An annual pilgrimage to Clare Island

- August 28, 2015

Clare Island at the mouth of Clew Bay

Every year, we visit Clare Island primarily because it's an easy sail from our anchorage but also because there is so much to see there. The Saw Doctors have immortalized the experienced in their song about the place:

Will you meet me on Clare Island

Summer stars are in the sky

We'll get the ferry out from Roonagh

And wave all our cares goodbye

And we'll go dancing at the ceili

We'll go kissing on the strand

Take our clothes off in the moonlight

Skinny-dipping hand in hand

And we'll start drinking in the twilight

Keep it up until the dawn

In both the bars

Because there's no guards

To take our names and send us home.

Will you meet me on Clare Island

Gettin' weary of the city

Seems so many things have changed

Let's head off for Nora Dalys home

Where she's walked

It never rained

So will you meet me on Clare Island

And if there's wild and tall white horses

And the swell rolls in the bay

I won't care if the boat can't sail

Sure we'll get home

Some other day

So will you meet me on Clare Island.

It is a romantic place with a charm all its own. Of course, it has the history and the vistas, but there is something else that's hard to put a finger on.

It started out miserable and we wondered what we were doing

This time, we sailed out in mist and low lying cloud, about as miserable as weather gets around these parts. We thought about turning around and returning home but we had set out for an overnight and by gosh we were going to give it a shot. This was June for God's sake, and the longest day of the year. Summer Sailstice!

Suddenly, there was blue sky over Achill Island and the sun shone on Clare Island. We were given may rays of hope for the day. Sure enough, it was soon over us and we started peeling off the layers of clothing we'd been adding since leaving home.

Electric cable markers in the anchorage

As we approached the anchorage we saw that the moorings had been installed along with several buoys we did not remember seeing before. As we prepared to drop anchor, Alex took out the binoculars to see what the buoys were. They were warning buoys about a power cable crossing, right through the middle of the anchorage. Oh no! We couldn't anchor where the ferries manoeuvred and we couldn't anchor farther north as we knew the bottom was shale there and the holding poor. For the first time we opted to pick up a mooring. As we were the only visiting boat there, there was plenty of room even thought the moorings were fairly close together.

The moorings are not rated for our displacement so we decided to give them a try, knowing that usually they are overspec'd. After Alex tied us up, I backed down gently but with increasing power with the engine. We held still without budging. There wouldn't be much wind that night so we figured we were secure. What we would have done had the mooring not held or had there been many other boats, we don't really know.

We spent a lovely day on the island walking a new route we hadn't walked before. We walked past the island shop and abbey, then on through the commonage land. It was beautiful and we felt blessed to have the opportunity.