Photo: Stefan Schnebelt

Staying afloat

By HARALD HAMMEL (text) and STEFAN SCHNEBELT (photos)

Photo: Stefan Schnebelt

May 17, 2023 · Sherkin Island, with its remoteness and magnificent scenery, attracts artists, millionaires and civilisation-weary, but families and farmers are at a disadvantage on the island in the south-west of Ireland.

First, the post office and the only shop disappeared. In 2016, the school on Sherkin Island closed down. Too few children, the government decided – and postponed the lessons. The way to school for the ten girls and boys is now much longer and more arduous, it takes place over the sometimes churning sea. The ferry takes the little passengers across Roaringwater Bay to the mainland to the port town of Baltimore.

Sherkin advertises itself as the "most accessible island in Ireland". Maybe. However, the regular shipping traffic also works in the opposite direction: you can leave the island behind you all the more quickly. In general, nothing really invites you to stay, no recipe is suitable against the declining population. With the outbreak of potato blight, it has shrunk from over a thousand people since 1847 to just over a hundred today, and seven farms remain of the once all-dominating agriculture, most of which keep their heads above water with cattle breeding. After all, in recent years, two dozen young residents have resettled, partially compensating for the emigration. With the pandemic, more babies were born on Sherkin as well. This raises hopes for a good future, says Aisling Moran, who is responsible for the development of the island on behalf of a state-funded organization. However, no one believes that the schoolhouse, built in 1892, will one day return to regular operations as before. However, the residents do not want to simply give up on the abandoned building. They collect money for its purchase – with what goal is open.

Photo: Stefan Schnebelt Photo: Pictures Alliance View of the lighthouse of Sherkin Island and Roaringwater Bay: It is only a few hundred meters across to the Irish mainland. There is not much going on at Cow Strand either. But it is precisely this combination of seclusion and the emerald-colored bays with the fine sandy beaches that has recently made Sherkin Island interesting for artists. Photos: Stefan Schnebelt (1), Pictures Alliance (2)

It is quite possible that this will become a center for artistic activities. Because no group shapes the island more than the more than twenty painters, photographers, authors, musicians and sculptors with their families. Decades ago, only a few of the creative milieu fell into love with the "unique and inspiring environment" invoked on Sherkin's website. Then more and more people were inspired by the seclusion and the emerald-colored bays with the fine sandy beaches. Meanwhile, Sherkin is the place where art lovers can get their education from the leisure course to the bachelor's degree from the University of Dublin, the latter in a combination of online distance learning and on-site courses.

Cows in front of Sherkin Island Abbey: Seven farms remain from the once all-dominating agriculture on the island. Photo: Pictures Alliance

Sean O'Neill missed this development. He doesn't need a bachelor's degree. His paintings can easily be imagined in galleries around the globe. On Sherkin, the large, frameless canvases are housed in a shed for viewing. Midnight blue, heavy purple and muddy brown in acrylic stand out against the white walls. If you look closely and long enough, a hint of orange here and there, a hint of turquoise brightens up the darkness. Spider's webs stick over their heads. Is business going well? The painter sits obliviously on a plastic chair in front of the entrance and takes his time with the answer. "Business is okay." He didn't wait for questions from strangers. But then he invites you for coffee. Although the spring sun gives everything, the stove in the living room burns at full strength; the laundry hanging over it needs to be dried.

Sean was born and raised on the island. After a few decades abroad, he returned to his parents' home. "Whether it's San Francisco or Sherkin, it doesn't matter where you live," says the 79-year-old. He no longer has to see the world outside. He rarely leaves the island. Soon he dives into the memory with his eyes closed and only with difficulty to get out of it again; soon he takes a drag on his self-rolled cigarette. Then again he abruptly jumps up from the chair and underlines his descriptions with Rumpelstiltskin-like stomping on the ancient wooden floor. "Do you want to see my studio?" Sean climbs the stairs. In two rooms under the roof, more art is piled up, again rich colors that exude deep tranquility. "So many pictures," he repeats the astonishment of the visitors, and for a moment he himself seems surprised by his creative power. He says he paints "somewhere between abstraction and reality" and tries to depict "what lies between impressionism and the subconscious."

A good hundred people live on Sherkin Island. Artist Sean O'Neill is one of them. He himself is surprised by his creative power. Photos: Stefan Schnebelt

Has life changed on Sherkin? "Yes. It's all different." Today, the locals are in the minority. Sean doesn't think much of the newcomers: "Rich people who build monstrous villas but don't pay attention to their surroundings. They don't know anything here."

Fiona Collins may not join in this lament, although she is also one of the long-time residents. The daughter of a farmer says: "Where the people who come to us come from doesn't matter to me. The main thing is that life on Sherkin goes on."

Island café and more: Kathy O'Connor runs the Sherkin North Shore with her husband. Photo: Stefan Schnebelt

Kathy and Mike O'Connor have also moved in. The older couple runs the "Sherkin North Shore" in the northwest, a kind of youth hostel with cute terraced houses and a community building right by the sea. "It's not a luxurious place," says Mike. "With us, people discover themselves – without Playstation and television." The most spectacular program is in the endless loop: The view over the Atlantic reveals an almost unlimited inky blue surface, interrupted only by the green-brown contours of the neighboring islands. No annoying noise far and wide. Even the waves slosh silently to the shore. What a relief when some oystercatchers shout as they fly over: their hearing is still intact.

This backdrop must be attraction enough for travelers: Kathy and Mike bake brownies and fruitcakes and cook menus on request, but otherwise offer: nothing. Except their property. Sometimes it serves music and dance enthusiasts as a site for open-air concerts, sometimes as a campsite for those tired of civilization, sometimes visitors use it for yoga seminars with plenty of exercise options. The organization of the infrastructure – from the stage to the energy supply – is entirely the responsibility of the guests. Wouldn't a little more support and more comfort attract additional tourists – to increase sales? Mike waves it off. He doesn't want to grow. He is "perfectly happy" with what he has. "My business plan is not to have a business plan." He says it without any irony.

To Sherkin Island

Journey From Baltimore, regular ferry services (cars not allowed). Cost: 12 euros for adults, 4 euros for children. The crossing takes a good ten minutes. ( sherkinferry.ie)

Accommodation hostel "Sherkin North Shore": simple rooms with shower and breakfast. Cost: per night 50 euros for adults, 25 euros for children up to 12 years. You can also camp on the site for 12.50 euros (adults) or 7 euros (children up to 12 years) per night. Dinner made to order. ( sherkinnorthshore.com). The only hotel on the island is closed and is for sale.

Catering, no shopping. Food and drink must be brought. Simple meals are available at The Jolly Roger pub.

More information about Sherkin Island at sherkinisland.ie and ireland.com

Editor's
note:
Some of the research trips for this article were supported by tour operators, hotels, airlines or tourist offices. This does not affect the content of the texts.

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