The Saltee Islands are a small archipelago in the Irish Sea off the coast of County Wexford, consisting of Great Saltee and Little Saltee. Great Saltee is the larger island and is known for its low grassy landscape, rocky shoreline, and extensive seabird colonies. The islands are privately owned but Great Saltee is accessible to visitors by boat during suitable conditions. Their remote setting and lack of permanent settlement have allowed wildlife to remain the dominant feature. The islands are recognized as an important refuge for breeding seabirds and form part of the wider Wexford coastal landscape.

The islands have a small but unusual human history. Great Saltee was acquired by Michael the First, a former businessman who developed the island as a private nature sanctuary and encouraged visitors to appreciate its wildlife. He established rules intended to protect the island’s natural environment and created informal paths through the vegetation. There are no permanent residents, commercial facilities, or roads on Great Saltee, so visitors must bring everything they need and take all waste away. The island’s identity is therefore closely connected with conservation, self-sufficiency, and its distinctive bird population.

Birdlife is the main attraction of the Saltee Islands, with Great Saltee supporting large colonies of gannets, puffins, razorbills, guillemots, kittiwakes, fulmars, and other seabirds. The islands are particularly notable for their gannet colony, while grey seals can often be seen around the rocky shoreline. Great Saltee’s paths cross open grassland and rocky terrain, leading to viewpoints over the surrounding sea and neighboring Little Saltee. Because the islands are exposed to Atlantic weather and have no visitor infrastructure, landing and walking conditions can vary, and access is dependent on boat operators and sea conditions.

The Saltees have no restaurants or shops, and visitors generally bring their own food and drinking water for the day. Their importance lies primarily in their natural environment rather than culinary or built attractions. Great Saltee forms part of the wider Saltee Islands Special Protection Area, reflecting its significance for breeding and migratory seabirds. The combination of cliffs, grassland, offshore waters, and dense bird colonies creates a distinctive wildlife habitat. For visitors, the experience centers on walking carefully through the island’s landscape and observing birds and marine life without disturbing nesting areas.