Islands of Ireland: A restful sleep at King’s Island, County Longford despite feral goats

One man who lived here from the mid-50s until 1985 says it was a 'normal enough life' despite there being no electricity or running water on the island

The 'street' on King's Island, County Longford on Lough Ree. The island was home to two families in the mid-20th century: The Hanleys and O'Haras. Picture: Dan MacCarthy

It is inevitable that this column will follow in the footsteps of botanists, philosophers, photographers, writers and artists and hopefully glean a little of their insights along the way. Robert Lloyd Praeger visited Clare Island for his monumental analysis of its flora and fauna; philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein, visited the County Galway island of Inishbarna; and travel writer, Paul Clements, visited King’s Island, County Longford and himself travelled in the footsteps of travel writer, Richard Hayward.

To set foot on the same island as such august souls is a sobering thought: the over-arching question being, is there anything left to write about?