Getting to Clare Island (and back!)

Clare Island is situated at the entrance of Clew Bay in County Mayo, north of Connemara. Westport is the nearest town.  The boat for the island leaves from Roonagh pier, near Louisburgh.

Coming from abroad, the most straightforward route is to fly to Dublin and then travel by train from Dublin to Westport, then by taxi to Roonagh Pier.  For scheduled courses, we organise either a shared taxi or lifts from participants with cars from Westport station to the ferry.
In order to get to the island in one day, you need to take the lunchtime train from Dublin to Westport. This train leaves from Heuston station (about 40 minutes by taxi from the airport). There are also direct buses from the airport to Heuston station. The journey from Dublin to Westport takes about 3 and a half hours by train.
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.
Another option is Knock, a small airport which is roughly an hour and a half from the pier. The onward journey from Knock by public transport can be problematic for some flights though there is a shuttle bus from the airport to the nearest town of Charlestown and a few bus connections from Charlestown to Westport. Knock airport, however, is a good option for a small group who would share a taxi, or if you can get someone in Ireland to pick you up.
It is also possible to fly to Shannon airport (between Limerick and Galway), but this is an option only if your flight gets in before 10.00 am or if you are prepared to spend the night in Westport or Galway. Travel time by bus is over 5 hours with two changes.
For information about flights to Ireland, see the websites of Aer Lingus, Easyjet (flights to Knock), Aer Arann (flights to Galway) or Ryanair.
For information about train schedules, see The Irish rail website.
For information on bus schedules, see the Bus Eirean website.

If you are driving, from Westport take the coast road to Louisburgh (14 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. There's plenty of parking space near the pier. The drive takes from Westport to Roonagh takes about 35 minutes.
We will let you know the time of the ferry you should take for your particular course (normally 5.00 or 6.00 pm) when we confirm your booking. The boat crossing takes about 20 minutes.

Please note: if you are travelling from outside of Ireland you will need to arrive in Dublin airport before 11 am to make it to the island that evening. If your are flying back on the day the course ends, make sure your flight leaves Dublin not earlier than 7:30 pm, as you will need the afternoon to travel from the island to the airport.
Also note that in the winter, it is not always possible to travel to the island in one day from abroad, as the last boat leaves Roonagh before the afternoon train arrives from Dublin, so you might have to stay overnight in Dublin or Westport. If you are staying in Westport (it's cheaper), we recommend the Altamount B&B, Altamount Street, Westport, phone (353)98.25226, a friendly and reasonably price Bed & Breakfast close to the train station.
If you need further help or advice with your travel arrangements, please .