A private island spanning just four acres has been listed for sale for £209,000 (€250,000) in Dunmanus Bay — a five-minute boat trip from the mainland of Ireland.
Currently used to graze sheep, Mannion Island has belonged to members of the same West Cork family for 30 years, who have always used it in connection with agriculture.
Other possible uses could include camping, coastal and marine research, or for breeding animals, with the necessary permissions in place.
There’s a natural sheltered cove to the east that allows year-round access. Mannion island is 200 metres from the nearest point of the mainland or 500 metres from a jetty near Durrus village in West Cork.
While there aren’t dwellings, structures or ruins on the plot, the presence of which would aid planning applications, the island listing suggests electricity could be provided via solar panels or a wind turbine.
The current owners said other islands in the area have been transformed into private retreats in recent years, with one other in the same bay – Carbery Island – being snapped up by a couple from mainland Europe.
Horse Island, in Roaringwater Bay, on the south side of the Mizen Head peninsula, is thought to have been sold for around £5 million during the coronavirus lockdown after the interested parties – unable to visit due to international travel restrictions – were given a video tour.
In addition to a huge main house and six guesthouses, 157-acre Horse Island has a pier, helipad, boathouse, three beaches and tennis court. It’s also self-sufficient, with wind turbines, generators, wells and private roads.
In May last year, the same week as the Horse Island sale, the 123-acre, uninhabited Castle Island nearby was listed for sale for £922,350. It’s thought to have sold for £1.26 million (€1.5 million) just a few months later — extraordinarily fast by private island standards.
Horse Island was on the market for around two years, and its price was reduced by over €1 million, before it found a buyer.
Mannion Island has been on the market for a similar length of time. In 2019 it captured global attention when LetsBuyAnIsland.com attempted to buy it through crowdfunding.
The owners said there has been interest but, with Covid restrictions, would-be buyers have found it difficult to travel over to view in person.
Mannion Island is for sale priced €250,000 through Vladi Private Islands. For more information email info@vladi.de.
