Island 424 - Glassillan 2, Inishbofin, County Galway

Glassillan 2 is a small rocky tidal island located just off the west coast of Inishbofin.  It is easy to cross to it over a pebbly beach and it is probably not cut off from Inishbofin except for an hour or so at high tide.  The main part of the island is no more than 50 metres long by 30 metres wide.  There is a separate grass covered rock immediately to the north of Glassillan 2 and joined to it at low tide.  However this rock doesn't have a name.

On the modern Ordnance Survey of Ireland 1:50,000 Discovery Series map it looks as though the island I visited is called Carricknamoyla.  However 19th century Ordnance Survey maps name it as Glassillan and mark some rocks to the south east of the island as Carricknamoyla.  Confusingly there is another island called Glassillan 500 metres north west of this one, which is why I have called this one Glassillan 2.

Glassillan 2 is covered with grass in between rocky outcrops and when I visited in May 2018 thrift, sea mayweed and scurvy grass were all in flower.

Looking south east over the Carricknamoyla rocks to the mountains of Connemara

 

Scurvy grass, thrift and sea mayweed - looking south east from Glassillan 2

 

Looking north west over East End Bay

 

Gap between Glassillan and the rock to the north

Looking east towards the mountains of Connemara

 

East End Bay from Glassillan 2

 

Interesting quartz veins in the rocks

 

Looking south east from Glassillan 2 towards the Carricknamoyla rocks

 

Glassillan 2 from Inishbofin