Clare Island is situated at the entrance of Clew Bay in County Mayo, north of Connemara.  The nearest town is Westport.

From abroad, the most straightforward route is to get to Dublin (by ferry from the UK, or by air from just about anywhere) and then travel by train or bus to Westport.
For those coming from the continent, there are direct ferries from France to Ireland (Cork and Rosslare).
Coming from Ireland, there are good bus and train connections to Westport. If you are planning to travel by train, note it is uusally far cheaper to book your journey on line in advance, rather than buying your ticket at the station on the day.

From Westport, take a taxi for the 14 miles run to Roonagh Quay (cost should be around 30 euros, contact Noel Staunton, 098.28856 or Michael, 087.2202123), or take a bus to Louisburgh, and hitch hike or walk the remaining 4 miles.

If you are driving, from Westport take the coast road to Louisburgh (10 miles), drive straight through Louisburgh and about a quarter of a mile after the village, just after the "Nomadic Display" factory, take a right turn to Roonagh (the road is clearly signposted for Roonagh Pier and Clare Island.) It is a further 4 miles to the pier.  Allow 35 minutes from Westport to Roonagh.  
From Galway an alternative route (and more scenic route) is to take the Clifden road to Maam Cross and turn right at Maam Cross to Leenane. From Leenane (and anywhere in Connemara) take the Westport road, and about 2 miles out of Leenare, take a left turn towards Louisburgh (be careful not the miss the turn, it's the first left outside Leenane). It is a very beautiful drive along the shores of Killary harbour, up the Delphy valley and the Doo Lough pass. Turn right at the cross road when you arrive at Louisburhgh (away from the village, signposted Roonagh Quay), and about a quarter of a mile after the cross road, just after the "Nomadic display" factory, take a right turn to Roonagh (the road is clearly signposted for Roonagh Pier and Clare Island). It is a further 4 miles to the pier.  If going that way, allow two hours from Galway.
See the AA Ireland site for more details.

In the summer, there are numerous ferry sailings from Roonagh to Clare Island during the day. The boat crossing takes about 20 minutes. In the winter, there are usually only two boats a day, and in stormy conditions, they might not run on schedule, so check beforehand. We have an arrangement with O'Grady's ferry who give people staying with us a special 12 euros return rate (normal fare is 15 euros return).
For details about the ferry schedule, contact O'Grady's ferries, www.clareislandferry.com / 086.8515003  / clareislandferry@anu.ie or O'Malley's ferries, www.omalleyferries.com / 098.25045 / omalleyferries@hotmail.com.
Macalla farm is on the lighthouse road, about 30 minutes walk from the pier. 

For information about train schedules, see The Irish rail website.
For information about bus schedules, see the Bus Eirean website. 
For information about flights to Ireland, contact Aer Lingus or Ryanair
For information on how to travel from the UK to Ireland without flying, click here
For details of schedules of ferries from the UK and France, see the websites of Irish ferries, Stena Lline and Brittany ferries.