English name: "bay of hurdles" Irish name: "Modh's harbour"
River sources
Bunowen river network, Owenmore river network, Newport river network, Srahmore river, Carrowbeg River, Moyour River, Owenglasbreen Stream, Owenwee River, Owennabrockagh river, Rossow river[1]
Clew Bay (/ˈkluː/; Irish: Cuan Mó) is a large ocean bay on the Atlantic coast of County Mayo, Ireland. It is roughly rectangular and has more than a hundred small islands on its landward side; Ireland's best example of sunken drumlins. The larger Clare Island guards the entrance of the bay.
The bay was historically known in Irish as Cuan Mod ("harbour of Mod") or Modlind ("pool of Mod"), and was associated with the Fir Bolg.[2][3][4] This later became Cuan Modha.[5] Some writers claim that this name derives from Modh, one of the Tuatha Dé Danann.[6] Another possibility is the Old Irishmod, moth, which meant "penis" or "man".[7]
Another old name is Cuan Umhaill ("harbour of Umhaill"). It was rendered in English as "Bay of the Owly" and "Bay of the Owles." Other English names were the Bay of Borace, Horrus, and Baragh, all references to Burrishoole (Buiríos Umhaill). The name 'Clew Bay', of uncertain origin, first appears in a 1714 map; it may be derived from cliath, "hurdle".[5]
Inishgort Lighthouse stands on the island of Inishgort, 5 km (3.1 mi) from Murrisk.
Fish farming in Clew Bay
In recent years there has been controversy over fish-farming in the bay. "The Organic Salmon Company" (now owned by Mowi) is based in Clare Island.[10]
Gallery
Old Head Wood Nature Reserve (southern edge of Clew Bay
Clew Bay as seen from the top of Croagh Patrick.
Clew Bay as seen from Westport.
Memorial for the victims of the Clew Bay Drowning on June 14, 1894 at Kildavenet Graveyard, Achill Island
Legend has it that Clew Bay has 365 islands in it—"an island for every day of the year".[12][13] The large number of drumlins at the east end of the bay gave rise to this myth, but in fact there are not so many.[citation needed]
This chart shows the relative positions of the islands, sandbars, and rocks in the eastern half of Clew Bay. There are 141 named islands and islets within the bay.[14]