Michael Davitt Bridge, Swing bridge in Achill Sound, Ireland

The Michael Davitt Bridge is a swing bridge on the R319 road in County Mayo, carrying the road from the Corraun Peninsula across to Achill Island. Its steel span pivots on a central pier to let boats through; the present structure, opened in 2008, weighs 390 tonnes and is still turned by hand.

Plans for a bridge from Achill Island to the Corraun Peninsula were drawn up in the early 1880s, and the steel bowstring girder bridge, with a 37 m span pivoting on a central pier, was opened by Michael Davitt in 1887. It was replaced in 1949 by J & C McGloughlin of Dublin, and a third bridge, designed by Malachy Walsh & Partners, opened in 2008.

The bridge is named after Michael Davitt, the 19th-century social campaigner, Fenian and founder of the National Land League, who officially opened the first bridge here in 1887. The crossing is part of the R319 road running from Mulrany on the N59 to Achill Head, the island's westernmost point.

The bridge operates by manual rotation when boats need to pass underneath, managed by local authority staff. Visitors should note that crossing may be delayed if boat traffic requires the bridge to open.

The 2008 bridge was built by SIAC Construction to a design by Malachy Walsh & Partners, modelled on a Spanish Calatrava structure. It weighs 390 tonnes yet is still swung open by hand. In November 2010 it failed to close for over two hours, causing a traffic jam until engineers made minor modifications.