Some More of the Smaller British Isles
First published: Sunday January 30th, 2022
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Introduction.
Welcome to the follow up from my first blog about islands, here are another five relatively obscure islands from around the British Isles. Ireland is included because, even though it is an independent sovereign nation, the island of Ireland is part of the archipelago that makes up the British Isles.
There are many islands in the group that have some history, especially the large islands such as Anglesey, Skye, and Wight, however this couple of blogs is about the smaller, less well known, landmasses.
I have two criteria for inclusion into these lists. Firstly there must be some interesting history. And secondly there must be photos available on at least one of the two sources we have at our disposal.
Anyway, here's the second blog.
Ailsa Craig.
This island is sometimes known as "Paddy's Milestone" . A derogatory slur eminating from the fact that the rock is at the midpoint of the journey from Belfast to Glasgow that was taken by many Irish workers seeking employment in Britain during the Industrial Revolution. It is situated around 8 miles from the Ayrshire coast of Scotland.
During the Scottish reformation in the 16th century Ailsa Craig was a haven for Roman Catholics that were persecuted by the Protestant church.
At the southern end of the island and around forty feet (twelve metres) above sea level is a cave that was used by smugglers. When the cave was being cleaned of bird droppings, or guano, many years ago, two stone coffins containing human remains were found. They have never been formally identified. The lighthouse was automated in 1990 and the island has been uninhabeted since.
The island has been quarried since the mid nineteenth sentury for the granite that is used to make curling stones. Out of all the stones ever made, around 70% are made of granite from Ailsa Craig. The company Kays of Scotland have the exclusive rights to the granite and quarry the stone every ten years or so.
The island can be visited by boat from Girvan on the Ayrshire coast. There are many seabirds and the island is leased to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds until 2050. There are several footpaths around the island but some are dangerous and great care should be taken.
Here is an account of a recent trip to Ailsa Craig by a local walking group.
Piel Island.
One of the smallest islands described in these blogs, Piel Island is only around 26 acres (or 11 hectares) in size. It lies in Morecambe Bay just a short distance from the Furness peninsula in Cumbria.
Originally named as Fowdray by the Vikings, this island became a possession of the Cistercian monks of nearby Furness Abbey in the 12th century and was used as a safe harbour for landing and warehousing of wheat, wool and wine.
The monks built a motte and bailey castle (known as a peel, hence the islands modern name) to strengthen their defences. It was built to repel pirates and raiders, however it also repelled customs men. Smuggling at the time was rife and it is known that the monks were no stranger to this activity.
Following the Dissolution of the Monastries in 1537 Piel became the property of the king. The island was reletively peaceful, although the castle was fortified just prior to the Civil War. The island was mainly involved with shipping with several customs officers stationed there. In the following years the castle was left in a state of disrepair.
In the early 19th century the island became popular with the artistic movement of Romanticism. Aside from the painting opposite there were poems written by Wordsworth inspired by views of the island.
There has been a pub on the island since the middle of the 19th century. It is called the Ship Inn and according to tradition, the landlord is crowned the "King of Piel". Anyone can become a "Knight of Piel" by sitting in a throne in the pub. The cost is a round of drinks for everyone present and the priveleges are that the landlord, or King, must provide you with lodgings and food should you become shipwrecked on the island.
There are also a small number of cottages on the island as can be seen on the first picture above. The island is nowadays owned by the local council but is under the care of the English Heritage organisation.
The island can be reached by ferry boat from nearby Roa Island (now essentially part of the mainland), and by foot at extreme low tides, however with the prescence of quicksand throughout the bay a local guide is recommended. Visitors have free roam of the island and may also camp.
The pub's website has more information.
Bardsey Island.
Situated just a couple of miles off the Llyn Peninsula of North Wales, Bardsey Island has been inhabited since Neolithic times. There is evidence of stone hut circles on the island.
The island is also known as the "Island of 20,000 Saints" as there were supposedly this many holy people buried there. The island has been a religious site since at least the 6th century. It was said that during Medieval times three pilgrimages to Bardsey were equivalent to one pilgrimage to Rome.
People still walk the pilgrimage trail from Holywell to Bardsey along the North Wales Pilgrims Way, a long distance footpath.
According to legend it is thought that the body of Merlin, King Arthur's wizard, is buried on Bardsey.
On the orders of King Henry VIII the monastry along with many others around the country were dissolved and demolished, and the island came into private hands. Under the care of the Newborough Estate, several cottages were built along with farms and a limestone quarry. The population of the island was 132 in 1881, but today is only 11. There was also a tradition that one of the tenants was crowned the "King of Bardsey". The third "king", John Williams, was deposed and asked to leave the island when he became an alcoholic!
The lighthouse on the island is unusual because, unlike almost every other British lighthouse, this one is square and not round.
The island has been owned by the Bardsey Island Trust since 1979, when it was bought with the support of the Church of Wales and many public figures. It is maintained by membership fees, grants and donations. When the Trust advertised for a tenant in 2000 there were over a thousand applicants.
The island can be reached by passenger ferry from Porth Meudwy and Pwllheli, although at times the weather is so fierce that trips are not possible. In 2000, seventeen day trippers were stranded on the island for two weeks as the weather was too severe to leave.
The Bardsey Island Trust has a website with more information.
Coney Island.
No, I haven't jumped across the Atlantic to New York. This island is in Northern Island, actually it is the only one on my list that isn't coastal. Situated in the south west corner of Lough Neagh, the largest lake in the British Isles, this tiny island may be the origin of the famous US island's name, although this is unclear and there is in fact another Coney Island in Co.Sligo in Ireland that may or may not be the origin. Coney is an alternate word for "Rabbit".
There is evidence of the island being inhabited since early times. In fact there has been people living there for over 8,000 years. It was one of the most westerly outposts of the Normans following their occupation of Ireland in the 12th century.
On the island is the remains of a 13th century Norman castle in the form of a tower. A native settlement thrived there in Medieval times and there was even an iron foundry. The island was fortified with a bank, ditch and external palisade.
There is also a stone tower dating from the 16th century that was thought to have been used by Shane O'Neill, the Prince of Tyrone, to store his riches.
After passing through a number of private owners the island is now the property of the National Trust, although it is managed by the local council.
Boat trips to the island are available at weekends from either Maghera Country Park or Kinnego Marina.
The Discover Northern Ireland webpage has little information but a couple of pictures that are not currently available to JetPunk.
Tory Island.
Tory Island is Ireland's remotest inhabited island. It lies about 9 miles of 14.5 kilometres off the coast of Donegal in the northern part of Ireland, not Northern Ireland. The regular population is around 120 people in four small settlements.
According to Irish mythology, Tory Island was the site of Conand's Tower where the Fomorians had their stronghold before they were defeated in a great battle with the Nemedians.
A monastery was founded on the island in the 6th century and it dominated life on the island until it was destroyed by English troops in their war against tribal chieftains in 1595.
The first British battleship lost during World War 1 was sunk by a German naval mine laid just off Tory Island on the 27th October 1914. It's sinking was an official secret until after the war ended in 1918. However, the disaster was witnessed by passengers onboard the RMS Olympic, Titanic's sister ship.
The island gained attention in the international press when a resident returned from working in New Zealand to find that his house had "vanished". The house had been demolished and replaced with a car park in his abscence. The islanders would not say how or who had torn down the house. The full story can be read here.
The island can be accessed via a ferry from Magheroarty Pier. The journey takes around 45 minutes, weather permitting.
The ferry service's website also has information about the island.
Summary.
So there you have it, another five islands from around the British Isles.
I have a slight problem in that many of the wikipedia entries for other islands do not have many photos to use. One such place is Gruinard Island in Scotland, the site of anthrax testing during the 2nd World War. The island was decontaminated in 1986 and only declared safe in 1990. There are several others I would have liked to include but the lack of pictures would make a very boring blog in my opinion.
Anyway, what of the future ? ...
As I mentioned in the preceding blog, islands are a guilty passion of mine, I love them, their history, the way of life and remoteness fascinates me. So I think I shall being creating some more blogs about islands, however they will be from around the world. I may do a couple of stand alone blogs about the larger islands, but I'm not 100% sure on that. Watch this space.
So until next time fellow JetPunkers, so long and stay safe.
Oh almost forgot. Where is the thumbnail picture and what is it's name ? (As before, a clue in the comments in a couple of days.)
1. These rocks are small islands that are associated with a much larger island.
2. Their name is something associated with tailoring
Cool blog
left an answer on my blogBtw, what is the HEX you used for the dividers?
one more answer