The rusted hull of a 1960 cargo shipwreck, immortalised in the opening credits of Father Ted, sitting on the rocky eastern shore of Inis Oírr — free to visit and open all day, every day.
The MV Plassey is a rust-orange steel hulk beached above the high-tide line at Carraig na Finise. Walk right up to it on the rocky shore — but don't climb on the corroded plating, which is unsound. The wreck is most atmospheric under an overcast sky or at sunrise.
From the pier, turn left and follow the quiet lane around the eastern side of the island — about a 45-minute walk or a 10–15 minute cycle. The route passes the lighthouse, dry-stone walls, and offers stunning views across Galway Bay to the Cliffs of Moher.
The shipwreck is one stop on a loop that also takes in O'Brien's Castle (14th-century tower house on the island's highest ridge), the Bronze Age burial mound Cnoc Raithní, a Blue Flag beach at An Trá, and the 1857 lighthouse at the southern tip.
The Plassey appears in the opening sequence of every episode of the cult comedy Father Ted. Fans make the pilgrimage to recreate the famous shot; the coppery wreck frames beautifully against the Atlantic, especially in dramatic weather.
Drop into Tí Ned, the island pub, to see photographs of the dramatic 1960 rescue displayed on the walls. All 11 crew were saved using a breeches buoy by islanders in appalling conditions — and the salvaged whisky entered local folklore.
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