The 25 acre island is currently uninhabited but there is evidence of human occupation dating back to the Neolithic period. It is an important site of ancient and historic remains, St Begnets Church, the Martello tower, and a Promontory fort to mention but a few.
Dalkey Island is home to a colony of seals which has greatly expanded in recent years. Rabbits and a herd of wild goats live on the island also. There are a large variety of seabirds and gulls too. Birdwatch Ireland has established a colony of Roseate terns on Maiden Rock just north of the Island and Ireland holds most of the European population. We spent a couple of hours meandering around the Island and everyone had a thoroughly enjoyable time.
Some images (click on an image to open in full-screen mode) from the outing can be seen below:
