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A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>Arranmore, County Donegal has several walking trails which start at the pier and lead around the island</p>

outdoors

Islands of Ireland: Arranmore is a magnet for hillwalkers, birdwatchers, anglers, swimmers, divers... and island fans

One trail here leads to the northwest of the island where the lighthouse can be found. Like all our other lighthouses, it is unmanned and automated. Since 1865 it has directed ships away from its rocks

<p>Islands of Ireland. Friar Island (to the left in this image). Picture: Dan MacCarthy </p>

outdoors

Islands of Ireland: Galway's Friar Island — a magnet for kayakers, divers... and sheep

<p>Low Island, County Cork with the entry to Castlehaven Bay in the background and High Island in the foreground. Picture: Dan MacCarthy for outdoors</p>

outdoors

Islands of Ireland: Skull Island — a better name for this Cork island featuring a ruined mortuary chapel and graveyard?

Islands of Ireland: Success... I managed to find the tiny church on Parsons Island

outdoors

Islands of Ireland: Success... I managed to find the tiny church on Parsons Island

Islands of Ireland: Cleaning up the plastic 'treasure' on Inishbroon

outdoors

Islands of Ireland: Cleaning up the plastic 'treasure' on Inishbroon

Islands of Ireland: Inishlacken is so beautiful it will take your breath away

outdoors

Islands of Ireland: Inishlacken is so beautiful it will take your breath away

Islands of Ireland: No long face thanks to the inspirational beauty of Kerry's Horse Island

Islands of Ireland: No long face thanks to the inspirational beauty of Kerry's Horse Island

There are many Horse Islands in the country — prominent ones include those at Roaringwater Bay and at Ballinskelligs Bay — but this one near Valentia and Portmagee is just gorgeous

Fri, 19 Apr, 2024

Islands of Ireland: Kenmare Bay — still called a river thanks to a lord who wanted to ensure fishing rights

Islands of Ireland: Kenmare Bay — still called a river thanks to a lord who wanted to ensure fishing rights

This 'river island' is rocky and small but is a lovely spot for a picnic if you happen to be passing by on a boat

Fri, 12 Apr, 2024

Islands of Ireland: Bushy Island — a wealth of dykes and mudflats and butterflies

Islands of Ireland: Bushy Island — a wealth of dykes and mudflats and butterflies

But as with several of the Shannon islands Bushy Island is synonymous with a maritime tragedy

Fri, 29 Mar, 2024

Islands of Ireland: MacCarthy’s Island in Kerry — set in a little piece of heaven

Islands of Ireland: MacCarthy’s Island in Kerry — set in a little piece of heaven

The lake is surrounded by mountains and woods... Tomies, Purple, and Shehy Mountain stand on the northside while Torc, Mangerton, and Peakeen form the southern part of what is in effect a giant bowl

Fri, 08 Mar, 2024

Islands of Ireland: Mudbanks, nettles, and a plane crash — Graigue Island in Shannon Estuary

Islands of Ireland: Mudbanks, nettles, and a plane crash — Graigue Island in Shannon Estuary

One-acre Graigue Island in the Shannon Estuary has been suggested as a point for construction of a tidal barrier to protect Limerick City from the effects of global warming, such as is sorely needed in Cork Harbour also

Fri, 09 Feb, 2024

Islands of Ireland: Trasnagh na dtonnta to this County Down island

Islands of Ireland: Trasnagh na dtonnta to this County Down island

Luscious green grass for the herd of cattle brought here for the first time in more than 70 years

Fri, 26 Jan, 2024

Islands of Ireland: Fishtrap and kelp industry relics at Illaunacullin, County Cork

Islands of Ireland: Fishtrap and kelp industry relics at Illaunacullin, County Cork

Medieval fishermen would have been busy at this West Cork swampland island as fish was a diet staple and this island's layout meant it was handy for catching fish

Fri, 29 Dec, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Surging seas, foam, and treacherous reefs surround Govern Island

Islands of Ireland: Surging seas, foam, and treacherous reefs surround Govern Island

The enormous and appropriately-named White Strand is the best place from which to approach the island

Fri, 01 Dec, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Only lapping water and birdsong break the silence at Roscommon's Lahan Island

Islands of Ireland: Only lapping water and birdsong break the silence at Roscommon's Lahan Island

The island, which has a small jetty on its north side, has a lovely canopy of oak, beech, and hawthorn trees

Fri, 17 Nov, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Turkish sailors with outbreak of cholera on board buried their dead here

Islands of Ireland: Turkish sailors with outbreak of cholera on board buried their dead here

Many of Ireland's 'Turk Islands' mean 'island of the wild boar' but West Cork's Turk Island has three graves where sailors who died of cholera are buried

Fri, 03 Nov, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Glistening sea and gentle breeze on a trip to Derrinish in Clew Bay

Islands of Ireland: Glistening sea and gentle breeze on a trip to Derrinish in Clew Bay

But a vanished population and a lack of oak trees here are tragic

Fri, 27 Oct, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Sights set on fame and fortune — from Lough Arrow to Chile

Islands of Ireland: Sights set on fame and fortune — from Lough Arrow to Chile

Inishbeg in Sligo is the birthplace of Ambrosio O'Higgins whose son, Bernardo, became the first leader of independent Chile after it seceded from the Spanish Empire in 1810

Fri, 20 Oct, 2023

Islands of Ireland: A personal connection to West Cork islands with a tragic past

Islands of Ireland: A personal connection to West Cork islands with a tragic past

Heir Island man, John Harte risked his own life to save five people when a boat sank here, with the loss of six lives, on October 10, 1918

Sat, 07 Oct, 2023

Islands of Ireland: A ballet of swallows swoops around Banbury's Island

Islands of Ireland: A ballet of swallows swoops around Banbury's Island

But this is an island of 'no substance' — it's not possible to even set foot on it as it seems to be mostly a submerged reed bank

Fri, 22 Sep, 2023

Mweenish Island — a lovely island for a stroll if you're sure of the tides

Mweenish Island — a lovely island for a stroll if you're sure of the tides

And check out Glasheen Island and the large Tawin Island here in Galway

Fri, 01 Sep, 2023

Islands of Ireland: On my deserted island... please don't send help

Islands of Ireland: On my deserted island... please don't send help

Young's Island in Lough Derg, County Clare has remains of campfires — and is a neighbour of Holy Island which has a round tower and the ruins of six churches

Fri, 25 Aug, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Mud and a naming mystery at Cork's Marshy Islands

Islands of Ireland: Mud and a naming mystery at Cork's Marshy Islands

These islands could be considered eyots or ait or maybe you prefer bitmay or holm — or perhaps glasoileán is the best term

Fri, 18 Aug, 2023

Islands of Ireland: The smallest island yet in this series

Islands of Ireland: The smallest island yet in this series

Here are a few theories on what the name Eargold Island means — but let us know if if you have any more info on this

Fri, 04 Aug, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Illauneeragh, County Kerry is a mix of pristine and polluted

Islands of Ireland: Illauneeragh, County Kerry is a mix of pristine and polluted

Skeletons of starfish, mussel and crabs shells decorate the beach which is also scattered with bits of coloured rope and buoys

Fri, 28 Jul, 2023

Islands of Ireland: A visit to another Sligo island that might have inspired WB Yeats

Islands of Ireland: A visit to another Sligo island that might have inspired WB Yeats

The Stolen Child mentions 'Sleuth Wood' which might actually refer to Slishwood East

Fri, 07 Jul, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Ghost ship travels 160 miles to rest near sister ship wreck

Islands of Ireland: Ghost ship travels 160 miles to rest near sister ship wreck

A big coincidence at a small Cork island

Fri, 30 Jun, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Cattle cross to graze on Inishleigh at low water

Islands of Ireland: Cattle cross to graze on Inishleigh at low water

And there are plenty beautiful pink trumpets of sea bindweed here too

Fri, 23 Jun, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Fiddaun Island is strictly for the birds

Islands of Ireland: Fiddaun Island is strictly for the birds

The Forster's Tern is a visitor to this island. And it's possible to walk here at spring tides

Fri, 16 Jun, 2023

Common Angel Shark (Squatina squatina) swimming over sea grass.

Anja Murray: Even though many sharks are predators, it is we humans who pose a threat

"There are 39 different shark species and 28 species of skates and rays (closely related to sharks) living in the ocean around Ireland, long before people ever reached these shores."

Wed, 14 Jun, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Eagle Island, where eagles once flourished

Islands of Ireland: Eagle Island, where eagles once flourished

This Kerry island was named at a time when these magnificent apex predators soared above the lakes and mountains before nesting in the woods

Fri, 09 Jun, 2023

How to behave around basking sharks

Where are some of the best spots to see basking sharks, and would they ever attack a surfer or a dog who's swimming?

Thu, 08 Jun, 2023

Islands of Ireland: From Constantinople to Mayo's Island More

Islands of Ireland: From Constantinople to Mayo's Island More

Island More is the fourth largest in Clew Bay’s necklace of islands

Fri, 02 Jun, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Lagoons and mudbanks at County Clare's Inishdadroum

Islands of Ireland: Lagoons and mudbanks at County Clare's Inishdadroum

This island measures around five acres and the name means 'Island of the Two Hills'

Fri, 26 May, 2023

Inishbee had 10 residents in 1911 — now it is uninhabited except for sheep and birds

Inishbee had 10 residents in 1911 — now it is uninhabited except for sheep and birds

The island's name could come from an anglicisation of 'yellow island' or 'food island'

Fri, 12 May, 2023

Islands of Ireland: The Limerick island with a unique status and habitat

Islands of Ireland: The Limerick island with a unique status and habitat

Nobody has ever lived on Sturamus Island, which might get its name from the Irish for dust or mud

Fri, 05 May, 2023

Islands of Ireland: The tiny speck of an island named for a 'war criminal'

Islands of Ireland: The tiny speck of an island named for a 'war criminal'

Utterly cruel and ruthless Richard Bingham has a Roscommon island named after him

Fri, 28 Apr, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Fires, storms, and tragedy at Kerry's Burnt Island

Islands of Ireland: Fires, storms, and tragedy at Kerry's Burnt Island

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

Fri, 24 Mar, 2023

Take me to Church Island — this one's in Roscommon

Take me to Church Island — this one's in Roscommon

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

Fri, 03 Mar, 2023

Islands of Ireland: A deserted Irish island with beaches to die for

Islands of Ireland: A deserted Irish island with beaches to die for

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

Sat, 25 Feb, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Gulls, rabbits — and a blowhole — on Ballycotton Island Small

Islands of Ireland: Gulls, rabbits — and a blowhole — on Ballycotton Island Small

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

Fri, 17 Feb, 2023

Remains of the Irish writer painted by Manet and Degas are on Mayo's Castle Island

Remains of the Irish writer painted by Manet and Degas are on Mayo's Castle Island

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

Fri, 10 Feb, 2023

Disobedient son's punishment gives O’Donoghue’s Prison Island its name

Disobedient son's punishment gives O’Donoghue’s Prison Island its name

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

Fri, 03 Feb, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Avoid Roe Island in spring so you don't disturb nesting birds

Islands of Ireland: Avoid Roe Island in spring so you don't disturb nesting birds

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

Fri, 20 Jan, 2023

Islands of Ireland: Tears when last resident left this heather-covered Donegal island

Islands of Ireland: Tears when last resident left this heather-covered Donegal island

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

Fri, 23 Dec, 2022

Islands of Ireland: A 'speck' of an island which has seen storms and tragedy

Islands of Ireland: A 'speck' of an island which has seen storms and tragedy

Ilaunrahanee, off the west Cork coast, has no signs of human activity whatsoever now

Fri, 25 Nov, 2022

Islands of Ireland: You can get to this Galway island by foot if you check the route and the tides

Islands of Ireland: You can get to this Galway island by foot if you check the route and the tides

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

Fri, 18 Nov, 2022

Islands of Ireland: Only sheep or local boatmen have easy access to Kerry's Two-Headed Island

Islands of Ireland: Only sheep or local boatmen have easy access to Kerry's Two-Headed Island

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

Fri, 21 Oct, 2022

Islands of Ireland: Did a pirate leave anything behind on West Cork's Rinneen Island?

Islands of Ireland: Did a pirate leave anything behind on West Cork's Rinneen Island?

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

Fri, 14 Oct, 2022

Islands of Ireland: Storm-lashed, gloriously beautiful Inishdegil More

Islands of Ireland: Storm-lashed, gloriously beautiful Inishdegil More

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

Fri, 07 Oct, 2022