About our rating systemOfficially known as Ilnacullin, but usually referred to as Garinish, this little island is a beautiful and tranquil place. It used to be little more than a barren outcrop, whose only distinguishing feature was a Martello tower left over from the Napoleonic Wars. Then, in 1919, the English landscaper Harold Peto was commissioned to create an elaborately planned Italianate garden, with classical pavilions and myriad unusual plants and flowers. The island's unusually mild microclimate allows a number of subtropical plant species to thrive here; indeed, George Bernard Shaw is said to have written St. Joan under the shade of its palm trees. The island can be reached for a round-trip fee of €10 per person (€5 children) on a covered ferry operated by Blue Pool Ferry, the Blue Pool, Glengarriff (tel. 027/63333; www.bluepoolferry.com), or Harbour Queen Ferries, the Harbour, Glengarriff (tel. 027/63116; www.harbourqueenferry.com). Boats run back and forth about every 20 minutes. The island has a large restaurant and tearoom.
