A bronze "coffin ship" with skeletal figures in the rigging, unveiled in 1997 at the foot of Croagh Patrick — Ireland's national memorial to the Great Famine dead.
John Behan's bronze Coffin Ship, unveiled by President Mary Robinson in July 1997, remembers the million people who died in the Great Famine of 1845–49 and the emigrants lost on overcrowded ships; skeletal figures are woven through the rigging.
The memorial stands in Murrisk Millennium Park at the foot of Croagh Patrick, with commanding views over Clew Bay and the Atlantic. A curved seating area a little downhill frames the ship silhouetted against the mountain.
The mountain rises directly behind the memorial and the trail starts by the nearby visitor centre. The full climb takes around three to four hours, mostly on one clear path.
Walk 300 m down towards the sea to the ruins of Murrisk Abbey, founded in 1457, with battlemented walls, grand arched windows and a graveyard overlooking Clew Bay. Bertra Beach is a further stroll away for birdwatching.
Campbell's at the Reek sits right by the visitor centre, and The Tavern Bar and Restaurant is a five-minute walk away. The community-run Murrisk Community Café in the Community Centre serves hot and cold refreshments and homemade food.
Bus Éireann route 450 runs about six times a day from Mill Street in Westport to the Croagh Patrick visitor centre, roughly a 20-minute ride. The memorial is a short walk across the road.
Load the interactive map to explore this place location.
