An Irishman's Diary on artistic and literary visitors to Ilnacullin (Garinish Island)

The island of Ilnacullin (which means 'island of holly' in Irish) lies about a half a mile from the coast. The island is also sometimes referred to as Garnish or Garinish island. It sits in Bantry Bay in West Cork and is protected from the worst of the Atlantic Ocean by the surrounding hills and mountains.

The pond in the Italian garden on Ilnacullin.

There is a Martello tower on the island, which was one of a series of towers built around the coast of Ireland to guard against possible attack during the French Revolutionary Wars. When John Annan Bryce and his wife Violet bought the island from the British War Office in August 1910, the tower was one of the few structures on the island. There was a small bit of farming going on, but by and large the island was a barren rock.

View of surrounding hills from Ilnacullin.

The Bryces subsequently transformed the island, importing subtropical shrubs, plants and trees from as far afield as Australia, India and China. These rare specimens have thrived in the micro-climate that exists on Ilnacullin. It is a special place and I have just written an Irishman's Diary in the Irish Times newspaper about the island's history and how the Bryce family welcomed artists and writers to their home. Read it here.

George Russell (AE)'s painting (now in Bryce House on Ilnacullin).