Islands of Ireland: To school across the lough for these Sligo island kids

And 30 guests rowed over to Gildea's Island for a knees-up that went on til dawn when the island's owner got married

Islands of Ireland: Gildea's Island, County Sligo, is unpopulated but gets seasonal visitors to its historic house 

Just as Beezie’s Island in Lough Gill, County Sligo is synonymous with the larger than-life character, Beezie Gallagher, an island of similar size further south in the county is associated with a man called Gildea. And while Beezie’s Island also had two other names — Gallagher’s Island and Cottage Island — Gildea’s Island has just one more: Inishmore.

Lough Arrow or in Irish, Loch Arbhach, is famous for its brown trout and is a big draw for tourists. The lough is about 24km from Sligo Town and the vast majority is in County Sligo. A southern sliver is in County Roscommon and is about 7km from Boyle. It has surprisingly few islands, just four in total: Gildea’s Island, Annaghgowla Island, Innisbeg — and the delightfully named Muck Island. Three islets complete the picture.