Forget about going to Greece to go Island Hopping, come to West Cork.

Roaring Water Bay contains many Islands, ranging from Cape Clear, which is the largest, to small uninhabited rocks and reefs. The most famous of these rocks is The Fastnet Rock. This rock stands out in the Atlantic Ocean at the entrance to Roaring Water Bay and is home to the Fasnett Lighthouse- one of the best known Lighthouses in the world. It is also known as the “Tear Drop of Ireland” because it was the last part of Ireland that the emigrants to the New World saw as they left during famine times. It is also the landmark that give its name to the Fastnet Race one of the world’s most famous yacht races run by the Royal Ocean Racing Club.

The most remote Island off of West Cork is Cape Clear, it is 8 miles off shore and is one of the most unspoiled parts of Ireland. The Island is inhabited and the people make their living from farming, fishing and tourism. There is a regular ferry service to Cape Clear from Baltimore with more frequent ferries in the summer.
Sherkin Island is also inhabited and is home to 120 people. It is close to shore being only 15 minutes from Baltimore by ferry. There is a beautiful ruined Franciscan abbey just above the pier on Sherkin. If you would like to spend an afternoon on an unspoiled beach, Sherkin Island is the place to go. It has three beautiful beaches within walking distance from the pier.In the summer you can get a taxi if walking is not your thing.

On a small Island close to the mainland is 15th century Kilcoe Castle. Built by the Mc Carthy Clan in 1603, this castle was last to be taken by the British. It is now owned by the actor Jeremy Irons and his wife Sinead Cusack. They bought the ruined castle and completely refurbished it. The plaster on the outside is a peculiar colour, being orange. This was very controversial at the time it was being done up, with many people objecting to the colour however Mr Irons maintains that this colour was the original colour of the castle in medieval times because the plaster was a mixture of lime, charcoal and animal blood!
From May to September you can take a guided tour of 10 of the islands of Roaring Water Bay. This tour starts and finishes at Baltimore on board the “Mystic Water” and lasts 2 hours. You will see spectacular scenery and wildlife including dolphins, seals and a variety of sea birds.
So for something different and completely natural why not visit the Islands of West Cork.

West Cork is now recognised as one of the best places in Europe to go whale watching and sometimes they come so close to the shore that it is not even necessary to go out in a boat. From the kitchen window at home, near the village of Castletownshend in West Cork, I have seen a pod of more than 20 fin whales (the second largest animal ever to live on this planet) less than a mile from the shore. They stayed there for a couple of weeks feeding on sprat before moving on. Fin whales are most commonly seen between August and December. Minke whales are also common and even the occasional humpback whale.

Dolphins too are a common sight off the Irish coast. One evening a couple of years ago we headed out from the fishing village of Baltimore with the hope of seeing some. We didn’t have to go far and when they saw us coming they came to meet us. Far from being scared of the boat they came right up to it to play in the waves alongside us. A school of about a hundred dolphins so close to us that we could hear their high-pitched squeaking.

Shark are also plentiful a bit further offshore with a variety of species including blue shark, basking shark and the occasional six-gilled shark. One summer out in a small boat in Castletownshend harbour we came across a massive basking shark, bigger than our boat which it decided to swim around. A slightly scary experience because although the shark was completely harmless we were worried that it would tip the boat and we’d all end up joining it in the water.

Charter a boat from one of the many fishing villages in West Cork including Castletownbere, Baltimore, Courtmacsherry, Kinsale, Glandore or Union Hall
and spend a day shark fishing. One of the biggest fish ever caught off the Irish Coast was a 315 lb six-gilled shark caught off Baltimore. Hooked by my cousin Stefano off my fathers boat, the shark weighed twice the Irish record but unfortuately could not be claimed as a record. After more than an hour of trying to land the massive six-gilled Stefano had to hand the rod over to another angler and a record cannot be claimed if the rod is handled by more than one person.