The “stripe” kept growing until by 1819 it was 3km long and had acquired the moniker Bull Island. Also around this time the amenity value of the Bull Island was becoming apparent. It was warned that “one of the pressures on the Bull Island hares is from man. In 1981 North Bull Island was recognised by the UN’s heritage body, Unesco, as a ‘biosphere reserve’, still one of only two in the country. Why does it seem inconceivable that Bull Island would not have permanent wardens like any other site of such importance?

Source: The Irish Times March 12, 2026 16:04 UTC