The Irish coastline is home to a huge number of uninhabited but habitable islands.
A limited number of these are in private ownership and their sale attracts wide interest among the merely curious and those seriously interested in an off-shore property.
Ownership of a private island is often regarded as a badge of wealth and celebrity. John Lennon and Yoko Ono once owned Dorinish, a 20ac island in Clew Bay, which they bought in 1967 for £1,700.
The recent sale of the 124ac Castle Island in Roaringwater Bay, off the coast of Cork, just a 20-minute journey by rib from Schull, drew interest from all over the world, according to Peter Kenny of selling agents Knight Frank.