Scattery Island

The last permanent residents — the McMahon siblings — left in 1978, though some accounts date the island's final abandonment to 1969. Either way, nobody lives now on Scattery Island, Inis Cathaigh in Irish, a small island in the Shannon Estuary off the coast of Kilrush in County Clare. The Office of Public Works owns most of it, Scattery Island Tours operates the visitor service, and visitor numbers are capped at 25,000 per season and 160 per day to protect the Special Area of Conservation.

What the cap protects is one of the earliest Irish monastic settlements. St Senan, born at nearby Kilrush around 488, founded a monastery here in the late 530s. It became the seat of a bishopric and held authority over what later became the dioceses of Killaloe, Limerick and Ardfert. The remains of the monastery, an oratory, seven small churches and chapels, an Irish round tower and a holy well are all visible across the small island. The Vikings raided in 815 and later settled. The last Norse king of Limerick was killed here by Brian Boru in 977.

A working coastal-defence layer survives too. The well-preserved Napoleonic-era artillery battery at the southern end, built in the 1810s as part of the Shannon Estuary defences, is one of the best-surviving pieces of that infrastructure in Ireland; six 24-pounder long guns once lined the curve of its semi-circular D-shape. From 1842 to 1969 the Shannon Estuary pilots who guided ships up the river to Limerick lived on the island. Scattery was the EDEN 2017 winner for cultural tourism.

The ferry dictates the calendar. It runs in season only, May through September; outside those months the only access is by private boat, and most visitors do not have one. June and July carry the heaviest day-trip traffic, so aim for May or September if you want the ruins closer to yourself. The crossing takes about 20 minutes, and the standard sailing gives you around two to two and a half hours ashore — enough for the visitor centre, the monastic ruins, the round tower and the battery, with a short beach walk left over. Book the operator's longer sailing if you want the island at a slower pace. Pack for self-sufficiency. There is no shop or café, and no toilet beyond the basic OPW provision, so bring food and water for the day. Wind shelter is limited; carry a windproof layer even in July. Tides shape the ferry schedule. Check departures on the day.

Everything goes through one boat: the Scattery Island Tours ferry from Kilrush marina, operated by Irene Griffin and Martina Hamilton (scatteryislandtours.com). It exits the marina through the working sea-lock, a small piece of the trip's character, before crossing to the island. The season runs from approximately mid-May to mid-September, weather and tide permitting, with several daily departures Monday to Sunday. In July and August, reserve your crossing; the boats fill. To reach Kilrush by public transport: train from Dublin Heuston to Ennis (3 hours), then Bus Éireann route 333 to Kilrush (1 hour 15). From Shannon Airport, allow 1 hour 15 by car or bus. From County Kerry, the Killimer-Tarbert ferry (shannonferries.com) crosses the river; Tarbert to Kilrush is 15 km. The island has its own jetty on the eastern shore, and you land at the visitor-centre cluster. In rough weather the ferry sometimes cannot land at all; the operator will refund or rebook.

Sleep in Kilrush on the mainland; the island has no accommodation. The Vandeleur Walled Garden has self-catering cottages adjacent to the historic estate. The Old Schoolhouse B&B and a number of small guesthouses along the marina cover the mid-range. Kilkee, 20 km west on the Atlantic coast, and Carrigaholt on the Loop Head peninsula both work as bases within driving distance, with more atmosphere in the evenings. Self-catering on the Shannon Estuary coast is widely available; for July and August, reserve well in advance. One warning. Do not fold Scattery into the wider Wild Atlantic Way day-tour traffic. The island visit deserves a focused half-day at a calm pace, not a tick on a coach-tour itinerary.

The island serves nothing. Bring everything you plan to eat. In Kilrush, Crotty's Pub on Market Square is the long-running town-centre pub serving local Shannon seafood, and Kelly's Steakhouse on Henry Street covers the mid-range evening meal. The Pantry Café in Kilkee (20 km) is the regional standard for daytime coffee and lunch. Building a picnic for Scattery is its own pleasure: the Kilrush Saturday market (confirm they're still operating) sells local cheese, bread and shellfish, and The Apple Tree café on Frances Street does packed lunches with a day's notice. Remember that the island's beaches are not commercial. No kiosks, and no toilets beyond the OPW provision near the landing. A small thermos and a wind-sheltered picnic spot below the monastic enclosure are the classic way to pass the middle of a Scattery day. Bring a refillable water bottle.

Walk the island circuit, roughly 2 km in total and easy underfoot. It takes in the visitor centre with its historical exhibition, St Senan's Church and the seven other church ruins, the Irish round tower (at 36 m one of the tallest in the country), the holy well, the Napoleonic artillery battery at the southern end, and the disused 19th-century cottages of the pilot families. The Office of Public Works runs guided walking tours of the sixth-century monastic site from the restored visitor centre by the pier, with audio guides in several languages if you would rather set your own pace. Admission is free and the tour schedule follows the sailings, so check it when you book.

Beyond the monastic enclosure the island keeps a working maritime layer: the lighthouse, the battery above the shore and the restored village where the pilot families lived while they guided ships up the Shannon. Bird-watchers do well here; the island is a stopping point for migrating waders, and the intertidal edges reward a slow hour with binoculars. From the eastern shore, the Moneypoint power station across the estuary stands as a deliberate reminder of the working industrial layer of the Shannon. The crossing belongs to the experience too: bottlenose dolphins in the estuary are sometimes spotted from the ferry, which leaves from Kilrush Marina in season, roughly late May into late September (check current dates, and expect tides and weather to move sailings). Give it half a day at minimum. If the weather holds, give it the whole day.

Come self-sufficient. There is no shop or café, and the OPW asks every visitor to leave no trace and carry all waste back off the island, so pack food, water, a waterproof and boots that will cope with wet grass. Kilrush is the natural other half of the trip, and the obvious fallback on a day the boat cannot run. The Vandeleur Walled Garden on the edge of town is a restored walled garden set in around 170 hectares of woodland on the old Vandeleur demesne, with woodland paths, a garden centre, the Brambles woodland café and a visitor centre that handles the family's part in the town's development and in the darker chapters of local history without flinching. Two hours there, an hour around the marina, and the day is complete.

• Language: English; some Irish on signage
• Currency: euro (the island itself takes no payments; pay the operator at the Kilrush marina before boarding)
• Plug: not relevant; no electrical access on the island
• Mobile coverage: patchy on the island; usable in Kilrush
• Getting there: The ferry crossing is exposed and can be choppy; sea-sickness sufferers should sit at the back and watch the horizon
• Seasons & hours: Toilet provision on the island is basic and seasonal