A whole island, well, two islands, plus several houses, a pub with accommodation, a container house, or a lake isle with its own private harbour? Ranging in price from about €115k to €4 million, with spectacular sea views and island living, all offer reasons to get offshore.
This weather makes us want to escape the office, the daily grind and get to the water, to sunbathe, swim and commune with nature.
We’re lucky enough to live on a small island with good access to water from every corner.
The dreamers among us might like to make the day trip more of a permanent fixture.
Here are four options:
A container house in a Co Donegal Gaeltacht
Address: Arranmore Island, Co Donegal, no Eircode supplied
Asking price: €114,950
Agent: Campbells Auctioneers
How to get there: Ferry crossing time is 20 minutes from Burtonport
With panoramic sea views towards the mainland of Donegal in one direction and of the crescent-shaped, powder-fine Aphort beach on the south-east of the island, this 21 square metre, two-bedroom, one bathroom house is built using shipping containers.
The hall and bathroom are in the middle, with the accommodation at the back and an open-plan kitchen cum living room at the front.
The property, set on approximately 1.8 acres, is about a three-minute drive south of the port and ferry terminal, which is about a 20-minute walk.
Arranmore is Co Donegal’s largest offshore island.
A Gaeltacht region, it sees a lively spike in daytrippers during the summer months, along with all those teenagers and adults attending Irish college, which helps enrich the ebb and flow of community life.
The island is about three miles off the coast. You can catch the ferry from Burtonport.
The island has several pubs, some serving food, a new café close to the ferry pier, and two hotels, one of which is due to reopen after being closed for some time.
Lake isle is lovely with its own private harbour
Address: The Lake House, Cameron Island, Coolbawn, Co. Tipperary, E45 V213
Asking price: €950,000
Agent: Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty
How to get there: By private boat, a crossing time of five minutes from the mainland quay
Situated on the western shores of Cameron Island, in Lough Derg, Ireland’s largest lake, this three-bedroom, two-bathroom, C3 BER-rated property comes with a private harbour and mainland quay.
Accessible only by boat, a five-minute walk from the quay, it is the only house on the isle.
It is set on about 1.7 acres of gorgeous gardens; the rest of the circa 100-acre island is comprised of native woodland.
The arboretum gardens feature numerous specimen trees and shrubs, including a love tree, copper beech, a red oak, Japanese maples, a gingko and several pines.
There’s an open-plan kitchen cum living room that opens out to the grounds, a separate study and the principal bedroom also has direct access outside.
These rooms have lake vistas from their large windows, washing the spaces in light.
The fenestration frames Oillean Mor island.
A work-life balance served up on Sherkin Island
Address: Jolly Roger, Farranacoush, Sherkin Island, Co. Cork, P81 Y635
Asking price: €475,000
Agent: Hodnett Forde Property Services
How to get there: The ferry crossing from Sherkin to Baltimore takes 10 minutes
Situated in Roaring Water Bay, Sherkin is home to about 100 souls all year round.
The island is so accessible that the children attend the local schools on the mainland.
The first ferry in the morning will get you to work anywhere within a 45-minute drive.
Set on the leeside of the island with views of the Beacon and Baltimore, The Jolly Roger is a pub that includes accommodation overhead.
It is being sold as a going concern, so would suit someone who wants to work and live on the island.
The pub part extends to about 160 square metres and comprises the bar, lounge room, library and sunroom offering extra dining facilities.
There’s a fully equipped commercial kitchen, toilets, a keg room, a utility yard and a storage area.
Out front is a paved terrace set over two levels to take in the views.
At the back is a large, sheltered beer garden where you can soak up the evening sun.
Above is a three-bedroom, one bathroom residence that includes an open plan kitchen cum living room with deep-set sills and sea views.
It extends to 79 square metres.
A whole island, west Cork
Address: Whiddy Island, Bantry, Co Cork, P75 EF25
Asking price: €4 million
Agent: Sherry FitzGerald
How to get there: By private boat, a crossing time of 15 minutes from Bantry pier
Whiddy Island has been inhabited from as far back as 4500 BC and charts its place in Irish history.
Most recently, as a major oil terminal in the 1960s and 1970s, it was here that a catastrophic fire in 1979 destroyed much of the jetty and caused 51 people to lose their lives in what is known as the Whiddy Island Disaster.
It remains Ireland’s worst maritime disaster, so the next owner will need to adopt a sensitive approach.
What’s on offer is over 91 hectares of land on Whiddy Island and adjoining Rabbit Island, a battery built by the British built by the British in 1804 after the attempted invasion by the French in 1796, six properties, two two-beds, two three-beds, and a four-bed, along with the main house, which has its own private slipway.
Located in Bantry Bay, it offers stellar sea and scenic views.
This is a big-ticket, big-investment buy that also needs to honour its past.
