In the second part of her of her a examination of our islands by the sea, Zoe Devlin focuses on more offshore outrocks, including Rathlin, Northern Ireland’s only inhabited island
Lake on Rathlin Island
Towards the end of the last Ice Age, as the frozen seas thawed, a massive volume of water was released and this flowed, gradually, around the coast of Ireland, raising sea levels and creating many islands, principally along the western seaboard. Some of these have been inhabited for centuries, their residents carving a living out of the land or fishing or now, in this digital age, working remotely. A few islands are connected physically to the mainland by bridges so no longer are dependent on the state of the weather for safe passage to and from their island, but others are still reliant on a dependable ferry service. One such is Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland’s only inhabited offshore island, home to 141 folk in the 2021 census.
Rathlin – Reachlainn – lies six nautical miles across the north Irish Sea from the coastal town of Ballycastle and when I visited a few years ago in May, I took the ferry across to the island, arriving in the small harbour at Church Bay to the sound of ‘cooing’ from a small raft of Eider Ducks. A few seals swam lazily around the boat, dipping and surfacing in the golden evening sun. We had accommodation overlooking the harbour for a few days, giving ourselves plenty of time to enjoy exploring this boomerang-shaped island and all it had to offer. It is not a large piece of land – only four miles from east to west and two-and-a-half from north to south but we used Bert’s Puffin Bus service to convey us to the West Light Seabird Centre, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ (RSPB) nature reserve near the western tip of the island. This gave us views of tens of thousands of seabirds – representing about thirty bird families, the guide told us. The bird colony is an amazing sight with umpteen avian creatures vying for space on a large sea stack some distance away – Razorbills, Fulmars, Guillemots, Kittiwakes and Puffins – with others that could be seen on the cliffs adjoining the nature reserve’s visitors’ centre.
Bird colony on Rathlin Island
On the return journey, we asked the driver of the bus to let us off halfway and as we wandered along the narrow road we were delighted to find a relatively rare wildflower, the very small Pyramidal Bugle, a species that was classified as being ‘vulnerable’ in the National Parks and Wildlife Service’s Red Data List of Vascular Plants of 2016. Apart from its foothold in Rathlin, this pretty little species is only ever found in the Burren. Not quite so rare but very beautiful were the blue flowers of Spring Squill which we came across at the southern tip of the island, Rue Point, quite close to one of the islands three lighthouses. We spent quite a lot of time wandering the various narrow roadways in the hope of catching a glimpse of a Corncrake but were not successful. However we did see a couple of Choughs, possibly the only breeding pair in Northern Ireland.
One special creature that you will only see if you are extremely patient, immensely lucky and know where to find it, is Rathlin Island’s Golden Irish Hare. This is an amazingly striking creature that has pale, blonde fur and blue eyes and it is a unique variant of our native Irish hare. I have only seen it in photographs, notably by Rathlin Island wildlife photographer, Tom McDonnell 1 who kindly provided me with the lovely image for this page.
Rathlin is an island that deserves more than a day trip – there is so much to see and my spouse and I made the trip from Dublin as far as Ballycastle by public transport, free of charge (due to our advanced age!) and with a reduced fare on the ferry.
Gola
Gola sea arch
On the north-west coast, about halfway between the islands of Tory and Arranmore is the easily accessed Gola – Oileán Ghabhla – which lies off Gweedore in County Donegal. With a population of fifteen, this is a place to wander freely, enjoying the feeling of being separate, away from the life’s problems, if only for a few hours. From June to September, a ferry at Magheragallon Pier, Derrybeg, conducts visitors across the one kilometre stretch and a circular route is signposted for ramblers, guiding them towards superb rock formations, sea arches and beaches. The island is also home to my all-time favourite wildflower, Grass-of-Parnassus, an autumn-flowering delight, its creamy petals full of intricacies best viewed through a hand lens.
Inishmore, Inishannon and Inisheer
On your journey through Ireland’s islands, a visit to at least one of the three Aran Islands – Inishmore, Inishmaan and Inisheer – Inis Mór, Inis Meáin and Inis Oírr would be hard to beat for all these islands have to offer in both wildlife, rugged scenery and history. Ferries are from Rossaveal (in County Galway) and Doolin (County Clare) with daily and scenic flights from Connemara Airport (Inverin) and a connecting bus service from Galway. With a combined population of 1,347, the three islands’ main income comes from tourism and, being part of the Gaeltacht, many visitors travel to these islands in order to learn or improve their Irish.
The geology is similar to that of the Burren in County Clare, the islands having been separated from that area by rising sea levels after the last Ice Age. Carboniferous limestone forms a major part of the landscape and, like the Burren, the unique terrain contains grykes (fissures) and erratics (large boulders) and clints (blocks of limestone), all of which are home to many plants and insects that are unique to this type of habitat. Like the Burren, plant species normally found in the Arctic grow side by side with those of the Alps and Mediterranean. It is not unusual to see Mountain Avens sharing space with Spring Gentian. The former is Iceland’s national flower, a stunning, white-petalled beauty and is usually found at latitudes way higher than ours, whereas the vivid blue flowers of Spring Gentian are more often seen in sunny Alpine meadows.
Dun Aonghasa, Dun Aengus, Inishmore, Aran Islands, County Galway. Credit Gareth McCormack
A major tourist attraction on Inishmore (population 820) is the Bronze and Iron age site – Dun Aengus – Dún Aonghasa. This is a dry stone construction, a fort that is thought to have been oval or D-shaped, however over time, part of the building has collapsed into the sea, some 100 metres below. To learn more about the history of this site, visitors can access a small museum 2 nearby.
Inishmaan has the smallest population of the three islands at 184. It is the location of a cottage called Teach Synge – the house where John Millington Synge stayed over five summers and where he was motivated to write, among other works, his ‘The Playboy of the Western World’. Similar biodiversity to its larger neighbour survives on this island and it boasts one of the lengthiest growing seasons in Ireland or Britain.
Inisheer (343 residents) is the most easterly of the islands and shares most of its geological features with both the Burren and its sister islands. One of the rare wildflowers normally found around the Mediterranean – the very small Dense-flowered Orchid – is native to this island.
Dense-flowered Orchid
Cape Clear
Approximately eight miles off the south-west tip of Ireland is Cape Clear – Oileán Chléire – an island (population 110) that becomes a birdwatcher’s paradise in late summer and autumn. Along with a window during spring, migrating birds make landfall on this island, making a stopover either en-route to or from their breeding grounds. From April to late October, the Cape Clear Bird Observatory 2 opens its doors to ornithologists, both beginners and those wanting to learn the fine art of bird-ringing. Springtime sees birds such as Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs making a break on their way back from their wintering grounds in Africa and September is possibly the best month of all with sightings of many migratory birds such as Manx Shearwater and Storm Petrel. Not only is this an excellent place to hone the birdwatching skills but it is also a good spot from which to observe whales, porpoises and dolphins.
Access to the island, which is dependent on weather and tides, is by ferries from Baltimore (year-round) or Schull (seasonal).
Saltees
Lying a few miles off the County Wexford coast are two islands, the Saltees – Na Sailtí – the Great and the Little. These islands are part of a Special Area of Conservation that stretches to the east of the fishing village of Kilmore Quay, itself a lovely spot to spend a bit of time. Around the islands, a wide zone of the sea has been designated a Special Protection Area in order to preserve the precious habitat. This is a valuable breeding ground for many seabirds as well as grey seals and to help to protect the delicate balance between the needs of the birds and the numbers of visitors to the islands, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) recently appointed Seabird Wardens. Their role is to raise awareness, during the summer months, about the diversity of the many seabirds on the island, how to protect their colonies, especially during breeding season, and diminish disturbance from the increased numbers of visitors. Speaking at the appointment of these wardens, Minister for Housing, Heritage and Local Government, James Browne TD said:
“The seabird population is what makes a visit to the Great Saltee Island so special, and many of us travel there hoping to catch a glimpse of a puffin or a gannet. But our seabirds are vulnerable to disturbance caused by us, especially as they pair up, nest and raise their young’.
Landing on the smaller island, which is extremely difficult, is not permitted, but there are several companies offering a twenty minute ferry service from April to August across the three mile stretch from Kilmore Quay to the larger island. Be prepared for a transfer from the ferry to a smaller boat as there is no pier on the island.
Spring Squill
Ireland’s Eye
Off the coast of north County Dublin, lie two interesting islands, Lambay Island and Ireland’s Eye. Access to the former, which is in private ownership, is by invitation only. Ireland’s Eye is a small uninhabited island, recently purchased by an investment group, Tetrarch Capital. They have pledged to keep it accessible to visitors and to preserve the beauty, amenity and accessibility of the island. It can be visited easily as several boat companies ferry visitors from Howth, a trip of twenty minutes or so. This is an unspoilt and protected island with a lot to offer lovers of wildlife and to those interested in the history of this small piece of landscape. Designated both a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area, large populations of seabirds flock around the rocky cliffs and small sea stacks. Visitors are advised to do their best to leave the birds undisturbed, especially in the breeding season and to avoid walking on the island’s wildflowers such as Spring Squill and Dog-violet species. Unfortunately the island has not escaped the dreaded invasive alien plants such as Montbretia and Japanese Rose, both very pretty and colourful but with awful manners!
For those interested in the history of this island, there are the ruins of a church dating back to the 8th century – the Church of the Sons of Nessan – as well as a Martello tower, one of the many built around the coast of Ireland in the early 19th century.
1 Northcoast Nature on Facebook, X, and Instagram
2 https://birdwatchireland.ie/our-work/cape-clear-bird-observatory/
