The Unavailable Achill Monster
There had been something of a reoccurring monster tradition in parts of Achill Island and to some the photograph in 1968 was a final confirmation of its existence. However, the figure in the Polaroid failed to even remotely comply with any of the descriptions offered up to that point. Or at least, no one had yet to described a gigantic toy dinosaur.Another possibility is that the photographer could have suspended a small toy in the foreground so as to appear a large object in the background. The reproduced photograph is pretty vague and it does take a lot of imagination to see a monster in the image. However the general consensus after this was that the whole thing was in fact a charade and a hoax.
[1] The culprits responsible for this bogus claim were actually said to be members of the Tourist Board who were willing to embrace some rather unorthodox strategies to attract visitors. The plan backfired, I’m told, as parents complained of frightened children. The same instigators would later try another ploy claiming gold had been discovered on the island and even go as far as to stage a mock debate over the radio arguing for and against mining.
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