St Macdara's Island
Six kilometres out from Carna, on a granite island of sixty acres, stands a small stone church whose roof was carved to look like wooden shingles. St Sinach Macdara, the patron saint of seafarers, is believed to have built a wooden church here in the sixth century, and the stone one replaced it in the tenth. There is no pier. Once a year, on 16 July, the boats of the parish, hookers among them, carry people out for Mass and the blessing of the fleet.
Checked against the source on 2026-09-19.
Megdotcom, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
St. MacDara's Island Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Site on the 3D model; tap a pin for its page and directions.
A saint of the sea
Fishermen passing the island traditionally dipped their sails three times. A wooden statue of the saint was so revered that an Archbishop of Tuam, in an act of iconoclasm, ordered it buried. The oratory, probably a shrine for Macdara's remains, stands with several cross slabs inside an enclosure, and the site is a national monument. Nine people once drowned on the pilgrimage, a reminder of the crossing.
On the stamps
Between 1982 and 1986 An Post issued a series of five definitive stamps showing the tenth-century church. The island is pinned on the model with Carna's pier, and the Galway hooker guide tells the story of the boats that sail to it each July.
Questions people ask
When is the pilgrimage to St Macdara's Island?
How old is the church on St Macdara's Island?
How do you get to St Macdara's Island?
Written from Wikipedia, "Saint Macdara's Island" (CC BY-SA 4.0), read on 2026-09-19, and from the OpenStreetMap places on the model. Nothing has been added from memory; follow the source for its footnotes.