Watch: Sherkin's population to rise by 50% as Ukrainian refugees arrive at hotel

'It’s marvellous that people can reach out because we’re all human beings. We don’t know what’s going to happen to us and it’s marvellous that people can reach out and help'

Deirdre Ní Luasaigh, chairperson of Sherkin Island Development Society. Picture: David Forsythe

Arriving by ferry at the pier on Sherkin Island, West Cork on a warm August morning feels more Mediterranean than north Atlantic.

The busy little harbour teems with activity as day-trippers disembark, whale watching and charter boats take on passengers and a cargo barge delivers its load to the narrow slipway. This small West Cork island is home to around 100 people year-round but that number swells in the summer months as day-trippers and holidaymakers seek out the island’s peace, tranquillity and pristine sandy beaches.