Exquisite in simplicity

Tranquil Cluain Áilinn, complete with pontoon and privacy, will be a stretch for most, writes Tommy Barker

ALL of the joys of Carbery’s 100 Isles are there to be had, or reached, from the edge of the garden and grounds of Cluain Áilinn, near Ballydehob in West Cork.

Tucked away from prevailing winds and seas by Foilnamuck, near the stretch of waterway going up to Ballydehob itself, this site has Horse Island and a myriad of other islands to explore within easy reach. Also within immediate view is Mannin Island, once an O’Driscoll outpost, and Kilcoe Castle, Jeremy Irons’s sentinel restoration piece, a 15th McCarthy clan tower house, on Mannin Beg.