The wedding will be held on Midsummer, Friday, June 21, on Clare Island, which is located off the west coast of Ireland and accessible by a short ferry ride. On a trip in 2023 where we were looking for wedding venues, we also attended the annual O'Malley Rally. Patrice is an O'Malley on her mother's side, and the O'Malleys are one of Ireland's historic clans. The O'Malley Family Association hosts this annual event to explore the family history and work on various preservation projects, including the refurbishment of the castle of Grainne O Maille (more popularly known as Grace O'Malley, a 16th century semi-mythologized but very real "pirate queen"). The castle is located on Clare Island, the family's ancestral home, which we visited during the Rally. Since Westport is actually easily accessible by multiple modes of transport (see the Travel tab), Clare Island presented itself as both a unique and accessible location for the wedding. While the island has less than 200 residents, it's a popular hiking destination, serviced by multiple ferries daily, easy to get around on, with enough restaurants and accommodations to service a wedding party that will mark a sizeable increase in population for our stay.

Sure, it is complicated if you're not familiar with the route, and it does take some time to get from wherever you land to Clare Island. The order of operation is: From the airport (either Dublin or Shannon), you will need to travel to the town of Westport by either car, bus or train (4-5 hours from Dublin; 3-4 hours from Shannon); then, from Westport's city center, it's a roughly 20-minute trip by taxi/bus to the ferry terminal, for the short (30 minutes or less) trip to Clare Island. While it may seem possible, we would not recommend intending to get all the way to Clare Island the same day your flight lands, because the last ferry to the island tends to leave late afternoon. Our recommendation would be to break up these segments over a couple days, and arrive at least one day before you intend to get the island. You’ll likely be flying into Dublin, which is a lovely place to stay. While you can easily get from Dublin Airport (or Shannon) to Westport the day you arrive, that's a lot of travel (particularly if you’re driving). Our recommendation would be to spend the night in Dublin after you arrive; in the morning, take your preferred method of transport to Westport, and from Westport to Clare Island that afternoon. We’re taking it even slower, and you’re welcome to join us on our itinerary as time permits: We will be in Dublin starting at least Mon., June 17; the morning of Weds., June 19, we'll be driving to Westport. That night we'll be staying in Westport and you're welcome to join us on the town. Thurs., June 20 we'll be arranging the group on hand to go from downtown Westport to the ferry terminal together. We will take a late enough ferry to permit anyone who may be traveling from Dublin to get there in time for the group trip.

Ireland can be warm in the summer but it often rains. On Clare Island, being in Clew Bay and exposed to the North Atlantic, the day we were there in June we experienced all four seasons twice. It can be cold and windy even in summer, so the wise move is to pack to layer up to keep warm if it gets chilly. Be sure to be prepared for rain.

The town on Clare Island is located at the quay; all accommodations, wedding site, reception area, and other restaurants are no more than 10 minutes by foot from the ferry terminal. Some sites on the island not tied to the wedding can require substantial walks or the use of the island's taxi service. There is one taxi van on the island.

Dinner will be provided on Friday following the wedding. We're also hosting a barbecue for guests Saturday evening to close out the weekend, so your food will be provided for both. As such you will need dinner Thursday and breakfast/lunch on Friday and Saturday. There are several restaurants on the island including the Anchor Pub. We will also provide some light snacks and drinks to keep at the various houses the guests are staying in. But of course you may also choose to bring food either prepared or to cook. All the houses are self-catering.

Generally speaking, yes. While the ferry schedules for summer 2024 haven't been published yet, the last ferry leaves for the mainland no later than around 6 pm, so it would not likely be possible to stay on the mainland and attend the wedding itself.

Because the island is frequented by a couple hundred day hikers per day during the high season (when we'll be there), there is a full-time nurse's station with at least two on-call nurses 24 hours a day. It's located near the Anchor Bar/Community Center. The station is well prepared for triaging issues. However, there is not a pharmacy on the island so any medical needs should be addressed before leaving Westport.

We've traveled extensively around the world and have used Airbnb, including in Ireland. The only place we've ever had a problem with Airbnb is in the city of Dublin. The city in particular has had a housing crisis for ages; it can be expensive to get a place to stay, but it's also the only city we were ever scammed using Airbnb. Plus, the apartments available via Airbnb have typically not been great. Everywhere else in Ireland Airbnb is a perfectly good choice, but based on experience, we urge caution using it in Dublin itself, particularly for city-center type accommodation that would be appealing to tourists. Certainly limit yourself to "Superhosts".

In Dublin ride hail apps work, including Uber, though it's not the best method (there's fairly few Uber drivers). The preferred method is an app called FreeNow, which uses actual taxis. The fees are metered rather than fixed, but you pay through the app itself. Because they jumped to this app, most Irish taxis don't take cards separately, only cash, meaning if you want to use a card, the app is the way to go. With that said, all this applies only to Dublin. None of these services work in Westport. The taxi in Westport is cash only and can be reach by the phone number under the transportation tab. It's not metered, all rides are roughly 5 euro per person, and this will be how you get from the train/bus station to anywhere else you need to be.

Sure! We love driving in Ireland and it gets you the opportunity to visit lots more places as you go around. We are making you go across the island, after all--might as well enjoy it. It is English-style in Ireland, driving on the left side of the road, so it takes some getting used to but it's not too hard. Street parking in Dublin city center is virtually non-existent, so be advised you may have to use a parking garage in the city which can add to the cost. As for the time you're on Clare Island, there is a large, free, safe parking lot at the ferry terminal on the mainland where you can leave the car for the duration of your stay on Clare Island.

You can arrange individually with the ferry operator bringing a car, but its expensive, time-consuming, and completely unnecessary. It'll be safe at the terminal.

Shannon Airport comes up a lot in flight searches, but people often don't know what it is or where. Decades ago, Ireland decided to build a second major international airport on the southwest side of the country from Dublin, to serve more flights and to try to develop an entire new town around it. As a result, they wound up with a major international airport that's kind of in the middle of nowhere, since no one wanted really wanted to live in the town. So yes, you can absolutely fly into Shannon airport; however, it's not actually next to a city, though Limerick is nearby. Shannon airport is actually a little closer to Westport than Dublin, but it's still a three-some hour bus or car ride. Please note, there is no train from Shannon to Westport directly.