THE locals know it as "Beatle Island' -- and now it can be yours for €300,000, writes Ken Sweeney.

It might have been where John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived out their retirement.

Asked shortly before he was gunned down in 1980 what the couple would be doing when they were 64, Lennon said: "I hope we're a nice old couple living off the coast of Ireland, looking at our scrapbook of madness."

It was not to be, but the isolated island with which John Lennon once fell in love could now be yours as Dorinish Island has been put up for sale.

One of the most westerly of Clew Bay's reputed 365 islands, Dorinish is made up of two small islands, Dorinish Beg and Dorinish More, which are joined by a natural stone causeway.

"If you want peace, you've come to the right place. The views are spectacular," said estate agent Andrew Crowley of Sherry Fitzgerald Crowley.

Yoko Ono sold the Co Mayo island to two local brothers in 1984. They have now put it on the market for €300,000.

Lennon himself only visited once after he had bought the island from the Westport Harbour Board in 1967 for £1,550.

In 2006 Yoko reflected: "We often discussed the idea of building a cottage there. It was so beautiful, so tranquil, yet so isolated -- it seemed a perfect place to get away from it all."

Irish Independent