Opinion What applicants for a job on the Scottish isle of Colonsay must remember

Is there anything more thrilling and romantic than living on an island? The multitudes from around the world currently applying for a position on the Scottish isle of Colonsay would likely agree that nothing beats it. They are, after all, clamouring to take over the Colonsay Smokery, ownership of which is being offered for free by Richard Irvine, the current proprietor who wishes to move back to the mainland. Irvine, who set up his fish smoking business two-and-a-half years ago, reports that recent coverage of his offer has brought in such an avalanche of applications that it will be midsummer before he is able to make a choice.

Not that it’s hard to see the appeal of the Hebridean island: About 10 miles long and two miles wide, Colonsay has an undeniable charm of the rocky, wind-blown variety. Home to several colonies of seabirds, seals, otters and 125 human beings, with a tiny primary school, one hotel, a general store and a post office, the island’s sandy beaches, craggy cliffs and thick, green woods retain an unspoiled beauty that is getting harder to find elsewhere. In a world teetering on the brink of chaos, it is not surprising that those who feel overwhelmed might view this island — where, in 2012, its first-ever burglar was stranded for two days because the ferry to the mainland didn’t come — as a much-needed refuge.

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But remoteness and isolation are only temporary salves, and it takes very little for a refuge to turn into a holding cell. Those spoiled by modern conveniences like fully equipped hospitals, libraries, cinemas, museums and malls might find that island life has its fair share of downsides, primary among them being the sight of the same 125 people every single day. Because paradise might be an island, but hell is other people.