Inishturk
| Native name: <span class="nickname" ">Inis Toirc | |
|---|---|
|
North coast of Inisturk | |
  Inisturk (Ireland) | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 53°42′05″N 10°06′30″W / 53.7014°N 10.1083°WCoordinates: 53°42′05″N 10°06′30″W / 53.7014°N 10.1083°W |
| Highest elevation | 189.3 m (621.1 ft)[1] |
| Administration | |
| Province | Connacht |
| County | Mayo |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 53 (as of 2011) |
Inisturk (Inis Toirc in Irish, meaning Wild Boar Island) is an inhabited island of County Mayo, in Ireland.
Geography
Click for larger view
The island lies about 15 km (9 mi) off the coast; its highest point reaches 189.3 m (621.1 ft) above sea level.[1] Between Inisturk and Clare Island lies Caher Island. It has a permanent population of 58 people.[2] There are two main settlements, both on the more sheltered eastern end of the island, Ballyheer and Garranty. Bellavaun and Craggy are abandoned settlements. The British built a Martello tower on the western coast during the Napoleonic Wars. Inisturk has the highest per capita donation rate towards the RNLI in the whole of Ireland.
History
Some inhabitants are descended from evacuees from Inishark to the southwest. The social club Mountain Common is situated on the hill that separates the two settlements.
Demographics
The table below reports data on Inisturk's population taken from Discover the Islands of Ireland (Alex Ritsema, Collins Press, 1999) and the Census of Ireland.
| Historical population | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: John Chambers. "Islands - Change in Population 1841 - 2011". irishislands.info. Retrieved February 19, 2015. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Transport
There is a regular ferry from Roonagh pier near Louisburgh.
See also
References
- 1 2 "Inisturk". MountainViews. Ordnance Survey Ireland. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
- ↑ http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/no-christmas-medical-cover-on-island-of-inishturk-655775.html
Other projects
Media related to Inisturk at Wikimedia Commons
External links
- Inishturk National School
- In this series of podcasts on Mayo's Heritage you can hear an excerpt from Ger Reidy's Heritage Tour of Inishturk
