Some people dream of living on an island they call their own. Former movie stuntman Pascal Whelan is living that dream. Whelan is currently the only resident of Omey Island, a tiny tidal island located near Claddaghduff on the western edge of Connemara in County Galway, Ireland. His solitary life on the island is chronicled in a series of photographs, "Omey Island: Last Man Standing" by Irish-born photographer Kevin Griffin, who met Whelan in 2008 when the latter was hitching a ride to Claddaghduff.
"I picked him up and we chatted about all kinds of subjects for the 15-minute journey," Griffin told weather.com. "He mentioned he had travelled the world working as a stuntman back in the 1970s and 80s and was now back living on Omey Island as the last full-time resident. We agreed to meet the following day, it is then we discussed the possibility of collaborating on a project together."
Griffin spent 2008 to 2013 photographing and documenting Whelan's life. During that time, Griffin would spend four days a month on Omey Island. "It became a labor of love," said Griffin. "[Omey Island] is very barren but at the same time very beautiful."
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The stunning — but sometimes, eerie — landscape of Omey Island is a fitting location for someone looking to live in relative isolation. Whelan has worked on high-profile movies such as "Crocodile Dundee" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" but after a tragic accident caused the death of a colleague and friend, Whelan decided to retire to Omey Island, his childhood home, according to the Independent.
Whelan's life as Omey Island's only full-time resident is a far cry from his days as a jet-setting movie stuntman. According to a profile in the Independent, Whelan wakes up in his mobile home for a spot of fishing at 5 a.m., and finishes by noon. He then spends some time at Sweeney's, a local pub on the mainland of Claddaghduff, before returning home around 5 p.m. In the winter, he could go a week or even two without seeing anyone, he told the Independent, unless he goes for a pint.
The island, which had almost 400 inhabitants in the mid-19th century, does get its share of visitors today. It is the site of the annual horse racing event held in July/August, Omey Races. And while the island is inconspicuous and almost hidden when viewed from the mainland, it is possible to drive or walk across a large sandy strand to the island during low tide by following arrowed signs. At high tide, the water is deep enough to cover a car, according to ConnemaraIreland.com.
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The timing of the tides, was an important consideration for Griffin when he was photographing Whelan's life on the island. "At low tide, I can drive to the island from the mainland but these tides are very unpredictable and you can lose your car very quickly," Griffin said. "The weather [was a challenge], this part of the world has some serious storms, it seems to rain constantly."
But rain is one thing Griffin is getting used to. The photographer, who was influenced from an early age by his grandfather, a reconnaissance photographer for the Royal Air Force, is currently shooting a project about the rain in Connemara. "The rain is unavoidable and a huge part of my (and everybody else's) life around the west coast of Ireland," he said.
To see more of Kevin Griffin's work, visit his website.
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