High and mighty in West Cork

If there wasn’t a low-lying island beside it then this precipitous island in West Cork wouldn’t be called High Island. So low is Low, just 5m tall, that anything near it just had to be named High, and this rocky edifice whose sheer black cliffs plunge into the sea, fitted the bill perfectly, coming in at a comparatively huge 45m, which sounds more impressive in imperial measurement, about 150ft.

High Island lies about 2km off Squince Harbour which is about halfway between the lengthy inlets of Glandore Harbour and Castlehaven Harbour in West Cork. Within sight are the towering cliffs of Toe Head. It is a difficult task to climb the island’s rocky and grassy slopes on the southern side as huge slabs of rock are tossed about like children’s building blocks.