Islands of Ireland: Moylaun, a place of secrets

Moylaun Island, Derrynane, Co Kerry with Scariff Island in the distance. Picture: Dan MacCarthy

What a ringside seat to the unfolding of history the Co Kerry island of Moylaun has had. The Augustinian monks, en route to the Skelligs between the 6th and 12th centuries, rowed their currachs near here and possibly even to the island also. Ships from the Spanish Armada sailed past here in 1588. In the early 19th century the Liberator Daniel O’Connell hosted international visitors at his house in Derrynane, a stone’s throw away from Moylaun Island, as he agitated for Catholic emancipation.

The island lies at the end of the Iveragh Peninsula in Derrynane Bay. The Bull and the Calf islands are visible off the Beara Peninsula to the southwest. A little to the north are the mesmeric Skelligs: the two islands from this vantage on Moylaun resemble an overlay of interlocking bluish triangles — a motif as if from a Georges Braque painting.