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Dursey Island

Take a spectacular cable car journey to the island. The most westerly of West Cork’s inhabited islands, Dursey lies across a narrow sound and is a great getaway from the fray of modern living. This rugged island is accessed via Ireland’s only cable-car, which runs about 250m above the sea and takes six people or one large animal at a time! The island is part of the Beara Way walking trail and having no shops, pubs or restaurants offers the day visitor a unique experience of calm with spectacular views of the Beara peninsula. It is also a bird watcher’s paradise with rare birds from Siberia and America being spotted there. Monks from Skellig Rock are said to have founded the ancient church of Kilmichael on Dursey, now a ruin. O’Sullivan Beara’s Dursey castle was sacked by English forces in 1602 and local inhabitants thrown into the sea. There are three small villages on Dursey and many of the once derelict houses have been restored by the islanders as holiday homes.

Directions:

Just 219 meters from the mainland on the tip of Beara Peninsula in Co. Cork.

Descriptions:

• Activities
• Did you know?
• Population
• Size
• When to visit

Highlights:

Birdwatching; hiking.

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