Grace O’Malley or Granuaile, the so-called ‘Pirate Queen of Mayo’ owned several castles around the
coast, including two which are relatively intact: Rockfleet and Kildavnet.
You could say that the ferry from Roonagh Quay to Clare Island departs from dock 9 ¾. It is actually a small pier, quite unassuming, but from which you reach an amazing place, so much so that the 25-minute trip that separates the mainland from Clare Island seems too short, a destination so beautiful merits a long and arduous journey like in the novels. Clare Island is the largest of the 365 islands that make up the archipelago of Clew Bay - one for each day of the year according to the legend.
Clare Island and Inishturk can be easily reached by regular ferry from Roonagh Pier, near Louisburgh and the boat journey is part of the adventure.
The fjord is almost a peninsula in reverse, the sea claiming its right to be habitable as it moves forward into the unknown. From the sea, the land perches on the horizon.
|