A mystery buyer has bought a large portion of a former island for poteen makers in Lough Conn, Co Mayo.
The man, who wants to remain anonymous, paid about €250,000 for 35 acres of uninhabited Glass Island, which comprises approximately 100 acres.
The outpost, which was abandoned by its last residents in the 1950s, attracted significant national and international interest when it was put on the market on behalf of the former owner by Castlebar-based auctioneer Tomás Collins.
Mr Collins refused to divulge the name of the buyer when contacted.
"I am sworn to secrecy in the matter," he said.
It is understood the new owner is a local, originally from the Knockmore/Pontoon region, who is working away from the area.
So established was the manufacture of poteen, or moonshine, on the island in the 18th and 19th centuries that crocks or bottles of the illicit spirit can, it is said, sometimes still be unearthed there. "It is idyllic, probably one of the most peaceful and beautiful spots on earth," Mr Collins said.
Glass Island, which was known as "Illaunaglashy" in ancient times, was described in Samuel Lewis's A Topographical Dictionary of Mayo in 1837 as comprising "good arable land with a portion of rocky pasture".
Apart from a number of decaying houses, there are still the remains of a church on the island and the burial place of Bishop Balefadda, who took refuge there during a period of religious persecution.