A visit to Cow Island — part of a whole 'farmyard' of islands in Killarney
Islands of Ireland — Cow Island, Lakes of Killarney, Co Kerry. Picture: Dan MacCarthy
To look down on the Lakes of Killarney from Mangerton Mountain is to have your heart captured by the sparkling blue lakes and seemingly endless woods. A myriad of islands on Lough Leane, by far the largest of the three lakes, are seen in several clusters: there are a bunch near Ross Castle.
And a few more further out to the centre of the lake including Inisfallen, where monks in the 11th century copied manuscripts and compiled what became known as the Annals of Innisfallen — a historic record of Ireland from the fifth century.
All about, the snow-filled mountains surround the lakes. Close at hand are Shehy, Tomies and Purple. And lurking in behind them, Ireland’s highest and second-highest mountain can be seen from Brown Island. In the distance, the Slieve Mish Mountains at the start of the Dingle Peninsula, are another splendid sight. At Castlelough Bay at the eastern end of Lough Leane, the River Flesk disgorges into the lake.
Cow Island is part of a menagerie of islands to the south of Ross Castle. In addition to Cow Island, there are Swallow Island, Otter Island, Crow Island — and with the nearby rocks of Hen, Chickens, Elephant and Jackdaw it is quite the farmyard.
On the western approach to the island the miniature Yew Island is passed where the trees that give the island its name cling tenaciously to limestone outcrops.
Paddling the few remaining metres to Cow Island, and a confident heron sits high on the branches, indifferent to an approaching kayak.
The way it should be, of course. On this magnificent winter’s day, the palpable silence is only disturbed by water dripping through the porous limestone, razor-sharp sheets of which underlie the trees. A pair of yellowhammers flit about the branches of the holly trees, not as amiable as the heron.
Over by Elephant rock a group of cormorants streak along the water's surface making for Rough Island.
Amazingly, people lived on Cow Island. The 1911 census records a family of O’Rourkes living there. Mary, 43, and Philip, 52, had five children: Marty, 15; Patrick J, 10; Philip 8; Nora Agnes, 6, and Bryan Feonan, 4.
The heavily wooded island is dominated by yew, juniper, birch and holly and is fairly impenetrable today. There is a pond in the centre of the island which may be connected to the source of the island’s name where cows could have been swum over from the mainland.
The pond would have been a valuable source of water for them. The character of Cow Island is defined by an embankment on the east and west which would have afforded some protection from the elements. The other islands in this set are all, bar Rough Island, imposing limestone edifices, their fastness not to be argued with.
On a cursory look, no evidence of the remains of the O’Rourke house was visible. All of the family members could read and write and all were Catholics. They were all recorded as ‘scholars’.
Further east, towards the end of Lough Leane, is Friar’s Island to which monks from Muckross Abbey, which dates from the 15th century, would occasionally go on retreat. It is instructive to imagine a cowled monk paddling silently across the lake to Cow Island from Friar’s Island, or perhaps from further away at Innisfallen whose original abbey dates from the seventh century.
In reference to the esteemed seat of learning there, Lough Leane or Loch Léin, translates as Lake of Learning.
At this time of year, there is very little in the way of flowers though the floor of the wood is sodden with decaying foliage which nourishes the plants — and so begin the great cycle of life again. Innisfallen has been described in this column previously as a truly idyllic place. If that is so, Cow Island is Innisfallen on steroids.
- While permits are available to kayak on the lake, landing on the islands is discouraged owing to the very sensitive habitats there. gapofdunloetraditionalboattours.com/boat-tours
- killarneylaketours.ie
- Permits available by calling to the National Parks and Wildlife Services office on the Kenmare Road. killarneynationalpark.ie
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
