Rathlin Island

Introducing Rathlin Island

In spring and summer, rugged Rathlin Island (Reachlainn), 6km offshore from Ballycastle, is home to hundreds of seals and thousands of nesting seabirds. The island has a pub and restaurant, two shops and a handful of accommodation options.

The island was raided by Vikings in AD 795 and suffered again in 1575 when Sorley Boy MacDonnell sent his family here for safety only to have them massacred by the English, along with most of the inhabitants. The island’s most illustrious visitor was Scottish hero Robert the Bruce, who spent some time in 1306 in a cave on the northeastern point learning a lesson in perseverance. Watching a spider’s resoluteness in repeatedly trying to spin a web gave him the courage to have another go at the English, whom he subsequently defeated at Bannockburn.

The chief attraction is the coastal scenery and bird life of Kebble National Nature Reserve at the western end of the island. RSPB West Light Viewpoint (2076 3948; admission free; 11am-3pm Apr–mid Sep) provides stunning views of the neighbouring sea stacks, thick with guillemots, kittiwakes, razorbills and puffins in spring and early summer. During the summer a minibus service runs there from the harbour.

If you don’t have time to visit Kebble, the best short walk on the island is through the National Trust’s Ballyconagan Nature Reserve to the Old Coastguard Lookout on the north coast, with great views along the sea cliffs and across to the Scottish islands of Islay and Jura.

The Boathouse Visitor Centre (2076 3951; admission free; 10.30am-4pm May-Aug), south of the harbour, details the history, culture and ecology of the island, and can give advice on walks and wildlife.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009