Church Island Mass, Lough Carra

What to Expect

Once a year, Ballintubber Abbey Parish carries the celebration of the Feast of the Assumption out onto the water, with Mass celebrated on Church Island, on Lough Carra. On Friday 14 August at 7:30pm, weather permitting, clergy and parishioners gather on the small island to mark the feast in a setting the parish newsletter describes as one all are “warmly welcome to attend.” It is a distinctive addition to the parish’s Assumption-week programme, alongside the regular Masses at Ballintubber Abbey, Carnacon and Killawalla churches, and gives the celebration a different, more contemplative character than the indoor liturgies held the same week. Numbers are generally modest, so it has the feel of a local, community occasion rather than a large public pilgrimage.

Lough Carra is one of Mayo’s most distinctive lakes, prized for its marl-blue water and limestone shoreline, and Church Island sits within it a short distance from the Ballintubber shore. The island takes its name from an old church site, and the annual Assumption Mass is one of the few occasions each year when the wider parish community makes the crossing together. Ballintubber Abbey itself, a short drive away, is one of Ireland’s oldest working churches, founded in 1216 and famous as the starting point of the Tochar Phadraig pilgrim path to Croagh Patrick, so the Church Island Mass sits within a parish with an unusually long tradition of outdoor and pilgrimage worship.

Good to Know

• Date and time: Friday 14 August 2026 at 7:30pm, weather permitting
• Venue: Church Island, Lough Carra, near Ballintubber, Co. Mayo
• Price: Free, all warmly welcome
• Marks the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Held annually, subject to weather; if conditions are poor the Mass may be moved or cancelled, so check with Ballintubber Parish Office (094 903 0934) on the day
• Access to the island depends on local arrangements made by the parish - contact the parish office in advance if you are not familiar with the crossing

Getting There

Church Island sits in Lough Carra, a short distance from Ballintubber Abbey, which is on the R330 roughly midway between Castlebar and Ballinrobe. Ballintubber Abbey itself has a visitor car park, and local arrangements are usually made for transport out to the island on the evening. Castlebar, the nearest town with bus and rail links, is about 20 minutes away by car.