This time last year Whiddy Island in West Cork was bustling with people who had caught the ferry for the short trip from Bantry to ramble the islands boreens as part of the Bantry Walking Festival. Not so this year. The very popular Bankhouse pub run by Kathleen and Tim OLeary is closed and hardly a boat pulls in to the pier.

Bantry has had a phenomenal success in recent years with its trio of international festivals that are the envy of the country: The Chamber Music Festival; the Masters of Tradition festival; and the West Cork Literary Festival. Whiddy benefits from the spillover with many visitors to the festival catching Tims ferry Ocean Star 3 across on the 10-minute trip. Throw into the mix the Fit-up Festival, the Walking Festival, and the cruise liners that have been arriving for the last few years and the region was doing very well from tourism.

However, Tim is philosophical about the turn of events brought about by Covid-19.

For years, the islanders have been ooking for recognition of how difficult it is to live on an island. Its all very rewarding too of course, but difficult to run a business. Now the HSE with their guidelines are trying to protect the islands very much.

The big opening up is on July 20 [phase 4 but not islands], theyre seeing if it will work, instead of endangering the islanders theyre giving us three weeks more and theyre hoping that when things change on August the 10 that things will be OK. If elderly people on an island got it, its nearly as serious as a nursing home, says Tim. The logistics of getting them off the island would be very challenging, he says.

Whiddys population has actually been increasing in the last few years. While some of the older residents have passed on, new people have arrived, including from Cork City, Co Meath, and Switzerland. There are now 25 people living on the island. A far cry from its pre-Famine peak of 800, but it is recovering.

Twenty years ago they said only rabbits would be living on Whiddy. A crowd makes a crowd and theres a community centre being built and we have a regular ferry service. Im not saying we have a booming community but were still there. I accept its very heard for people who have holiday homes on the islands. I have a sister in Wexford and a sister in Dunmanway and they havent seen my mother since this started. Thats very hard. But I accept its tough for everybody, says Tim.

Tim says the island has its regular visitors many of whom come over from Eagle Point Camping at Bantry.

Whiddy Island

We have people who come to Whiddy to socialise every weekend, they come to walk the island, theyre our friends and we miss them. We look on them as our diaspora. We cant wait for them to come back when things are safe. Ive had a lot of phonecalls from them in the last few months and its never when are ye getting back?, its how are ye doing on the islands, is everything all right? says Tim.

There are no Covid-19 cases on Whiddy in large part due to the care people have been taking. However, theres no getting away from the loss of business.

The festivals are a huge loss to us this year. And the passenger liners too. They were really building up. We do a lot of business with Excursions Ireland and before the liner would come in wed have tours sold to them. We were fully booked for this year, he says.

Whiddy Island Ferry

With the population on the rise, better infrastructure has followed. Tim says the authorities are much better to them now than they were. We have very good roads, good piers, a regular ferry service. We have all the amenities but not the people. Before, we had all the people but not the amenities. Maybe sometime down the line it will all balance out, he says.

As for the future post-Covid-19 he strikes a positive note.

Well have social distancing on the ferries, well be down to a third of capacity. Well get on with it. Id be positive enough. There are a lot of rewards living on an island but life is a bit harder too. Were used to challenges. If we adapt to this as we have to other challenges well be fine, says Tim.

See original here:

Islands of Ireland: Whiddy in the same boat - Irish Examiner