Horse Island (
Gaeilge: ''Oileán na gCapall'') is a small inhabited island in
Roaringwater Bay,
County Cork
County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...
, Ireland, off the coast of Schull, that forms part of
Carbery's Hundred Isles. No ferry service operates to and from the island; however, there is a
pier
A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...
, a heliport and a road on the island.
The island is privately owned and in 2018 was offered for sale for the price of €6,750,000.
[property.ie - Horse Island, Roaring Water Bay, Schull, Co. Cork](_blank)
/ref> The property ultimately sold for a price of €5,500,000 to a European Ultra high-net-worth individual
Ultra may refer to:
Science and technology
* Ultra (cryptography), the codename for cryptographic intelligence obtained from signal traffic in World War II
* Adobe Ultra, a vector-keying application
* Sun Ultra series, a brand of computer work ...
in July 2020. Due to the pandemic, the buyer was not allowed to tour the island but viewed a video tour about its amenities.
History
In the 19th century, a copper mine
Copper extraction is the multi-stage process of obtaining copper from its ores. The conversion of copper ores consists of a series of physical, chemical, and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ...
was operated on the 157 acre island by West Cork Mining Company, owned most recently by West Cork Mining Company, employing approximately 100 miners at one time. The mine started operating in 1820 and closed in 1874. At its peak in 1841, the island's population was 137. The last permanent resident, Paddy McCarthy, left Horse Island in 1965. In his time, there were only five families on the island. Willie Harcourt-Coozes father bought Horse Island, where he started farming and living a self-sufficient life.[
]The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''. Another source added that the island also included "six guesthouses and guest cottages", three diesel generators, wind turbines" and pipes to an underwater aquifer for drinking water.
In 2014, an attempt had been made by the Fitzgibbon family to set up an Irish whiskey
Irish whiskey ( or ''uisce beatha'') is whiskey made on the island of Ireland. The word 'whiskey' (or whisky) comes from the Irish , meaning ''water of life''. Irish whiskey was once the most popular spirit in the world, though a long period of ...
distillery
Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixt ...
and visitor centre on the island, but planning permission was refused by An Bord Pleanála
(; meaning "The Planning Board"; ABP) is an independent, statutory, quasi-judicial body that decides on appeals from planning decisions made by local authorities in Ireland. As of 2007, An Bord Pleanála directly decided major strategic infra ...
. The couple had also attempted to raise Wagyu cattle but that plan did not work successfully. The island still had a "main cattle shed, an implement shed nd aworkshop" as of 2019.
As of June 2018, the island had a permanent caretaker.You can own a 157-acre island in West Cork for a cool €6.75 million
/ref>
Demographics
References
Islands of County Cork
Private islands of Ireland
{{cork-geo-stub