Islands of Ireland: The ghosts and gold of Feenish

Local folklore has it that there may be some long-lost treasure on this remote and unassuming island.

According to local legend, there is gold hidden either between Feenish, Co Clare and neighbouring island Inishmanaghtan, or somewhere in a ruined castle on the island, although the ghost of a soldier is said to be guarding it. Picture: Dan MacCarthy

The dominant island adjacent to Shannon Airport, Co Clare, is the rectangular Inishmacnaghton, which is cut off from the land west of the airport by a channel from the River Fergus. This island was the scene of a disaster in 1946 when a TWA aircraft crashed with the loss of nine lives.

On the western end of the island is an entirely separate island, though it was once attached: Feenish. To the east of Feenish, is a large marshy area where the remnants of two islands known as Big Venture and Little Venture cling on to their topographical identity, though it is difficult to discern them today among the mounds of mud and reeds. It is hard to distinguish where water ends and land starts here.