This article is from page 34 of the 2008-03-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 34 JPG
A SMALL island off Kilrush 1s making international headlines as wealthy men and women show an interest in buying their very own is- land.
Hog Island has been on the market for a number of months and accord- ing to the sole agent acting for its American owner there has been a lot of local, national and international interest.
Not as well known as its close neighbour Scattery Island, Hog Is- land lies on the Shannon Estuary just a half mile from Cappa Pier.
Islands along the west coast don’t come cheap however. Also known as Inis Beg, it has an asking price in ex- cess of half a million euro.
The 53-acre – at high tide – island was believed to have been inhabited by a family before the famine in 1837, but its only occupants now are a herd of wild goats.
An American family purchased the Island in 1972 from Major Wilson who also owned Scattery Island and Castletown in County Kildare.
“We are informed that Hog Island, unlike its neighbour, Scattery Island, has no environmental or _ histori- cal attributes of note, and therefore
should not have the same restrictions as to development,” said auctioneer Helen Cassidy.
While it is not clear if the island is covered by specific development re- Strictions it is part of the River Shan- non and River Fergus Estuary, which is a Special Protected Area.
Local County Councillor Tom Prenderville (FF) would be keen to see the island maintained as a herit- age site without any development.
“IT would not be very enthusiastic about a dwelling going up there. We need to preserve those areas,’ he Sr ALG
What any prospective buyer would
be sure of is that the island is locat- ed in an area of outstanding scenic beauty, close to amenities and is a private area of unspoilt tranquillity.
The highest peak is 14 metres, from which the rest of the low-lying island is visible. The northern and eastern shores of the island are largely com- posed of storm beach where there 1s evidence of winged plover, and low earth cliffs are evident in the western and southern coastline.
At the north of the island spits have formed and a well-developed salt marsh is found, providing food for swallows. There are no trees on the TSIEN eXeb