This Kerry island can be reached by paddling from the shore when the water levels are low — about knee deep

The spectacular County Waterford coastline has golden sands, enticing caves, sea arches, tunnels — and seals and otters

Splashes of vivid orange lichen on the rocks contrast with the deep green and white of the seething sea

Legend has it that Gráinne defeated her lover, Diarmuid, in a stone-throwing contest from Kilrush. The winning rock measured 8 feet by 8 feet and landed on Hog Island — and it's still there

One group of Americans stranded on the island signalled for help using a handkerchief and a lady's garter attached to a long piece of wood

The Cork 'island' was once owned by the great grandfather of James Joyce

The West Clare Railway might have had notorious timetable issues — but the ducks, geese, swans, and other birds have no problem getting onto or off this island

As well as an abbey there is a cilín, or children’s graveyard with rows of uninscribed grave-markers

After clocking up more than 500 visits to Irish islands, Dan MacCarthy reckons he's found one of the most attractive islands in the country

The blowhole is evocatively called Thunder Hole or Poll na Chaora and Poll na Caoin (Hole of the Sheep)

A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it — George A Moore

There may still be remains of a cell underneath the trees and bushes on this Killarney Lakes island 

Other islands on Killarney's lakes include Hen, Chickens, Elephant, Jackdaw, Otter, Crow and Swallow

The islands of Strangford Lough are also known as pladdies and resemble a stationary pod of whales

Dún an Óir tower house on Cork's Oileán Chléire is unlikely to survive longterm — but would have once been a commanding sight to approaching ships

Little Island was an actual island until an early 19th-century infill project saw it joined to the mainland

These Lough Ree islands have been a safe haven for stranded sailors over the years too

Inishcoo is linked by a footbridge to Eighter Island and has its own little lough

One of the most remote islands off the coast of Ireland is celebrating after achieving full mobile and broadband connection.

Trag beach itself is a lovely, sheltered spot and has Blue Flag status

Two people went searching on Sligo's Church Island and “their lifeless bodies were found the next day”

The cable car has not operated since the start of last April and access to the island has been severely curtailed since then

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

Boolard Island gets its name from An Bhuaile Ard which refers to ‘the high sheep pen’ — even though its highest point is only 23 metres

And there may eventually be a 'herd' of Goat Islands here when the larger one splits in two

There's a stone inscribed for St Patrick's nephew, a carved arch of 10 heads, and a tiny church just 10 metres long

This Connemara island may have technically lost its island status but is still battered by huge Atlantic waves

It's named for its shape rather than any two-headed sea monsters 

Its name comes from Rinnín, which translates as a small point or promontory. This suggests that Rinneen Island was once not an island but part of the mainland and may have been associated with Dunmanus Castle, a few hundred metres away

This 32-acre Mayo island has a peak which is 32 metres high

Fairy Island may have inspired WB Yeats for The Stolen Child. He was a frequent visitor to the huge Church Island adjacent to Fairy Island so it is possible he visited this island also

The governor of Connaught Richard Bingham, appointed to the role by Queen Elizabeth in 1584, showed no mercy when claiming Castlehag Island

The island was once home to aristocrat-owned hunting lodges but these are now crumbling ruins with trees growing through the roofs and briars and vines choking the masonry

St Brendan the Navigator was born near this island and may well have set foot here — his voyages are believed to have taken him across the Atlantic some 900 years before Columbus

A lake on this island off the coast of Galway is called 'Loch na dTaisbhsi' (Lake of the Ghosts)

St Conall’s bell and bell shrine are kept in the British Museum but perhaps it is time to bring them 'home' to our National Museum in Dublin

One man who lived here from the mid-50s until 1985 says it was a 'normal enough life' despite there being no electricity or running water on the island

Is this one of our most photographed islands?

The landing at Frehill Island is inhospitable and there is no welcoming committee to congratulate you for your efforts in visiting.

It's known locally as 'Spike Island' but never housed prisoners — and why was baby Thomas O'Donnell born on this uninhabited island?

Data will be gathered to examine economic value, environmental impact, waste and water management, energy usage, access and transport, carbon footprint, and the social and cultural impact on six islands

Galway's Birmore Island doesn't appear on Google Maps and there isn't a ferry to this island but it was once home to 17 people

Locals once imprisoned their guests, stole 100 tonnes of their wine and distributed it in the town — however, there were consequences...

There's a pilgrimage to this Galway island on Saturday, July 16