麻豆约拍

There are thousands of small islands off the coast of Europe. But many of them are no longer inhabited.

For decades, authorities have battled to stop population decline of those small island communities as young people are lured away by more exciting opportunities on the mainland.

The 麻豆约拍's Vincent Dowd has been to Ireland to see what the future holds for three windswept islands on the country's western coast.

(Image: DigitalGlobe satellite image of Skellig Michael Island in Ireland. Credit: Getty Images)