Islands of Ireland: Cruising to wonderful Whiddy
One of the more surprising facts about Whiddy Island in Bantry Bay is the size of its population in the 19th century, writes .
The island was home to 729 people in 1841 — hard to believe now when today there are just a scattering of houses and farm holdings.
For an island of its size this is consistent with islands just over the Sheep’s Head and Mizen Head, namely Sherkin and Cape Clear each of which had a population surpassing 1,000 in the 19th century. The main villages on Whiddy were at Gurraghy and Crowkingle (also site of the island school) each of which show significant clusters of houses on the 1837 Ordnance Survey map.
Whiddy is a gorgeous island nestled snugly in Bantry Bay. For a day trip to an island it has few rivals — Sherkin and Heir Island perhaps. There are lovely winding roads where you can take a bike hired on the island with possibly only darting hares for company. A delightful walking trail comprises part of the Sheep’s Head Way.
Shepherds must be ecstatic.@SouthernStarIRL @eucoolroute @cronin_siobhan @AdventureBantry @Richardstearn @wordhoarding @westcorkisland @Failte_Ireland @TourismIreland @atasteofwestcor pic.twitter.com/OOBMwnfyNG
— Whiddy Island (@whiddyisland) June 27, 2018
To the northwest, snuggled into Glengarriff Harbour, is the exotic island of Garinish. Eastwards lie a number of smaller islands: Rabbit which is used for sheep grazing; the long and narrow Chapel island, and the miniature Hog and Horse islands.
These group of four along with Whiddy form part of a superb new blueway trail designed for kayakers and stand-up paddlers. Slicing through the water like a trout on a mirror-calm sea is surely unsurpassed as a way to explore this stunning bay. The kayakers must beware of acres of mussel beds and soon the highly controversial harvesting of the kelp underwater jungle — a coming industry that has incensed locals and environmental groups.
The proper noun Whiddy possibly derives from the Scandinavian “hvít-øy”, meaning “white island”, says the DCU database of www.logainm.ie. Oileán Faoide in Irish.
This theory gains credence from the nearby townland of Donemark near Bantry Golf Course which has possible Norse connections. Donemark is of course the reputed landing point of the first people to settle Ireland, the Milesians.
Whiddy is 5.5km by 2.5km in size and today has a population of around 20 people. An aerial view on Google Maps clearly shows the current oil storage facility with its giant tanks occupying about one sixth of the island west of the island’s fresh water lake, Kilmore.
Whiddy has had a significant military history mainly down to its strategic location in Bantry Bay. Another aerial Google map image shows a huge circular structure on the eastern end of the island. This is one of three military defences, or batteries, built by the British in response to the failed attempted French incursion in 1796.
The batteries comprise a complex demonstrating outstanding stonework with features including quoins and camber headed doorways. These military defences have huge potential for tourism and could be developed along the lies of Camden Fort Meagher in Crosshaven, Co Cork. Later Whiddy was used as a base by the US in World War I to patrol the seas especially around Fastnet lighthouse. The base used Curtiss Model H seaplanes in this important contribution to the war effort. Nowadays, international traffic in Bantry Bay sees regular visits by international cruise ships.
Whiddy will be forever associated with one of Ireland’s worst maritime disaster when the oil tanker Betelgeuse was blown to smithereens on January 8, 1979. The oil terminal owned by Gulf Oil had received the tanker had sailed from Saudi Arabia. The explosion of the ship at the offshore jetty and ensuing fire claimed the lives of 42 French people, seven Irish and one Briton. A memorial to the deceased was erected in the nearby Bantry cemetery. Today the oil storage facility is owned by Zenith Energy and holds a third of Ireland’s strategic petroleum reserves. It has a storage capacity of more than 8m barrels.
On the eastern side of Whiddy facing back towards Bantry is the island’s only pub, The Bank House. Where better to idle on a summer’s day with a cool drink?
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