You Could Buy Your Very Own Private Island in Ireland For $1.4 Million
If you don't quite consider yourself a "people person," we may have the perfect real estate deal for you: Ardoilean (also known as High Island) off the west coast of Connemara, Ireland, a secluded 80-acre island, is home to many types of birds, and zero humans, according to CNN Travel. It's currently on the market for $1.4 million dollars, if buying a private island is in your budget right now.
In terms of living space, High Island is a serious fixer-upper-unless the buyer is ok with living in a run-down cottage without running water or electricity, that is. Luke Spencer of Spencer Auctioneers told CNN that whoever buys the island can "amend the cottage, extend or renovate it, or build a new property" (subject to planning permission).
The owner of the island will need a speedboat or helicopter to reach it, but prospective buyers don't seem to mind High Island's remote nature. Spencer told CNN that the listing has "generated a lot of interest" among both American and British buyers since going live earlier this month. "Not many islands currently on sale have monasteries on [them], or have significant historic interest dating back to 1,000 BC," Spencer says.
Ardoilean, meanwhile, has no shortage of history: The island, with its gorgeous cliff-side views of the Atlantic, is believed to have been inhabited by a human settlement around 3,000 years ago, based on pollen evidence. According to archaeologists, monks built a monastery there in the seventh century. CNN notes that the monastery ruins, including beehive huts, a church, altar, and graves, are not part of the sale. The ruins are owned and maintained by the Irish Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
According to the listing, there's an "abundance of birdlife" on High Island, including many types of gulls, fulmars, Manx shearwaters, petrels, and oyster catchers. There are so many, in fact, that the island is designated as a Special Protection Area under the EU Bird Directive.
You can check out the listing for more info on the private island, which sounds like an absolute dream for a bird-enthusiast-history-buff!
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