Island 366 - Furnace/Fornais, County Galway

Furnace (Fornais in Irish) is a small island joined by a bridge to Lettermullen.  It is a mile from north to south and half a mile from east to west. The highest point on the island is 19 metres above sea level.  There are about 20 houses on the island, a quarry and according to the OS map three holy wells. 

The name Furnace was quite appropriate on the day I visited: it was a very warm sunny evening and a few miles away to the north east one of Ireland's biggest forest fires for decades was raging and the clouds of smoke from it could be seen clearly from Furnace.  The island is apparently named Furnace, as there was once a furnace on it used for the manufacture of iron.

Furnace from Lettermullen at low tide

 

Middle of the island

 

Looking north near the end of the public road

 

Typical Furnace Landscape

 

Houses on Furnace

 

Newly built house

 

Palm Tree

 

Quarry

 

Perched Boulder