Clare Island Abbey

Top choice in County Mayo


The chancel roof of 13th-century Clare Island Abbey is dotted with faded fragments of murals, dating from around 1500. Look out too for the tomb reputed to be that of Grace O'Malley, where a stone inscribed with her family motto formidably declares: 'Invincible on land and sea'. The abbey is in the south of the island; it's often locked – get the key from O'Malley's Post Office (how fitting), some 30m away.

Displays help you decipher the mural fragments. Once your eyes adjust to the light, you'll make out sections of hunting and fishing scenes, as well as wrestlers, a harpist and a pelican.