Ireland's Eye

Ireland's Eye lies a short distance north of Howth harbour and has been uninhabited since a small monastic community left it in the Middle Ages. What remains ashore are the ruins of a church, some of it eighth-century, and a Martello tower built during the Napoleonic wars. The reason most people go is the birds: a gannet colony occupies the Stack at the eastern end and has grown steadily, and guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, fulmars and puffins nest on the cliffs alongside. Seals haul out on the rocks. Boats run from Howth in summer, informally rather than to a fixed timetable, and the crossing takes about fifteen minutes. There is nothing on the island - no toilet, no shelter, no water, no path network worth the name - and the return boat is arranged with the skipper before you land. Weather cancels crossings without notice.

History

Ptolemy called the island Adros and Pliny Adrea Deserta. The name is often taken to refer to an eye, but Patrick Weston Joyce, in 1870, traced it to Inis Éireann, "Éire's island", Éire being both a woman's name and the Irish name for Ireland (Wikipedia, Ireland's Eye).

The landscape

• The gannet colony - on the Stack at the island's eastern end.
• The seabird cliffs - guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and puffins.
• The Martello tower - Napoleonic-era, on the western side.
• The church ruin - part of it dating to the eighth century.

When to go

May to August, when the birds are on the cliffs and the boats are running. Crossings stop for winter and cancel in wind or swell at any time.

Good to know

No facilities of any kind on the island - no toilet, water or shelter. Rough ground and no maintained paths. Boats run informally; agree the pickup time before landing, and expect cancellations in bad weather.

Nearby

Howth and its cliff walk are across the water; Dublin is thirty minutes by DART.

Key facts