Islands of Ireland: Just three people live on Clynish where there was once a village

Not counting the islands connected by causeway, Clynish and Inishlyre are the only Clew Bay islands with year-round inhabitants

Clynish, Clew Bay, County Mayo. Picture: Dan MacCarthy

It’s hard to fathom the population density of Clew Bay today in comparison with its peak in the 19th century: just a handful of the upwards of its 200 or so islands are now inhabited.

From the vantage point of say Inishnakillew in the centre of the bay or Dorinish in the south the eye takes in dozens and dozens of islands with many more out of view. It was not so surprising that the population reached more than 1,000 but that it stayed so high for so long.