Islands of Ireland: The Kerry island the gods would be happy to call home

In September, there is a magnificent sight of hundreds of grey seals hauling themselves out of the sea on Trá Bán and reaching a peak of more than 500 on occasion

Great Blasket Island: the Great Blasket Island name or An Blascaod Mór name is thought to derive from Norse influence, possibly meaning ‘sharp rock’. It was also called Ferriter's Island

To walk barefoot along the spine of this island on a summer’s day allowing your feet sink into the soft clover and grass is a special pleasure. Walking high on the spine of this seeming sleeping animal with unsurpassed vistas is a truly transcendent experience. Well below its summit of 346 metres, are the ruins of the settlement where the population peaked at near 200 in the late 19th century. The island was abandoned in 1953.

No-one lives there now except for two caretakers from April to October at the coffee shop and accommodation service chosen from a global lottery to come and live in a place where the gods would be happy to call home.