By Malcolm Rogers

You’ve heard the radio broadcasts: “Malin to Irish Sea, six to seven, occasional gale eight, rain, good. . .”

Yes, you don’t visit Ireland’s islands just for their sun-drenched beaches. But when the Atlantic performs its riotous party piece and transforms Ireland’s coast into a seething gigantic jacuzzi (without the heat, of course) the view from any of the thousands of isles round the coast is truly magnificent.

Thousands of islands dot the coastline — flying into Shannon you can see these tiny little emeralds scattered the whole way up the coast.

There are inhabited islands — the Aran Islands off Galway are the most populated — there are tiny islands which you can visit for a day — like Ireland’s Eye off Howth Head or Dalkey Island guarding the entrance to Dublin Bay.

There are even inland islands like Ram’s Island in Lough Neagh, all with their own unique personality.

Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim
Rathlin is the thing which looks like a sock at the very top of the Ireland — where Ireland’s most northerly inhabitants live.

A spectacular place to visit, particularly if you like bird-spotting. Don’t miss out Bull Point at the western end of the island where the sight of thousands of guillemots covering the tops of the grey stacks of rock is just the thing for the jaded view junkie.

For fishing you can rent a boat (phone: 028 207 63933) or the more adventurous can go scuba diving among the many ship wrecks — some from the Spanish Armada) which lie broken on the seabed round the island (phone: 028 207 63915). Boats run to the island every day (phone: 028207 63915 or 63017).

Holy Island, Co. Clare
Inis Cealtra, or Holy Island in Co. Clare is home to one of Ireland’s most peaceful monastic sites. Situated at the mouth of Scariff Bay nudging the Atlantic, this religious settlement was established in the seventh century by St. Caimen.

Things probably haven’t changed much since then — despite regular visits from Brian Boru. Unique among the site’s riches is the “Confessional”, or Anchorites’ cell. A fascinating, atmospheric place.

The Copeland Islands, Co. Down
From Bangor you can take a cruise to the Copeland Islands, which lie just off Donaghadee. These tiny islands — just about big enough to give you a half hour stroll — are a birdwatcher’s paradise.

On an average day you’ll see gannets dive-bombing into the sea, platoons of eider duck patrolling the rocks, industrious turnstones doing exactly what it says on the tin i.e., turning stones to find tasty morsels of food. The journey is about half an hour on by boat. (tel. 028 91 450 081).

Boa Island, Co. Fermanagh
Dusk doesn’t come till after 10pm in the spring, and the twilight causes diffuse shadows to dance on the sparkling water of Lough Erne, turning it into a ridiculous selection of colours from pale turquoise to the darkest green. No better place to see this than on Boa Island at the northern end of the lough. Now this is a bit of a cheat, because today it’s connected to the rest of Co. Fermanagh by a bridge.

Evidence abounds of the previous inhabitants of the area — the pagan Celts who lived here six or seven thousand years ago. In the middle of Boa Island a two-faced Celtic idol appears to be gloating over his territory.

Devenish Island, Co. Fermanagh
An L-shaped island with a fine example of one of the many round towers to be seen all over Ireland and the ruins of one of the most important Irish monasteries.

The ruins of two churches, and an oratory also occupy this 70-acre island.

The Skelligs, Co. Kerry
Perhaps Ireland’s most photographed islands, the Skelligs are those forbidding peaks which rise at a crazy angle from the ocean just off the Kerry coast.

The great jagged pinnacles and ridges are home to thousands of sea birds, but 1,500 years ago these precarious rocks were home to Anchorite monks.

Settling on these tiny islands, they set about preparing themselves without distraction for the ultimate encounter with God. And if you were looking for a place without distractions, then Skellig Michael must have been almost top of the range.

You can still see the little beehive living quarters of the holy men — dry-stone huts with slab floors, a small entrance, but no windows. The ultimate island experience.

(Phone: Casey boats 00 353 66 77125, or the Walsh’s 00 79147.)

The Blaskets, Co. Kerry
Off Slea Head at the top of Dingle Bay lie the Blaskets.

Now uninhabited, the four-mile-long Great Blasket has magnificent sea cliffs along its western side, dropping vertically a thousand feet into the Atlantic.

This is the island of Peig Sayers, Maurice O’Sullivan and Thomas O’Crohan, and it’s not difficult to imagine how this dramatic landscape would awaken the writing muse within anyone.

Boats leave hourly during the summer from Dunquin. Phone: 00 353 66 56188. Take a copy of Peig’s book for an insight into what life on these islands used to be like.