Ireland's Eye

Ireland's Eye
Native name: Inis Mac Neasáin
	Ireland's Eye
	Ireland's Eye
Geography
Location	Irish Sea
Coordinates	53°24′19″N 6°03′49″W / 53.40528°N 6.06361°W
Area	0.22 km2 (0.085 sq mi)
Highest elevation	69 m (226 ft)
Administration
	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Dublin
Local government area	Fingal
Demographics
Population	0 (2016)
Additional information
	Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA), within Special Amenity Area and UNESCO Dublin Bay Biosphere; ; Owner: Tetrarch Investment Group

Ireland's Eye Anciently called 'Adros' by Ptolomy, 'Adrea Deserta' by Pliny, and 'Andros' and 'Edria' by other early navigators.^[1] (Irish: Inis Mac Neasáin^[2]) is a small long-uninhabited island off the coast of County Dublin, Ireland. Situated directly north of Howth village and harbour, the island is easily reached by regular seasonal tourist boats, which both circumnavigate it and drop off day trippers. There is a yacht anchorage to the north of it, and kayakers also land.

The island is formed from quartzite and greywackes, and some sandstone, and has soils based on glacial drift. It is home to nationally significant bird populations, notably of guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and cormorants, as well as gulls, and also including modest numbers of puffins and peregrine falcons. There is a colony of grey seals, and surrounding waters also host harbour seals and harbour porpoise, while on land there are rats and rabbits. There is a range of plants, including some rare species and some specific to vegetated cliffs. The island has been essentially uninhabited for centuries but holds the ruins of an early church, and a Martello tower.

The Eye is the basis for both a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area, and is incorporated within the Howth Special Amenity Area, and the Dublin Bay Biosphere, among other designations. It is part of Fingal for administrative purposes, having been moved to County Dublin along with Howth, Sutton, Baldoyle and Kilbarrack, from the jurisdiction of Dublin. The island was for centuries a possession of the archdiocese of Dublin, and then a component of the Howth Estate. It was sold to the Tetrarch investment group as part of a deal finalised in 2019.

^ "Ireland's Eye". The Dublin Penny Journal. 2 (60). Dublin: Dublin Penny Journal: 60–61. 24 August 1833. ISSN 2009-1338. JSTOR 30003124. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
^ Statutory Instrument 900 of 2004, Inis Mac Neasáin SPA Order. Dublin: Government Publications Office (for the Houses of the Oireachtas). 2004.

[1] "Ireland's Eye". The Dublin Penny Journal. 2 (60). Dublin: Dublin Penny Journal: 60–61. 24 August 1833. ISSN 2009-1338. JSTOR 30003124. Retrieved 7 January 2024.

[SPAOrder_04-2] Statutory Instrument 900 of 2004, Inis Mac Neasáin SPA Order. Dublin: Government Publications Office (for the Houses of the Oireachtas). 2004.

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