Islands of Ireland: Leading light of Clew Bay

Apart from the occasional kayaker or lighthouse maintenance crew, the cattle and sheep have this idyll to themselves

Inishgort lighthouse, Co Mayo. Picture: Dan MacCarthy

The air is charged with ozone. The blaze of light reflects off the sea like the glare from a thousand shields. There are arched humps of islands everywhere you look. This journey to Inishgort, Co Mayo, is almost Homeric in its scope. It truly feels like a voyage to the unknown.

This is a Clew Bay island with a difference. While many of the islands in this amazing bay are partially submerged drumlins, others have crazy Dadaist shapes as if designed by surrealist maestro Juan Míro.