This might seem like a boring old post, but there are many islands here that I never previously heard about. In Ireland we are so focused on islands in the Atlantic that we ignore completely what is on the east coast. Many people in Dublin struggle to place Bull Island and it is only 7km from the City Centre. Lambay is even more exotic – but the vast majority of my fellow citizens would not know much about even Anglesey or the Isle of Man – even if they have already visited.
Ireland’s Eye from Wiki
And the yet, to my own embarrassment, the third placed Holy Island is one I have not known anything – not even its name. Clare Island is better known and it is only 15 km squared – and Holy Island is even bigger than Inishmore which is just under 31 km square. And yet incredibly, Holyhead sits on Holy Island and not on Anglesey. How come I do not know this – well until now anyhow. Okay, yes you can debate – just like Achill – that this is barely an island – but that still doesn’t take away from the fact that this large piece of land is as close to Dublin as is Athlone – and I have never heard about it!
Wikipedia lists all the islands in the Irish Sea which are above 1km squared
| Name | Area (km²) | Rank (area) | Permanent Population[1] | Rank (pop.) | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anglesey | 714 | 01 | 69,000 | 02 | Wales |
| Isle of Man | 572 | 02 | 80,056 | 01 | Isle of Man |
| Holy Island | 39 | 03 | 13,579 | 03 | Wales |
| Walney Island | 13 | 04 | 11,388 | 04 | England |
| Lambay Island | 5.54 | 05 | <10 | 08 | Republic of Ireland |
| Bull Island | 3 | 06 | <20 | 07 | Republic of Ireland |
| Ramsey Island | 2.58 | 07 | 0 | – | Wales |
| Bardsey Island | 2.58 | 08 | <5 | 10 | Wales |
| Calf of Man | 2.50 | 09 | 0 | – | Isle of Man |
| Piel Island | 0.20 | – | <5 | 10 | England |
| Ynys Gored Goch | 0.004 | – | <5 | 10 | Wales |
| Barrow Island | Unknown | – | 2,616 | 05 | England |
| Roa Island | Unknown | – | 100 | 06 | England |
| Ynys Gaint | Unknown | – | <10 | 08 | Wales |
| Ynys Castell | Unknown | – | <5 | 10 | Wales |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_islands_of_Ireland
Just to highlight my own ignorance here is an image of a 120 km radius from Dublin. I also know very little about the Isle of Man. This is where borders become walls to learning.
