- Rathlin Island is in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
- Only inhabited offshore island of Northern Ireland
- Check access, weather and local guidance before travelling.
About Rathlin Island
Rathlin is the only inhabited offshore island of Northern Ireland, lying six miles off the coast of County Antrim. It is an L-shaped island of cliffs, blanket bog and farmland, famous for its vast seabird colonies and its association with Robert the Bruce.
The story of Rathlin Island
In the winter of 1306–07, the defeated Scottish king Robert the Bruce took refuge in a cave on Rathlin, where, according to legend, he watched a spider persistently rebuild its web and resolved to return to Scotland and eventually win at Bannockburn in 1314. The island saw a massacre in 1642 when Royalist troops killed many of its Scottish settlers, and again in 1643. In 1898 Guglielmo Marconi sent the world's first commercial wireless transmission over water from Rathlin to Ballycastle, reporting the progress of a horse race to a subscriber. The island's two lighthouses, at opposite ends of its east-west spine, once marked the passage of shipping through the North Channel.
Visiting with care
Take the Rathlin Island Ferry from Ballycastle and join a minibus to the RSPB seabird centre at the West Light. Bring binoculars for puffins, guillemots and razorbills, and allow time to walk the quiet lanes between the harbour and the cliffs.
Interesting facts
- Rathlin is the only permanently inhabited offshore island of Northern Ireland.
- Robert the Bruce is said to have sheltered on Rathlin in 1306–07 before winning at Bannockburn in 1314.
- Marconi sent the first commercial wireless transmission over water from Rathlin to Ballycastle in 1898.
- The RSPB reserve at the West Light is home to one of the largest seabird colonies in the British Isles.
Getting there
Parking and access details — check locally for the latest information.