From a distance, the eerie shell of this wind-battered 1470-built Dominican abbey near the water is quite a sight. Leaving Newport in a northwest direction along the N59 towards Achill Island, a sign points the way to this stunning abbey, and from there it’s a further 1km to the car park.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
28.5 MILES
Immediately southeast of Letterfrack, Connemara National Park spans 2000 dramatic hectares of bog, mountains, heath and woodlands.
15.37 MILES
Imposing Ballintubber Abbey is the only church in Ireland founded by an Irish king that remains in use. It's reputed to have been established in 1216 next…
28.61 MILES
An exposed hillside 8km northwest of Ballycastle is home to one of the world's most extensive Stone Age monuments. So far stone-walled fields, houses and…
26.72 MILES
Photogenically perched on the shores of Pollacapall Lough, 4km east of Letterfrack, Kylemore is a crenellated 19th-century neo-Gothic fantasy. It was…
18.56 MILES
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…
National Museum of Country Life
14.9 MILES
The extensive and engrossing displays of this riverside museum delve into Ireland's fascinating rural traditions and skills. It's set in a modern,…
25.51 MILES
St Mary's is one of Ireland's most transfixing holy wells. An apparition of the Virgin Mary has drawn pilgrims here for centuries, and today a tumbledown…
21.63 MILES
The bleak remains of more than 80 houses in this deserted village at the foot of Mt Slievemore are slowly being reduced to rock piles, a poignant reminder…
Nearby County Mayo attractions
2.26 MILES
Carrigahowley Castle (also called Rockfleet Castle), an intact 15th-century tower off the N59, is associated with 'pirate queen' Grace O'Malley. She…
3.86 MILES
This tumble down, roofless ruin near Drumgoney Lough (Leg O' Mutton Lake) is the ancestral home of the late actress (and Princess of Monaco) Grace Kelly…
6.75 MILES
Set in a 19th-century stone building 2km west of town, this museum traces the history, customs and traditions of Westport and Clew Bay.
6.92 MILES
Built in 1730 on the ruins of Grace O'Malley's 16th-century castle, this charming Georgian mansion 2km west of the centre retains much of its original…
7.23 MILES
This 1947, art deco–style landmark stands in the centre of Westport, and is a popular meeting point for locals. It's notoriously inaccurate, and sometimes…
8.03 MILES
Rising from a narrow isthmus, the hillside village of Mulranny overlooks a wide Blue Flag beach on the road from Newport to Achill Sound and on the cusp…
8.55 MILES
Murrisk Abbey was founded by the O'Malleys in 1547. Its scant remains sit beside the shore; a path leads here from beside the National Famine Memorial.
8.68 MILES
Opposite the car park on the far side of the road is the National Famine Memorial, a spine-chilling sculpture of a three-masted ghost ship wreathed in…