Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is described throughout the literature as a devastating neurological disorder associated with significant mortality and morbidity rates, arising not just from the haemorrhage itself, but also as a result of the catastrophic multisystem sequelae that can accompany the condition. Rupture of an intracranial aneurysm accounts for up to 85% of instances of SAH, occurring in approximately 6–7 people per 100 000 in most populations and costing an estimated £510 million annually in the UK alone ( Rivero-Arias et al. 2010 ). Treatment of aneurysmal SAH (aSAH) includes prevention of re-bleeding, evacuation of space-occupying haematomas, management of hydrocephalus and prevention of secondary cerebral insult. Headache has been highlighted as the predominant, most characteristic and often only symptom of aSAH, its severity having a variety of physiological and psychological effects on the patient. This paper summarizes the findings of a literature review conducted as part of a research study to examine existing practices in the assessment and management of headache in patients with aSAH in an Irish Neurosciences Centre. The review demonstrates that, despite a wealth of published literature on the diagnosis and management of aSAH, evaluation and management of its main symptom, headache, remains suboptimal and under-researched. The lack of available literature demonstrates that such enquiry is both timely and necessary.