Inishbofin Island

In later years, Inishbofin Island was part of the holdings of the Earls of Clanricard, though the O’Malley family temporarily gained possession of the island. It is thought that Gráinne Ní Mháille had a castle built on the western side of the harbour (for more on her story, see our articles on Clare Island and Rockfleet Castle; and members can enjoy our Tuatha Talk with Dr Gillian Kenny Gráinne Mhaol and Women at War in Medieval Ireland). Another fort on the opposite side of the harbour is said to have been built by a legendary Spanish buccaneer called Don Bosco, an ally of Gráinne Ní Mháille. According to the story he had a heavy chain pulled across the mouth of the harbour to prevent any boats from entering or exiting without first paying him dues.

The strategic harbour of Inishbofin became an important supply base for the western coast during the Confederate Wars of the 1640s. The Earl of Clanricard had a garrison stationed on the island, though after the city of Galway fell to Parliamentary forces in 1652, Inishbofin became one of the last bases of the Confederate forces. A large Parliamentarian expeditionary force set out to conquer the island in 1653 and forced the garrison into surrender. As part of the terms of surrender, the garrison of 1,000 Irish soldiers left Inishbofin to sail to Ostend, and the Parliamentarian forces took command of the island. They constructed a powerful fort on the site of Bosco’s original castle, with artillery bastions that protected the harbour. The fort was converted into a prison to house Catholic priests before they were transported overseas.

This followed the law introduced during Elizabeth I’s reign that declared all Roman Catholic priests to be guilty of high treason. Enormous numbers of priests were hunted down, imprisoned and transported to plantations in the Americas or Barbados. This was a marginal improvement, as previously priests were often summarily executed, before the Parliament was strongly lobbied into moderation by Catholic rulers in Europe. In 1657, an order was made for payment of £100 upon the account of Colonel Sadler, the Governor of Galway, for the ‘maintenance of such Popish Priests as are or should be confined to the Isle of Buffin, according to six pense dayly allowance, Building Cabbins and the like’. Despite the relatively handsome stipend, from contemporary accounts of Inishbofin, the priests were kept in appalling conditions, close to starvation. It is likely that the majority of the allowance was swallowed up by corruption. By 1662, the fort had returned to its military role and a garrison was kept on the island due to the threat of invasion by the French or Dutch. During the Williamite Wars, a Jacobite garrison was stationed on Inishbofin in September 1690 but surrendered not long after the fall of Galway in July 1691, and the fort was finally abandoned in the early 18th century.

Inishbofin is a lovely place to explore, if you can try to stay at least overnight to enjoy all the various trails and vistas that the island offers. I also highly recommend a stop at Inishwallah, a converted London bus that serves some of the nicest Indian street food in Ireland!