Dolphins versus humans
Irish nature
What to do on Sherkin Island
Mount Gabriel disrupting westerly flows of wind.
My vertebrae are fairly abused when I return from a weekend trip to Sherkin Island. Books, a camera, a tent, a laptop and occasionally a rock brought along the return journey – all carry decent weight individually, nevermind combined.
I travel quite often to the island since there’s a lot to do there besides getting inebriated at the local pub (though that can be fun sometimes too).
A slice of heaven inside my tent.
However, after a few unsolicitedly encounters with racist men* at pubs in recent times, it’s been much, much more soothing to hang out with familiar faces and the natural environment.
So what to do?
Luckily, Sherkin boasts beautiful scenery, an engaging local community and cultural events. Repeatedly revisiting the island, I’ve come to understand that insular life requires stimulating and inclusive activities as part of one’s survival. It has paid off, especially since the old hotel has been used as a sanctuary for people fleeing war.
From time to time, someone will openly or clandestinely air their hostile attitudes towards the refugee community, but there has luckily been many great efforts to involve everyone in local events and initiatives. Even as a voluntary migrant myself, to Ireland, it’s been a personal joy to be part of these!
Scud clouds warning of impending rain coming in from the west.
The truth is that today Sherkin is largely inhabited by blow-ins. People from other places in Cork, other Irish counties, the UK, Ukraine, North America, Denmark (not me!) and volunteering WWOOFers from Japan, Germany, France etc.
Indeed, Sherkin attracts visitors and new residents from near and far for different reasons.
A previous post of mine on the super exciting geology of West Cork features pictures from Sherkin Island’s rock secrets, and that’s been a reason for me to return repeatedly. I’m always on an obsessive lookout for Devonian fossils!
Looking towards Cape Clear Island from Silver Strand on Sherkin Island. It was worth dragging my DSLR-camera along for this view.
Recently, an art exhibition became the motivation for a quick trip. There’s a Bachelor of Arts-programme in Visual Art on the island and budding artists participating in it stay on or near Sherkin for extended periods of time.
One of the artists resided at Sherkin North Shore (highly recommendable Bed and Breakfast if you need a holiday in beautiful settings) where we overlapped a few times, and she was super sound. So much so that I had to see her final graduation piece exhibited.
The piece ‘Voice Rewilding’ by Louise Kiernan which from a distance appeared as an impressively robust metal hut on a field, though inside featured stories by people living with stammered speech.
With graduating artists turning much of the island into a temporary art gallery, art connoisseurs from afar took the effort of traveling to this extreme southwesterly fringe of Ireland. One of my friends Ibrahim was one of them – a totally unexpected but warm encounter!
An Atlantic low pressure came visiting too, dragging in and producing theatrical storm clouds with occasional showers. No organised convective activity this time though.
Sergey Kior showed off night-time film photography with his piece ‘Sherkin Island at Night’.
I’m definitely not an art connoisseur but the pieces still made the weekend memorable with strong impressions. These brilliant exhibitions by Mary Callaghan, Róisín Ní Chonaill, Sergey Kior, Louise Kiernan and Emma McNulty featured installations, sound, videography and photography with themes around human behaviour, connections to land, the environment and island living.
Simultaneously, the setting brought people together, locals and visitors, and added a bit to the island economy.
Okay, but again: what to do on Sherkin?
Right yes, accept my half story, the title of this post refers to a list of things to do on Sherkin, and admittedly, there isn’t always an art exhibition on.
If you came here to find things to do on the island, here’s a few of my favourite activities:
Stay at Sherkin North Shore (in your own tent or in one of their cabins, bell tents or pods). You’ll wake up to stunning views and there’s excellent breakfast and dinner.
The beaches and coves are always in need of a beach clean. Be sure to bring a durable plastic bag (litter picker and gloves if that’s your thing) along your coastal walks.
Some of the objects can be quite decorative after a rinse, if you’re a hoarder.
Observe the whirlpool between Cape Clear and Sherkin drag tens of millions of tonnes of water back and forth during tidal changes. The resulting surface turbulence can be quite showy and exciting wildlife may appear.
Whale watching of different sorts. You’re most likely to spot common dolphins, but occasionally porpoises, fin whales and humpback whales. Though not a whale, a basking shark might even surface. Wildlife photography isn’t my forte by a long stretch, so the thumbnail is of the Cape Clear Island ferry; which is the best year-round opportunity for spotting marine wildlife.
Speaking of marine life, do get close to some of the most relentless predators in Irish rockpools. Do also check out my little guide here for some of the different things you can spot. Alternatively, get this book! Just watch the tide while adventuring!
Visit the old slate quarry. From a geological perspective, there isn’t much to see, but it’s still a cool hike along the cliffs with lovely views to the south. Be careful as there are unfenced drops along the edges.
If you like astronomy or the existential dread that comes with staring at millions of years old light entering your eyeballs, then Sherkin has epic night skies. You may still get a bit of light pollution to the east and northeast, but any star, planet or galaxy to the west will be visually popping!
Cloud watching is a thrill on Sherkin as you get near-uninterrupted views to the west, south and north. The Mizen peninsula is responsible for some dramatic formations as westerly winds collide with the hills along it. Moreover, clouds forming over the highest mountains in Ireland can also be viewed from here.
Bring a sketchpad, a notebook or your knitting gear and just exist. You can easily lose all concept of time out on the island which can tickle your brain and send it into a nice child-like state.
And of course, legendary beaches including Silver Strand and Cow Strand are excellent avenues for swims, skinny dips and geological adventuring. Related to the latter, there are some nice Devonian trace fossils on Silver Strand.
Thanks to Diane for the photo below!
Notes:
* To these men: The housing crisis is none of my doing. Learn your history, understand relevant policies and grow some actual courage to kick upwards the ladder where the blame lies.
A bit about me
Thomas Heising here!
I’m originally from Denmark, but now living in Cork, Ireland and working with visual science communication. You may have found this post because you were curious about this page or wanted to know more about the topic at hand – in any case: welcome.
There are more writings, visuals and videos around here about geology, the weather, our planet, Ireland, Denmark and other things that interest me.
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Fossil hunting in Toe Head
Geology nuggetAurora borealis again
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