Inishtooskert

About Inishtooskert

Forming the northernmost point of the Blasket Islands, this dramatic maritime summit is famously known as 'The Sleeping Giant'. Its rugged profile rises steeply from the Atlantic, offering a spectacular vantage point over the Blasket Sound toward the high peaks of the Dingle Peninsula and the jagged Skelligs to the south.

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Did You Know?

• •Inishtooskert is an anglicisation of the Irish Inis Tuaisceart, meaning simply 'North Island', marking its position as the northernmost outlier of the Blasket archipelago.
• •From the mainland at Slea Head, the island’s silhouette resembles a man lying on his back with hands folded, earning it the local nicknames An Fear Marbh (The Dead Man) or the Sleeping Giant.
• •The summit plateau holds the ruins of an ancient stone oratory dedicated to St. Brendan, along with several clocháns (beehive huts), evidence of early Christian hermits seeking extreme solitude.
• •It is a site of international ornithological importance, hosting one of the world's largest colonies of European storm petrels, which nest in the island's ancient drystone walls and scree.
• •For those attempting to climb this Marilyn, the primary crux isn't the 171-metre ascent, but rather the harrowing task of convincing a local boatman to attempt a landing on its notoriously swell-battered rocks.