Ocean Edge cottage and you get bitten alive here and it was not possible to use the garden whch faced the sea. This is on the East of the Island and I would not recommend it to anyone. Locally they dug peat which causes the problem.

More info on request.

Interesting to read. We never had Midge problems on Achill. What was the weather like? When did they come out?

What a terrible spoiler on a wonderful place!Those midges sure know how to ruin a holiday!Bitten to the core by those bas.....!That's the first and last time I'll set foot in the place.I suspect there isn't a local tourist board for the area,because if there was one,maybe they may have warned us tourists about the scourge of the Midges and even marketed some repellant(but then again that would be considered too forwardly thinking in those parts)
Nice scenary...too bad about the locals(and I don't mean the people!)