From sites of ancient mysteries to unexpected offshore animal sanctuaries, there are some incredible stories to be found just beyond our shores.
If you asked somebody to name as many Irish islands as they could, they’d be doing well to remember ten. There are, in fact, over 80 islands surrounding Ireland.
That number jumps to over 100 when you count the really small ones. These islands have long and often fascinating histories, some based in fact, some in myth. Here are five tiny Irish islands with incredible stories.
Lambay Island, County Dublin – a wallaby santuary
Wallabies, the smaller cousin of the kangaroo, are mid-sized marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea. So what on earth are a herd numbering in the hundreds doing on Lambay Island, just off the coast of Dublin?
It is a story many decades in the making. Lambay has been in the hands of the Baring family since 1904. In the 1950’s Rupert Baring, a keen animal enthusiast, introduced a number of Wallabies to the island.
They took to the 600 acre site remarkably well, but things really kicked off in the 1980’s when Dublin Zoo transferred their surplus marsupials to live with the Lambay Wallabies.
They bred to such an extent that the herd has to be culled from time to time to keep the numbers down. It is even rumoured that as a result of this culling Wallaby meat is served in certain Dublin restaurants and butchers.
Inishkea Islands, County Mayo – old world rituals
Found just off the coast of the Belmullet peninsula in Mayo, the Inishkea Islands are mostly known for two things.
The first is a tragedy that occurred in October 1927, when a monumental storm ripped through the Atlantic and killed ten fishermen from the already miniscule island population.
The second is the island’s strange pagan rituals, which were practised there right through the 19th century.
One tradition involved worshipping an idol known as the Godstone, or Naomhóg. The stone was kept in a dedicated house and dressed in a fresh flannel cloth every year. It was believed the stone could control the weather, or even cure illness.
Some people say that the utter remoteness of these islands led to some pre-Christian traditions of worship being naturally preserved. Others say that this Godstone was nothing more than a lucky charm.
Either way, a priest known as “Big Paddy” O’Reilly took no chances when he smashed it and threw it into the sea in the 1890’s.
Boa Island, County Fermanagh – an ancient mystery
Of the 154 islands on Lough Erne in Co. Fermanagh, one in particular is home to an alluring mystery. Boa Island, a long and narrow strip of land connected to the mainland by two road-bridges, can be found in the northern part of Lower Lough Erne.
The mystery in question can be found in Caldragh Cemetery on the island. There you’ll find two carved stone figures – the Dreenan Figure and the Lustymore Man.
Most people believe the figures date from the Iron Age, but others think they must have been carved in the medieval period. A bigger mystery is who or what the statues represent.
The larger of the two statues is often referred to as the Janus figure, as it has two faces looking in opposite directions. Janus was the Roman god of beginnings, endings and doorways. In other words: transition.
But what is a figure of Janus doing in this remote part of Ireland? Some people suggest this is, in fact, two separate figures carved from the same stone. The truth is we will probably never know when these figures were carved and what they represent.
Hy Brasil – an island lost in time
A mysterious island shrouded in mist and said to appear off the west coast of Ireland only once every seven years sounds like something out of an Arthur Conan Doyle novel.
Yet the history of Hy Brasil is littered with accounts of sailors and explorers who believed it was as real as any other place.
Appearing on maps for hundreds of years between the 14th and 19th centuries, Hy Brasil was a tantalising prospect for adventure-seeking seafarers. Some even claim to have found it.
A Scottish sea captain named John Nisbet accidentally stumbled upon it while sailing from France to Ireland in 1647.
A few of his shipmates went ashore and they came back with tales of huge black rabbits and a powerful magician living alone in a stone castle. Plus they met an old man who gave them gold and silver, which must have been nice.
Garnish Island, County Cork – a little taste of Italy
It might seem unlikely, but it is very possible to take a small boat from Glengariff in Bantry Bay and in a matter of minutes arrive in the Amalfi Coast. At least that’s how it feels exploring Garnish Island on a sunny day.
Featuring a formal Italianate garden and Grecian temple surrounded by a wilder walled garden, it really does feel like the most unexpected slice of Mediterranean landscape has been magically transported to our south coast.
The island was bought from the British War Office in 1910 by Annan Bryce, and together with his wife, Violet, and Harold Peto, an architect and garden designer, they got to work.
After lugging in tonnes of nutrient-rich topsoil from the mainland, they began to slowly transform the rocky, sea-battered terrain into the exotic gardens of today.
The reason the gardens thrive so beautifully is down to the unique Gulfstream microclimate of the island; the warm and humid air are ideal conditions for this small horticultural paradise.
