Getting to Clare Island, Co Mayo, Ireland

Clare Island is situated at the entrance of Clew Bay in County Mayo, north of Connemara. 
For information about flights to Ireland, contact Aer Lingus or Ryanair.
From abroad, the most straightforward route is to fly to Dublin and then travel by train or bus from Dublin to Westport, then by taxi or bus to Roonagh Pier. There are also  a number of flights from the UK to Knock,  a small airport which is roughly an hour and a half from the pier, but the onward journey from Knock by public transport can be problematic. However, this would be a good option for a small group who would share a taxi, or if you are renting a car.
From the UK or France, it is also possible to fly to Galway, about 2 hours by bus from Westport.  See www.galwayairport.com for details of flights to Galway and the Bus Eirean website for details of bus connections to Westport.
Coming from Ireland, there is a train station in Westport. From there on, take a taxi for the 14 miles run to Roonagh Quay, or take a bus to Louisburgh, and hitch hike or walk the remaining 4 miles.

If you are driving, from Westport take the coast road to Louisburgh (10 miles), drive straight through Louisburgh and about a quarter of a mile after the village, take a right turn to Roonagh (the road is clearly signposted for Roonagh Pier and Clare Island.) It is a further 4 miles to the pier. 
In the summer, there are numerous ferry sailings from Roonagh to Clare Island during the day. The boat crossing takes about 20 minutes. In the winter, there are usually only two boats a day.
For details about the ferry schedule, contact O'Grady's ferries, www.clareislandferry.com / 086 8515003  / clareislandferry@anu.ie or O'Malley's ferries, www.omalleyferries.com / 098 25045 /enquiry@omalleyferries.com.

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