Tóin an tSeanbhaile, Gaeltacht village on Achill Island, Ireland
Tóin an tSeanbhaile occupies a flat coastal area on the northeastern side of Achill Island, bordered by gentle hills that frame the landscape. The settlement includes several lakes and valleys that shape its geography.
Tóin an tSeanbhaile is one of Achill's oldest settlements, its name meaning 'the end of the old village', with a cairn, ringfort, midden and crannóg nearby. In the early 1870s Frederick Lambart, 8th Earl of Cavan, bought land here and built a hunting lodge; in 1888 his widow sold the estate to Agnes MacDonnell. In 1894 her employee James Lynchehaun attacked her and burned Valley House, a case echoed in Synge and Joyce; the rebuilt house, completed in 1902, is now a bar and hostel. The 1911 census recorded 253 residents, against about 113 today.
The name Tóin an tSeanbhaile means 'the end of the old village', traditionally written Tóin a'tSean-bhaile and rendered in colloquial English as Tonatanvally. Caraun Point holds a cillín, a burial ground for unbaptised children, which gives the point its Irish name Rinn na Leanbh, 'point of the children'.
The village sits on a shallow plain ringed by low hills, with Ridge Point to the north and Sruhill Lough, a tidal lake, to the south. The machair near Lough Doo and the southern blanket bog are protected habitats, so walkers should keep to tracks there. The 1911 census recorded 253 residents; about 113 remain today.
The area contains four lakes that host populations of brown trout, drawing fishermen to explore their waters. These bodies of water remain an important part of local recreation and the natural character of the place.
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