Garnish Island

Garnish Island (Ilnacullin in Irish) lies in Bantry Bay near Glengarriff, a small island that was bare rock and bog until 1910 when Annan Bryce commissioned the garden designer Harold Peto to transform it. The result, developed over the following decades, is one of the most remarkable gardens in Ireland — a 15-acre Italianate garden with walled formal sections, pergolas, a Grecian temple, a clock tower, and plant collections that benefit from the remarkably mild microclimate created by the Gulf Stream.

The ferry crossing from Glengarriff takes about 10 minutes and passes a colony of grey seals that haul out on the rocks near the island entrance. The seals are habituated to boat traffic and generally indifferent to visitors — close approaches are possible. Two ferry operators run from the Glengarriff pier: Harbour Queen Ferries and Blue Pool Ferry, both charging roughly the same for the crossing. The OPW garden admission is separate and inexpensive.

The garden is worth 90 minutes to 2 hours at a slow pace. The formal Italianate garden near the centre of the island is the most structured section; the outer paths follow the island perimeter through more naturalistic plantings with views across to the Caha Mountains. The Martello tower at the island's south end dates from 1805. The island is managed by the OPW and is one of the most distinctive heritage gardens in Ireland.