A lifetime of Islands

Tuesday, 11 October 2016

Island 358 - Rocky Island, Ringaskiddy, County Cork

Rocky Island is a very small island linked by bridges to mainland County Cork near Ringaskiddy to the south and Haulbowline Island to the north. It is uninhabited by any living people but it is home to a crematorium.

A magazine store was built into the heart of the island by the British Board of Ordnance in 1808. It was capable of storing up to 25,000 barrels of gunpowder for the naval base on Haulbowline Island. It was reused for military storage in the 20th century and later by Irish Steel until 2002. In 2005 it was bought by the Island Crematorium Company Ltd. It is currently the only crematorium in the Republic of Ireland not in the Dublin area. The Island Crematorium opened in 2006.

The island was originally conical in shape but the Board of Ordnance levelled it, apart from one small rocky outcrop.

I visited on a Saturday lunchtime in September 2016 and there were some people waiting for a cremation service to start. The only place to park on the island is the crematorium car park, which is quite large, so I hoped they wouldn't mind if I parked there for a few minutes while I explored the island and walked over to Haulbowline Island.

I have no idea what this is!

Looking north towards Haulbowline Island

The Crematorium is this way

Crematorium Car Park and Entrance

Road across Rocky Island showing the only remaining rocky outcrop

Back entrance to the Crematorium

Stone Seat looking towards Haulbowline Island

Rocky island from Haulbowline

Island 357 - Inchydoney, Clonakilty, County Cork

Inchydoney is no longer a true island as the channel, which used to separate it from the mainland of County Cork 1.5 miles to the south of the town of Clonakilty, has been drained, although not very well, as it looks very boggy. The island is about 1.5 miles from east to west and just under a mile from north to south. The south coast of the island has two fabulous sandy beaches with a surf school, some houses, an elephant and a very large hotel and spa but sadly no café.

The beach on the south coast is divided in half by the headland known as Virgin Mary's Bank or Point. This headland was restored in 2013 when volunteers planted large quantities of marram grass to prevent further erosion. At the same time a viewing platform and Greek style open air amphitheatre were built and a network of accessible pathways was constructed.

In 2008 a herd of life size topiary Asian elephants was displayed on Inchydoney to highlight the plight of the species and to raise money for their conservation in Kerala. They were the idea of the charity Elephant Family. After two weeks on Inchydoney they then went on tour around Ireland and England. There is still an elephant on display outside the entrance to the Lodge and Spa. However this one comes from the 2012 Jungle City display of 30 brightly decorated elephants in and around Clonakilty. I don't know if the others are still on display in Clonakilty, as I didn't have time to walk around the town.

Large pond on the north side of the island

Looking south west along the south coast

Beach and Virgin Mary's Bank

Inchydoney's only elephant

Lodge and Spa

Beach on the South West side

I'm not sure what this sculpture is supposed to represent. It may be the Wild Atlantic Way, as the symbol for that looks very similar.

Beach on the south east side

Amphitheatre

Virgin Mary's Bank

Surfing Sculpture

Elephant

Surf School

Island Strand Intake

This used to be the sea!

Friday, 7 October 2016

Island 356 - Ilaunnacuska, Ahakista, County Cork

Illaunnacuska is a small tidal island located about 200 metres south of the Air India Memorial Garden at Ahakista on the south side of the Sheep's Head Peninsula in County Cork. It is joined to the mainland at all but the highest tides by a rocky tombolo, which has grass growing on it. However there was dried out seaweed strewn across it, so I presume that the island is sometimes cut off from the mainland. The island is about 400 metres from east to west by 150 metres from north to south and the highest point on the island is 13 metres above sea level. I think the island is probably grazed occasionally by animals, as there is a dry stone wall and gate on the side facing the mainland and also a water trough.

When I visited in early September 2016 heather, gorse, bird's foot trefoil, sheep's bit scabious, sea mayweed, ragwort, yarrow and thistles were in flower. Most of the island is covered in lush long grass with some patches of bracken and brambles.

Air India Flight 182 on its way from to Montreal to Delhi via London, was blown up by a bomb over the Atlantic Ocean to the west of County Cork on 23rd June 1985. 329 people were killed including 280 Canadians, 27 British and 22 Indians. The memorial garden at Ahakista was officially opened on the first anniversary of the disaster. The giant sundial was designed Ken Thompson, a sculptor from Cork and paid for by the people of Canada, India and Ireland.

Air India Memorial Sundial looking west

Air India Memorial Garden

Illaunnacuska from Ahakista

Ahakista from Illaunacuska

Ahakista from Illaunnacuska

Illaunacuska

Island 355 - Whiddy Island, Bantry, County Cork

Whiddy Island (Oilean Faoide in Irish) is located in Bantry Bay 1.5 miles west of the town of Bantry in County Cork. It is about 3 miles long by 1 mile wide and the highest point is Middle Battery at 50 metres above sea level. In 1841 before the Great Famine Whiddy Island had a resident population of 729. This had fallen to 259 by 1901 and in 2011 it was just 20.

The island is in a strategic location in Bantry Bay which has deep water anchorages. The British built three batteries on the island in the 19th century to deter the French from invading. In September 1918 the US Navy established a seaplane base at the eastern end of Whiddy Island. A seaplane crashed in October 1918 and one man - Walford August Anderson - was killed. In 2014 a memorial to him was unveiled on Whiddy Island. I think it by the jetty where the ferry comes in but I completely failed to notice it.

There was a national school on Whiddy Island by 1837. The current building was built in 1887 but closed in 1947 due to the decline in pupil numbers. It is currently derelict but there is no door, so I had a look inside. The classroom was still full of brightly painted blue desks and benches and, dust apart, it looks as though the pupils have just left for their lunch break.

A large oil terminal was constructed on the south west side of Whiddy Island from 1967-9 by Gulf Oil. A sheltered deep water anchorage just off the island meant that supertankers sailing from the Middle East could berth at a specially built offshore jetty. However at about 1am on 8th January 1979 a French tanker called the Betelgeuse exploded at the offshore jetty on Whiddy Island, while it was unloading its cargo of crude oil. Much of the crude oil on board ignited and after a series of explosions the ship broke into two. Firefighters were unable to get near the vessel but managed to prevent the fire from spreading to the storage tanks on the island. All 42 people on board the ship and 8 terminal workers were killed and a Dutch diver died during the subsequent salvage operation. An official report into the disaster found that the ship had been in a poor physical condition, mistakes had been made in the sequence of unloading the cargo, which led to sudden and fatal cracking of the vessel's hull and the fire fighting and rescue equipment on the vessel and on the jetty was inadequate and poorly maintained. The incident became known as the Whiddy Island Disaster or the Betelgeuse Incident or Disaster.

In 1986 Gulf Oil surrendered its lease on the Whiddy Island Oil Terminal to the Irish Government. They sold it to the Tosco Corporation in 2001 and it was later operated by ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66. In 2014 it was sold to Zenith Energy.

A passenger ferry from Bantry to Whiddy Island makes 3-4 journeys a day all year round. The journey time is about 10 minutes. Tim O'Leary, who operates the ferry, also runs the island's pub, the Bank House, with his partner.

On the day I visited in September 2016 there were only 3 other visitors - an elderly couple and a lady from the Cork Tourist Department who was organising a forthcoming treasure hunt on the island for a large group of employees from a particular company. The weather was grey but dry for the first hour or so of my visit and then it began to drizzle, followed by more persistent rain.

There is a well waymarked 3 mile loop walk around part of the island. The waymarks and stiles had recently been renewed, in honour of my visit no doubt! The route passes Kilmore Lakes, the ruined chapel and graveyard and the oil storage terminal. I took the optional signed detour down to the beach and picnic site at the seaward of the two Kilmore Lakes and the optional unsigned detour down the oil storage terminal perimeter road to look at the quay at Whiddy Point West. There is also a signed detour up to Middle Battery, which I did too, although you can only walk round the outside of Middle Battery at present. On a clear day the short walk up the hill to Middle Battery would be well worth it for the views alone. However it was pouring with rain, so the views weren't great and I soon headed back down the hill to the pub, which thankfully was open. Tim made me a very welcome hot coffee and a delicious cheese and tomato toastie and I sat and chatted to him and the 3 other visitors until it was time for the ferry to depart. As he is also the ferryman, we didn't have to worry that we were going to miss the ferry!

An occupied house on Whiddy Island

Abandoned Farmhouse

Kilmore Lake meets the sea

Stone age picnic site

At least it won't get blown away or stolen!

Ruined Chapel and Graveyard

New Ladder Stile

Oil Storage Terminal

Another new ladder stile near Oil Storage Terminal

Keep Out!

Quay at Reenaknock

Pond

No entry

Signpost

Old Whiddy Island National School

Classroom inside the National School

Ruined Cottage on the way to Middle Battery

Middle Battery Entrance - Danger, Keep Out

Bank House - Pub - open!

Whiddy Island Ferry - Lantern II

Thursday, 29 September 2016

Island 354 - Cape Clear, County Cork

Cape Clear or Oilean Chleire in Irish, is Ireland's most south westerly island. The north east tip of the island is located 4 miles to the south west of Baltimore with Sherkin Island in between the two points. In 1841, shortly before the Great Famine of 1845-49, Cape Clear had a population of 1052. This dropped to 601 by 1901 and 124 in 2011.

A ferry runs from Baltimore to Cape Clear 4 times a day in the summer months and twice a day in the winter months.

Cape Clear didn't live up to its name on the day I visited, well not after the first hour. As we arrived the cloud was covering the top of the island but everything below about 120 metres was visible. However the fog soon descended almost to sea level.

There is a Tourist Information Office/Craft Shop at North Harbour and the lady staffing it gave me a useful leaflet with a map of the island. There is also a public library, Sean Rua's Restaurant and Cotter's Bar at North Harbour. Cotter's Bar was closed when I visited but Sean Rua's Restaurant, which also has a small grocery shop in it, was open. The man in charge on the day I visited was very friendly, despite my attempts to break his self-service coffee machine and we had a chat about geocaching. There is a social club called Club Cleire, which I think is located on the floor above Sean Rua's Restaurant.

There is a Heritage Centre in the centre of the island but it is only open June to August, so I was unable to visit it, as it was the beginning of September when I visited. There is a Goat Farm, which is open to the public near the Heritage Centre, which sells goats' milk ice cream and cheese. I did visit the public library, which is very small. The member of staff was too busy having a chat to someone to say hello but I did find a book about wildflowers and so was able to identify a plant I had seen on this and several other nearby islands but didn't know the name of. It turned out to be goldenrod. I would have stayed longer in the library, as I had done enough walking for the day and the ferry wasn't due for over an hour, but there were only 2 or 3 seats in the library and they were all occupied.

North Harbour is also the location for the Holy Well of St Ciaran, a grotto, a ruined chapel and adjoining graveyard. St Ciaran is the patron saint of the island and he is said to have been born on the island in the 4th-6th centuries AD. He heard about Christianity from visiting fisherman, converted and lived the life of a hermit before eventually visiting Rome. On his return he met St Patrick and founded an abbey at Birr in County Offaly.

A lighthouse was built on the cliff top to the east of South Harbour in 1818. However its cliff top location meant that it was often obscured by cloud. Following the sinking of a ship called the Stephen Whitney on a day in 1847 when cloud obscured Cape Clear Lighthouse, a cast iron lighthouse was built on the Fastnet Rock, which is located about 4.5 miles to the south west of Cape Clear, in 1854. The lighthouse on Cape Clear was then decommissioned and at some point since then the top floor was removed. I didn't walk up to look at it, as I wouldn't have been able to see it in the fog. A plaque, which used to be on the lighthouse, is now located on a wall by the roadside on the way down to North Harbour. I did come across this. The lighthouse on Fastnet Rock was replaced with a sturdier stone lighthouse 1899-1904.

There are a couple of waymarked trails around parts of the island. I did the Glen Walk, which is so well waymarked that it would be impossible to lose your way, even in the thick fog. Sadly I couldn't see the wonderful views of the cliffs and the sea due to the fog.

There are a number of self-catering properties on the island and a Youth Hostel in the old coastguard station at South Harbour.

The one thing I wasn't expecting to find on Cape Clear was a memorial to one of my distant relatives: William Le Fevre. He died in the 1979 Fastnet Yacht Race Disaster when Ariadne, the yacht he was sailing on got into difficulties. Cape Clear is the island closest to the Fastnet Rock and so is an appropriate place for the memorial.

A Storytelling Festival is held on Cape Clear each year the first weekend of September. The island also has an Irish language college.