Overview
In March 1908 two Norwegian businessmen built a whaling station on this two-hectare tidal islet off the coast of Mayo, and its rusting remains are still the reason to come. Rusheen Island (Irish: Roisín) sits just off the south-eastern tip of Inishkea South, joined to the larger island at low tide and cut off by the Atlantic when the water rises. It falls within the townland of An Geata Mór Theas, in the civil parish of Kilmore, barony of Erris. It’s tiny and treeless, but for a windswept dot on the map it carries a remarkable amount of history.
The whaling station
L.M. Christensen and Erling Lund set up the Arranmore Whaling Co. here in 1908, after failed ventures in Shetland and Donegal, drawn by Norway’s tightening environmental rules at home. The station employed 20 to 40 men, most of them from Inishkea South, and in its best year – 1909 – it caught 102 whales, including blue, fin and sperm whales. It operated until 1922, though catches had thinned well before the end.
The infrastructure that took shape is still legible on the ground: a 12-metre stone pier, cylindrical oil boilers, a wooden slipway, a cooperage and forge, steam winches, a bone-crushing mill and a scatter of sheds and an administration building. At low tide the pier and the rust-stained foundations are the clearest sight on the island. One curiosity worth knowing before you stand among them: in 1908 the filmmaker Robert William Paul brought a crew here and shot Whaling Afloat and Ashore, capturing the station at work – some of the earliest moving footage of the Irish whaling industry.
The Godstone
Long before the whalers, Rusheen held spiritual weight for the Inishkea community. Islanders revered a small terracotta statue known as the Godstone or Naomhóg, believed to be St Columba’s pillow, and credited it with calming storms, hurrying on the potato crop and putting out fires. The reverence eventually put it at odds with the parish priest, Fr O’Reilly, who ordered it destroyed; its fragments were thrown into the sea.
The end of island life
Island life ended with a single night. A storm in October 1927 drowned ten Inishkea fishermen – among them a 14-year-old boy and his father – as their currachs were caught out at sea. The community never recovered, and the last residents were evacuated in 1932. The islands have stood empty since.
What to see and do
Visiting Rusheen is an exercise in timing and reflection. When the tide drops, a short, flat walk over sand and mudflats from the south-eastern shore of Inishkea South brings you to the islet. There are no tours, no signage, no facilities – just the ruins and the weather.
- Walk the whaling ruins – the pier and the skeletal outlines of the processing buildings are best read at low tide, when the layout of the whole operation is laid bare.
- Watch for wildlife – grey seals gather on the low coasts around here, particularly during the winter moult, and you may see gulls, terns and the odd peregrine falcon working the rocks.
- Photograph the seascape – the island gives unbroken views across the Inishkea archipelago, the Mullet Peninsula and the open Atlantic, the rusted metal set against shifting tidal flats.
Planning your visit
Rusheen has no visitor facilities, opening hours or admission fees. It’s entirely self-guided, and the tide runs the show.
- Check the tides – access is completely tide-dependent. Consult the Marine Institute tide predictions for Blacksod or Inishkea South and aim to reach the shore a good 45 minutes before low tide, so you have time to cross, explore and get back before the water returns.
- Footwear and safety – the crossing is firm sand and mudflat, but it turns slick as the tide starts to turn. Wear sturdy, non-slip shoes and keep an eye on the water line. The route is not wheelchair accessible.
- Pack essentials – bring water, snacks, a weatherproof jacket and a bag for your rubbish. There is nothing on the island or the approach.
- Weather – Atlantic conditions change fast. Check the Met Éireann forecast for Erris and be ready to postpone in strong winds or poor visibility.
Getting there
Most visitors reach the Inishkea Islands by small-boat tour from Blacksod Pier – operators such as Black Sod Sea Safari, Wild West Boat Tours and Belmullet Boat Charters run seasonal crossings of around 35 minutes, and parking at the pier is free. Once ashore on Inishkea South, follow the coast south-east to the tidal approach. There are no marked paths, so allow time to find the crossing point and read the flats.
Nearby stops
If you’re working this stretch of the Mayo coast, pair it with Bartragh Island, another tidal islet off the Erris coast, or the walking and fishing around Blacksod Bay.
Practical details
- Irish name: Roisín
- Coordinates: 54.1192° N, 10.2022° W
- Townland rank: 3,336th largest in County Mayo
- Official placename record: Logainm.ie
Get the tide right and you’ll have the ruins entirely to yourself – until the Atlantic decides otherwise and you head back across the flats.