It was here that Patrick is said to have baptised Aengus, the son of the King of Munster, in the mid-5th Century.

BBC: Who was the real St Patrick?

Most day-trippers head for the largest island of the group, Inis More, with its spectacular Dun Aengus fort, a pre-Christian monument built in the 2nd Century BC.

BBC: Ireland��s outlying islands

Aengus O'Snodaigh may have - pardon the pun - blotted his copy book as a result of the bizarre "Inkgate" affair, but the Taoiseach has inadvertently assisted Sinn Fein in diverting attention elsewhere.

BBC: Referenda still on the agenda on both sides of the border