'Astounding' 200ft portrait to appear for ONLY two hours in Mayo
This extraordinary event is part of the first Grace O’Malley Festival being held on Achill and in Westport, County Mayo, 22-24 May 2026.
At low tide on Saturday 23rd May, a giant sand art portrait of pirate queen Grace O’Malley – measuring over 200ft across – will appear on beautiful Dugort Beach, Achill Island, against the astounding backdrop of Slievemore mountain.
The portrait, welcoming Grace back to her West of Ireland kingdom for the first time in over 400 years, will be fully visible for only up to two hours.
This astounding new work by environmental artist Sean Corcoran, famed for his enormous sand paintings, sees the pirate queen sail in from the waves as she finds haven once more on Achill, her home island.
With no known picture of the 16th century warrior woman who ‘knew no bounds’, Corcoran had to use his imagination and contemporary accounts to create a likeness.
This extraordinary event is part of the first Grace O’Malley Festival being held on Achill and in Westport, County Mayo, 22-24 May 2026.
