A Private Island With Ancient Ruins Just Hit the Market in Ireland

You don't have to go someplace tropical to buy a luxurious, secluded island. High Island, or Ardoileán in Irish, is located two miles off the west coast of Ireland, and it's currently for sale for $1.4 million, CNN Travel reports.

Eighty acres and 206 feet above sea level, the island is filled with natural beauty. It's home to wild birds like gulls, petrels, and peregrine falcons as well as freshwater lakes. High Island also has a rich human history; around the 7th century, monks built a monastery there, and the ruins still stand today. Some experts think the first human residents arrived much earlier, with pollen evidence indicating the appearance of settlements around 3000 years ago.

The property, which is being sold by a private owner through Spencer Auctioneers, does come with a few caveats. The island's run-down cottage isn't equipped with electricity or running water. There is a 970-square-foot building with a septic tank next to the cottage, but it's owned by the state. The Irish government also owns the monastery ruins on the island, including the church, beehive huts, altar, and graves. Plus, to get to the island, the new buyer will need to take a boat or helicopter.

Even for someone interested in a fixer-upper, renovating High Island will be a challenge. Any renovations or new construction projects there must receive planning permission—but according to Spencer Auctioneers, the fact that the island already has a septic tank means that new buildings will likely get approved.

A $1.4 million price tag is cheap compared to some private islands that have hit the market recently. Last year, a Caribbean island and former James Bond filming location went up for sale for $85 million.

[h/t CNN Travel]