Cape Clear Museum is housed in a restored old schoolhouse and contains some several hundred artefacts of island maritime and folklife interest. There are, to date, 196 framed exhibition panels in the collection which deal with fourteen different themes of island heritage. Each theme may have from around six to fourteen exhibition panels, but only a few of these may be exhibited at any one time. The exhibition is changed each summer and anniversary and special exhibitions are also mounted.

Aspects covered in the exhibition panels include St. Ciarán-St Piran: Pilgrim Islander, archaeology, placenames, shipwrecks, famine, education, genealogy, folk and farm, geology, lighthouses and signal towers, telegraphs, fishing, maritime history and folklore. The Fastnet Lighthouse and Fastnet Race of 1979 form a special exhibition.

Among recent events organised by the Museum have been the Naomh Ciarán-St Piran Millennium Jubilee Pilgrimage from Cornwall to Cape Clear and Seir Kieran (Co. Offally): the Fastnet Exhibition and 1979 Fastnet Race Remembrance Ceremony of 2004.

The Museum is open seven days June to August 31st each year and from September 1st to June 1st by arrangement with the Cape Clear Library. To check opening hours contact:

Cape Clear Library,
email; cleirelibrary@corkcoco.ie
Tel: 028 41006
or Comharchumann Chléire Teo. Cape Clear Island Co-Operative
Tel: 353 28 39119
Fax: 353 28 39150

Carlann Chléire / Cape Clear Island Archive is a comprehensive collection of documentation relating to Cape Clear island, its history and people down the centuries compiled since 1976 by Dr. Éamon Lankford. Also included is a compilation of some 4000 photographs of island life which are individually cataloued in various themes. Original documentation is held in Cartlann Chléire / Cape Clear Island Archive at Cork County Library, Carrigrohane Road, Cork with selected material being retained at Cape Clear Island Library, Co.Cork. The librarian at either location will advise on what cateories of information are held in Cork city and at Cape Clear. Please not that Cape Clear Museum Archive does not conduct private research and the collected material will not be available to the public in both Cape Clear island Library and Cork County Library until the of 2013