Islands of Ireland: When evictions ruled the islands of West Cork

Feral goats on Mannin Island, Co Cork. Picture: Dan MacCarthy

A passing sailor of this rugged island in Roaringwater Bay in West Cork will notice plenty of movement in among the furze bushes and ferns. Not some lost tribe but an altogether more self-contained party: wild goats. These caprine citizens cast a quizzical glance at any approaching boat but they are quite tame in fact.

They are magnificent animals and elegantly turned out with snow-white coats and dapper goatees. Their arced horns wouldn’t look out of place in a pirate’s scabbard. When they mount a rocky outcrop to survey the horizon it is a declarative moment: it is we who reign here.