A lifetime of Islands: Island 411 - Clare Island, County Mayo

Clare Island (Cliara in Irish) is located 3.5 miles off the coast of County Mayo. It is approximately 4.5 miles from east to west by 2.4 miles from north to south. The highest point on the island is Knockmore at 462 metres above sea level. In 2016 the population was 159, down from a peak of 1615 people in 1841 before the Great Famine.

Clare Island is served by a passenger ferry, which runs every day from Roonagh Quay, which is located 10 miles to the west of the town of Westport. The crossing time is about 25 minutes. The year round ferry is run by O'Grady's. In the summer the Inishturk ferry company O'Malley's also run ferries to Clare Island.

A map of Clare Island can be downloaded from the official Clare Island website. I couldn't see any leaflet that included a map on the ferry, so was glad I had printed out the one from the website in advance.

There is plenty of accommodation for visitors on Clare Island: guesthouses, self-catering, a hostel and a campsite. There is a shop at Kill but no café on the island. There are 2 bars/restaurants: one at the Community Centre and Sailor's Bar next to the hostel but neither were open when I visited on a Monday in early May 2018.

There are a number of historical or archaeological sites on Clare Island: 2 holy wells (one at Kill and one at Capnagower - I looked for both of them but couldn't see either of them); a megalithic tomb; several fulacht fia (burnt mounds); a standing stone at Ballytoohy More (I couldn't see this either) and a couple of promontory forts. I did find the standing stone in the grounds of the abbey at Kill.

The lighthouse on the northern tip of Clare Island and at the entrance to Clew Bay, was first built in 1806 by the Marquis of Sligo. It was partially destroyed by a fire in 1813 and the present lighthouse was built alongside the remains of the first tower in 1818. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1965, partly because it is so high up on the cliff that it is often not visible due to mist. It is not open to the public but you can walk up to the perimeter wall.

Lighthouse

Cliffs on the north coast near the lighthouse

There is a 12th century Cistercian abbey at Kill in the middle of the south coast of Clare Island. It was rebuilt c1460. It was locked, so I didn't go in but later in the day, while I was waiting for the ferry back to Roonagh, I was chatting to a couple of ladies who said they had got the key for it from the nearby shop. It has some impressive medieval wall and roof paintings. It also contains the tomb of the O'Malley family and is said to be the burial place of the pirate queen Gráinne (Granuaile) O’Malley, who lived on Clare Island in the 16th century.

Abbey

Memorial to the 11 men who died when their Sunderland Flying Boat crashed off Clare Island in 1943

Standing Stone in the Abbey Graveyard

Gráinne O’Malley's Castle, which was built in the 16th century, is located next to the harbour where the ferry docks. It is ruined and was locked up when I visited.

Grainne O'Malley's Castle

Racing gigs and Grainne O'Malley's Castle

Adjacent to the abbey is the more modern Church of the Sacred Heart, which was built 1860-62 but added to in the 20th century. The church was unlocked, so I had a look inside.

Church of the Sacred Heart at Kill

Inside the Church of the Sacred Heart

Stained Glass Window in the Church of the Sacred Heart

A Napoleonic Signal Tower was constructed on the western coast of Clare Island 1804-6 as a precaution against a possible invasion by the French. The one on Clare Island is part of a chain along the coast of Ireland. After the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815 the signal towers were abandoned and the one on Clare Island is in a ruined state. Low cloud descended as I approached the tower, so I couldn't take any clear photos of it.

Signal Tower in the mist

Signal Tower

West coast of Clare Island

About half way along the road between Maum and Fawnglass there are lots of tree stumps on either side of the road. These are the remains of an ancient Scots pine forest, which grew on Clare Island about 7,500 years ago. The forest may have died out due to climate change or a rise in the water table or due to felling by the island's early inhabitants. They were preserved by the acidic bog but exposed by extensive peat cutting in the last 200 years. The whole island was once covered in trees, including the top of Knockmore. However due to a rise in the population all the trees had been felled by the mid 19th century.