The colonies congregate on the shore at low tide, their wizened faces gazing up at the tourists who sit gazing back at them. Even at the height of the summer season, it is possible to come across more seals than people on a visit to the island of Rathlin, off the coast of Antrim. Naturally inquisitive, they can stare like this for hours, their proud poise a reflection of the island way of life.
It begins on the ferry from Ballycastle on the mainland six miles away, this sense of slipping into seclusion far from the buzz of mobile phones. It starts with the first sight of the white basalt cliffs soaring 200 feet above the sea, or a minute spent watching the waves gently lapping against the bow. Below us are the shipwrecks of more than 40 vessels that met their end near these shores. In the distance, there are the gaping cave mouths. Robert Bruce is said to have watched his infamous spider weave a web in one of them.
It is tiny. This boot-shaped island measures four miles by three and is nowhere more than a mile wide and can be explored in a couple of days. The best way is to rent a bicycle from the stack on offer at Church Bay, the harbour where the packed boat docks. The ferry leaves you a few steps away from the National Trust-owned Manor House guesthouse, where the solitary feeling is undisturbed by telephones or TVs.
"Those who come looking for peace and quiet, fresh clean air and natural, unspoilt beauty are never disappointed. If it's other things you are after, Rathlin is not the place," says hotel manager Penny Sewell with a disapproving nod towards those holiday makers who seek more worldly stimulation.
By bike, the island is like a kind of secret kingdom. To the south, the meandering paths take the explorer on an unchallenging route along clear, still lakes towards Ushet and Rue Point. To the west, the treeless terrain becomes more hilly, but the effort is rewarded by stunning views of the water. The West Light Viewpoint run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is a birdwatchers' paradise where puffins can be seen nesting. Other bizarrely named birds such as pink-footed geese and rough-legged buzzards have made this their home. Rare flower and plant life is also a dominant feature around this lesser-spotted part of Ulster.
The cliches of rural life are all in evidence on Rathlin. Doors are left open and the crime rate is zero. Locals are friendly but distant and, while the conversation doesn't exactly dry up when you enter the island's solitary pub, visitors are given the once-over by curious locals.
Rathlin offers an-edge-of-the-world experience, a secluded rural paradise - but it's a paradise that needs people, according to the chairman of the local co-op, Paddy Burns. The island has lost a third of its population in the last 10 years, leaving the average age at around 60. A century ago, the population numbered 1,200; today it is closer to 70. Local employment is severely limited and, apart from the pub, the small grocery shop and two guest houses, there is little else capable of generating more revenue from the estimated 10,000 tourists who visit the Northern Ireland's only inhabited island each year.
If Burns has his way, come next month, the island will be buzzing with activities that may just reverse the fortunes of islanders. Funded by the EU Peace and Reconciliation Programme, a skills development project is set to establish an indigenous, craft-based industry. Burns is heading a move for Rathlin to produce its own pottery, silverwear and textiles.
"These kind of niche products could do wonders for the island's economy," he says. He speaks about Rathlin with the zeal of a convert, having moved here 10 years ago. "It is the most magical place, but it has temporarily lost its soul," he says. "The ruined houses standing around the island are testament to this."
Two islanders, brother and sister Imelda, (19), and Sean McFaul, (18), are among a dwindling young population who see their future on the island. As there is no secondary school, children leave the island at 11 to be schooled on the mainland. Few have returned.
Pausing for a break in her summer job at the Manor House, Imelda says that Rathlin is a place that "just draws you back. It's hard to put your finger on it. It is such a special place and when you are here you are away from all that stuff," she says, gesturing across to the mainland. She wants to stay and raise a family here eventually.
When the tourists come next summer, she hopes to be able to co-ordinate activities such as hill walking, cycling, rock climbing and watersports. She has been receiving training at Ardclinis Activity Centre in Cushendall. Sean, meanwhile, is training to be a gamekeeper and will eventually be responsible for the management of the island's 11,000 pheasant and partridge. Rathlin is popular with private shooting parties, a development not all local landowners are happy with.
Northern Ireland's property boom has even reached Rathlin, with a group of new houses being built facing Church Bay. There is mixed reaction from locals to any potential interlopers. Some are pleased at the investment, seeing it as a positive sign that Rathlin's long-term future will be more viable.
Others bemoan the fact that, with prices for the houses expected to start at £100,000 sterling, u100,000, it is not locals, but once-a-year holiday makers who will benefit from the luxury developments.
The newcomers should be aware that a version of the northside/southside Dublin rivalry exists on the island. Those from the lower end of Rathlin are known by the other end as foorins, local Irish for sea birds. Upper Enders (there is a soap opera here surely) also sniffily refer to the Lower Enders as cuddens, or small fry. They should also be counselled against getting barred at the local pub; it's a six-mile ferry journey to the next nearest one.
The Caledonian MacBrayne ferry runs daily from Ballycastle to Rathlin (tel: 048-20769299 from the Republic; 028-20769299 from the North). Rooms at Manor House cost from £26 sterling (tel: 048-20763964 from the Republic; 028-20763964 from the North).
