Sherkin Island
| Native name: Inis Arcáin | |
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View from the highest point of Sherkin Island
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 Sherkin Island
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| Geography | |
| Location | Celtic Sea |
| Coordinates | 51°28′N 9°25′W / 51.467°N 9.417°WCoordinates: 51°28′N 9°25′W / 51.467°N 9.417°W |
| Area | 5 km2 (1.9 sq mi)approx |
| Highest elevation | 189.3 m (621.1 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Province | Munster |
| County | Cork |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 106 (2006) |
Sherkin Island, historically called Inisherkin (Irish: Inis Arcáin), lies southwest of County Cork in Ireland alongside other islands of Roaringwater Bay. It had a population of 106 people at the time of the 2006 Census, measures 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) long by 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) wide. The island has a primary school, two pubs, a hotel, bed and breakfast, community centre, coffee shop and a Roman Catholic church.
Sherkin is one of the most southerly points of Ireland after Cape Clear and Brow Head. It is said that when the frost covers the lawns of Baltimore just across the bay, the grass remains unfrosted on the island. Like any other coastal part of Ireland, Sherkin can be affected by heavy coastal gales.
Sherkin once had a population of around 1,000, which started to decline during the Great Irish Famine in the mid-19th century. Now the population is reduced and varies between the summer and the winter months, with increases in summer as people return to holiday houses and tourists arrive. People of a number of different nationalities have settled on Sherkin, including artists, writers, craft workers, musicians, photographers, beekeepers, pilots, cattle farmers, mussel and oyster farmers, biologists, botanists and oceanologists, fishermen and sailors, teachers and doctors, horselovers and strawberry growers.
Sherkin's ferry boat is named "Mystic Waters", and during the summer (roughly 1 June – 30 September) it makes ten daily trips from 07:45 to 20:30 on weekdays, from 9:00 on Saturdays and from 10:30 on Sundays. During the winter months the last ferry leaves Baltimore at 17.30, with later ferries on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Fridays.
The roads on Sherkin are narrow and often in poor condition. Most of the cars on the island are old and unsuitable for use on the mainland. Cycling and walking are popular, with horse riding also an option. There is a rural transport service on the island, which meets every ferry and costs €2 per trip.
There are a number of archaeological remains on Sherkin. A friary, the Mainster Inis Arcain, is uphill from the ferry pier. The seat of the O'Driscoll Clan was Dun-na-Long Castle. These two buildings were heavily damaged in 1537 when citizens of Waterford invaded the island after a dispute over a seized and plundered ship. Sherkin has an automated lighthouse, maintained by locals. It is situated at Barrack Point and dates from 1835. The lighthouse marks the southern entrance to Baltimore Harbour, along with the Baltimore Beacon. On the south-western side of the island there is a functioning Roman Catholic church. The main historic sites include:
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Wikipedia