Inishbiggle () is a small inhabited
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
off the coast of
Ballycroy in
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...
. Its name in Irish means "Vigil Island"
Geography
The island is situated between the northeast of
Achill Island
Achill Island (; ga, Acaill, Oileán Acla) in County Mayo is the largest of the Irish isles, and is situated off the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It has a population of 2,594. Its area is . Achill is attached to the mainland by ...
and the mainland, and is accessed by boat from either Doran's point at
Ballycroy or Bullsmouth,
Dooniver
Dún Ibhir (anglicised as Dooniver), meaning "Ibhir's stronghold", or "Ibhir's fort" is a Gaeltacht village on Achill Island in County Mayo, Ireland.
Geography
Dooniver is located on the east coast of Achill Island. Surrounding villages inc ...
on Achill Island. The island is 2½ km x 1½ km, or in area.
Description
The main activities are sheep and cattle farming, fishing and
winkle picking. Facilities on the island included a school and a post office, both now closed.
Plans to build a
cable-car link across the
Bullsmouth Channel, one of the strongest currents in Europe separating the island from
Achill
Achill Island (; ga, Acaill, Oileán Acla) in County Mayo is the largest of the Irish isles, and is situated off the west coast of Ireland. It has a population of 2,594. Its area is . Achill is attached to the mainland by Michael Davitt Brid ...
had been under discussion since 1996, but have now been abandoned. Planning permission for the cablecar was denied by Mayo county council on the grounds that "It would be visually obtrusive in an area of special scenic importance, that it would create traffic problems and that it would devalue houses in the vicinity."
Cable Car Battle On Isolated Inishbiggle Continues 1997
/ref>
Unpredictable currents in the channel during winter months can render the island inaccessible, even though the passage during fair weather is about ten minutes in the traditional boat, the currach
A currach ( ) is a type of Irish boat with a wooden frame, over which animal skins or hides were once stretched, though now canvas is more usual. It is sometimes anglicised as "curragh".
The construction and design of the currach are unique ...
. Emergency access is by helicopter.
Demographics
The table below reports data on Inishbiggle's population taken from ''Discover the Islands of Ireland'' (Alex Ritsema, Collins Press, 1999) and the Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of Ireland.
See also
* Nevins
* Potato Labour Scandal 1971
* Ulster Scots dialects
Ulster Scots or Ulster-Scots (', ga, Albainis Uladh), also known as Ulster Scotch and Ullans, is the dialect of Scots spoken in parts of Ulster in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.Gregg, R. J. (1972) "The Scotch-Irish Dialect Bo ...
References
External links
Discover Ireland - Inishbiggle
Islands of County Mayo
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