30. Irish Enterprise Awards 2026 Keel Strand on the western edge of Achill Island is a beautiful spot, and an ideal place to sit and watch the Atlantic waves roll in. Located just a stone’s throw from the sandy dunes where the waves crash the shore, Keel Camping is an extensive campsite welcoming campervans, caravans, and tents. It even has four luxury mobile homes available for rent, ensuring it caters to everyone who may want to visit this idyllic destination. On the back of this recognition, we caught up with Lisa Fitzsimons for more on the outdoor adventure camping that awaits here on Achill Island. Nestled amongst the soaring seas cliffs of the Minaun and overlooked by the majestic Slievemore, Keel Camping is undoubtedly one of the most scenic coastal family campsites in Ireland. Those who stay here are unanimous in their praise of its location, which stands as the perfect place to relax, restore, revitalise, and leave the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life behind as a person becomes ‘Achill-ised’. But this campsite is much more than just its location, with helpful staff and a number of facilities also thrown into the mix. From the Lost Sheep food truck – which is located on site and run by the team here, serving freshly cooked, made-to-order pizzas, burgers, and fries – to the large tepee dining tent and the social room with a TV and games, Keel Camping demonstrates at every turn that it is much more than a standard campsite. Even across the standard amenities, such as the showers and the camp kitchen, there is an emphasis on cleanliness and quality, making sure guests feels comfortable and satisfied. Of course, as impressive as these on-site facilities and amenities are, the team behind Keel Camping recognise that their main attraction will always be the campsite’s magnificent surroundings. To ensure guests can make the most of this, the park has three exits to the beach, providing convenient access to not only the sea and sand, but also nearby amenities including local shops, cafés, pubs, and restaurants. A children’s playground and a surf rental and sauna are also just outside the gates, meaning there is plenty for guests to do. “Achill Island is unique in that it has all modern conveniences yet continues to remain uncommercialised. The traditions and cultures of the island still stand true today. This is rare in coastal locations.” With all of the benefits of this peaceful, unspoilt location to boot, it is unsurprising that Keel Camping is seeing guest numbers rise year on year, a development it is actively preparing for so that the guest experience remains at a high standard. Be it introducing the aforementioned mobile homes to cater to luxurious camping stays, investing in mobile hook-up towers to meet the demand for electricity, or even just hosting Easter egg hunts on the campsite, everything this team do is to stay one step ahead of the expectations of guests. Speaking of this team, at the helm of this family business during the high season are around 20 staff, who work across Keel Camping and the Lost Sheep. Many of the employees are from Achill Island, which is great as it means that the local communities here are supported. As Lisa explained: “We have been very fortunate to have young enthusiastic islanders seeking employment with us over the past few years. Across the team, we are all hands on and on the ground, building relationships with guests and treating them like family.” Thanks to a team of this calibre, Keel Camping has some exciting plans in the pipeline for the rest of 2026 and beyond, including growing the amount of mobile homes it offers, expanding the Lost Sheep, bolstering its presence online, and offering new and exciting entertainment from its tepee tent. All of this is just the beginning, with the ultimate aim for Keel Camping being to continue to provide guests with a world-class camping experience on the edge of the remarkable Wild Atlantic Way. In closing, Lisa told us: “We enjoy seeing our returning guests and meeting new guests every season, and to see the children happily skating, scooting, cycling, and running on our safe, smooth, tarmacked inner roads, with these groups making lasting friendships and enjoying being outdoors, screen free, and engaging in old fashioned fun and play.” This sense of freedom is something that needs to be preserved more than ever in today’s world, and Keel Camping is delighted to be able to offer this to families from across Ireland and beyond. More on this award-winning campsite can be found below. Contact: Lisa Fitzsimons Company: Keel Camping Web Address: https://keelcamping.ie/ Best Coastal Family Campsite 2026
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