AN IRISH photographer has captured the rugged beauty of Inishturk off the coast of Mayo in a series of captivating photographs.
Michelle McCarron, who is originally from Monaghan but is now based in the US, spent some time on the island of Inishturk in November 2016.
In the wake of the US Presidential elections, Ms McCarron said there were "desperate Americans" looking to relocate to the small Irish island, which only has 58 permanent residents.
See Michelle's amazing photos of Inishturk in the gallery below
"As I set out, Irish and US media were reporting the island was inundated with calls from desperate Americans.
"A rumour circulated earlier in the year that Inishturk would welcome American ‘refugees’ looking to flee a Trump presidency.
"For weeks heads flooded with romantic visions of Ireland were ringing any number they could find linked to the island, desperate to escape their own shores.
"I had my doubts that the very real practicalities of life on an island with no malls and only one shop would suit the average American.
"Meanwhile I secretly vowed to defend my island idyll from mass invasion like Grace O'Malley might, our legendary pirate queen."
While Ms McCarron was set to defend Inishturk à la Grace O'Malley, she also rediscovered her "lost Irish soul" by eating seafood not long out of the ocean and getting caught in a hailstorm driven by Atlantic winds.
"I waited it out while pellets of ice popped off my head and raincoat, rekindling my hardy Irish soul lost from too many years away.
"Eating fresh crab, fish and whole lobsters straight from the Atlantic you’d be forgiven for mistaking yourself for some sort of Celtic king."
