A view along the island

The upper reaches of Inis na Bro are covered in deep bell heather. When added to the spongy grasses and mosses elsewhere, it meant that the 175 metre ascent from sea level required more of an effort than a comparable ascent elsewhere. This photo shows the group leaving the summit to return to the boat, with the south of the island stretching before us and Inishvickillane beyond. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/1043/comment/14803/

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A rare view of Inis na Brò

I took advantage of the recent trip to An Tiaracht to take this photo of Inis na Brò from the air. The sea roiling and boiling around the base seems to be the standard for these Blasket Islands. The photo is a little smudgy as it was taken through the perspex window of the helicopter. It is taken from the south looking north, and the main Blasket Island of Croaghmore is visible further north at the top of the photo.

As can be seen from the photo, this is not an island that will be easily reached and climbed. But no doubt an intrepid band of MountainViewers will do it someday! Until then we can only look and wonder and dream.... Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/1043/comment/6629/

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Jagged cathedral.

Cathedral Rocks at the NE end of Inishnabro.
In the background is Tearaght Island around 6 km away. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/1043/comment/14804/

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Another view of Inis na Brò

Simply in the interest in expanding our knowledge, I'm attaching another picture of Inis na Brò. This one shows the eastern side of the island, and it is obvious that this is much more gently sloped than the fierce western side. Even so, the gentle slopes seem to end at a sheer drop all the way around, and I'd reckon this is a 15-20 foot drop at the lowest section about half way up the island.

Croaghmore is visible top right, with Inishtooskert faintly visible top left. Apologies for the lack of clarity, but the photo was taken through the perspex window of the helicopter that brought me to An Tiaracht. Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/1043/comment/6630/

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Rocket Man

The landing on the island is pure James Bond, with the dinghy scraping through an archway barely wide enough to allow us through before entering a little cove hidden from the sea. The island nearly became even more like a scene out of You Only LiveTwice when in 1973 it was proposed as the launching site for a space flight by the youthful Dr. Gary Hudson. He wrote a letter to the Irish Vice Consul in the USA pointing out that as a neutral country with no affiliated space programme, access to the EEC and the grants that would flow, the island's isolation from a large population in the event of a serious accident, and ready access to fuel (one assumes springy heather must be ideal rocket fuel), Inis Na Bro would be the perfect launch site. He claimed his plans were supported by one astronaut who had walked on the moon. He had been taken to the island by the Kerry tourist board and claimed they were enthusiastic, perhaps the suggestion that it would provide 100 jobs enticed them. Apparently Dr. Hudson believed that by 2000 we earthlings would need to mine the moon to obtain much of our raw materials. The suggestion was taken seriously enough by the Irish diplomatic corps in the USA to arrange a meeting with Dr. Hudson. Sadly for them, but happily for those who cherish the beauty and value of the Blaskets, the initial enthusiasm was met with a little more cynicism on this side of the Atlantic, as the Vice Consul was advised by the Government here to "be on (their) guard lest the whole thing...be a gigantic leg pull"!

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/secret-plans-for-irish-spaceship-revealed-A (V127 645).html Linkback: mountainviews.ie/summit/1043/comment/14799/

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