Sigginstown Island — uninhabited but supremely rich in birdlife

The name 'Sigginstown' comes from the Anglo-Norman settler family of de Sygan who are thought to have built the nearby tower in the 16th century

Islands of Ireland: Sigginstown Island, Tacumshin Lake, County Wexford. Picture: Dan MacCarthy

Where the west coast has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to islands, they are few and far between in the east of the country. However, many of the ones in the east are havens for a variety of bird species, with the standout Saltee Island Great known for the second-largest colony of gannets in the country. Otherwise, the tiny Keeragh Islands are associated with a shipwreck, and Tuskar Rock has a well-known lighthouse. There were other islands along the Wexford coast but most have been reclaimed and incorporated into the mainland (Begerin Island, Breast Island, Big Island).

There are numerous sea barriers along the southeast coast — these are known as ‘burrows’ and are a kind of naturally-occurring Maginot Line. They are giant sand dunes bound together with marram grass which protect the low-lying interior from the influx of the sea.