Dan MacCarthy: Island hopping in Mayo

Inishbobunnan island, and some of its neighbours in Clew Bay, can be accessed on foot at low tide – just be careful you don't get caught by the returning tide

Inishbobunnan, Clew Bay, Co Mayo. Picture: Dan MacCarthy

On the road west from Westport, Co Mayo, many of Clew Bay’s myriad islands can be seen.

Hulking, brooding, slumbering — whatever description is applied to them, they do most resemble a pod of animals in repose. Their similarity is striking: Most are as smooth as a billiard ball and all in this part of the bay are unpopulated, though this was once far from the case. Most had at least one or two families resident in the 19th century.