Inishtooskert (sometimes spelled ''Inishtooshkert'') (''Inis Tuaisceart'' in
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
) is the northernmost of the
Blasket Islands
The Blasket Islands ( ga, Na Blascaodaí) are an uninhabited group of islands off the west coast of the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. The last island to hold a significant population, Great Blasket Island, was abandoned in 1954 due ...
,
County Kerry,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
Etymology
The Irish name means "northern island" and the English name is a
phonetic spelling
A phonemic orthography is an orthography (system for writing a language) in which the graphemes (written symbols) correspond to the phonemes (significant spoken sounds) of the language. Natural languages rarely have perfectly phonemic orthographi ...
of the Irish name. The island is also known as ''An Fear Marbh'' (the dead man) or the sleeping giant due to its appearance when seen from the east (as in the photograph).
Nature
Inishtooskert holds important
seabird
Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...
colonies, as well as extensive ruins of ancient stone buildings.
Of particular note is the colony of
European storm-petrel
The European storm petrel, British storm petrel, or just storm petrel (''Hydrobates pelagicus'') is a seabird in the northern storm petrel family, Hydrobatidae. The small, square-tailed bird is entirely black except for a broad, white rump and ...
s. With over 27,000 pairs in 2000 (
Seabird 2000
Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...
survey), this is the largest colony in Ireland.
In culture
The island appears frequently in
David Lean's 1970 film
Ryan's Daughter
''Ryan's Daughter'' is a 1970 British epic romantic drama film directed by David Lean and starring Robert Mitchum and Sarah Miles. The film, set between August 1917 and January 1918, tells the story of a married Irish woman who has an affair ...
.
Photo gallery
File:Tooskert2.jpg, The northern cliffs of Inishtooskert
File:Inishtooskert, large Clochaun, Blasket Islands.jpg, Early Medieval ecclesiastical site on the island
File:Inis Tuaisceart (Inishtooskert) - geograph.org.uk - 220149.jpg, Inishtooskert seen from the mainland
See also
*
Spanish Armada in Ireland
The Spanish Armada in Ireland refers to the landfall made upon the coast of Ireland in September 1588 of a large portion of the 130-strong fleet sent by Philip II to invade England.
Following its defeat at the naval battle of Gravelines the ...
References
External links
* Inishtooskert entry o
www.earlychristianireland.net
{{Blasket Islands
Blasket Islands
Uninhabited islands of Ireland
National Monuments in County Kerry
Marilyns of Ireland
Islands of County Kerry