Inishbofin (
), also Inishbofinne, is an island and
townland
A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
off the coast of
Machaire Uí Rabhartaigh
''Machaire Rabhartaigh'' (known in English language, English as Magheroarty), meaning "plain of the spring tide/plain of Roarty", is a Gaeltacht village and townland on the north-west coast of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern Provinces of ...
(Magheraroarty),
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
.
Geography
The island is a 120-hectare (300 acre) land mass, with an economy traditionally based on fishing and farming.
Irish is spoken routinely. There are no pubs or shops on the island. There is a boat service to and from it but no regular ferry.
It is the largest of a small group of islands; the others,
Inis Dúiche and Inis Beag, lie to the north and are uninhabited.
Demographics
In 100 years Inishbofin's population dropped from 166 (1911) to 16 (2022).
The table reports data taken from ''Discover the Islands of Ireland'' (Alex Ritsema, Collins Press, 1999) and the
Census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of Ireland. Census data in Ireland before 1841 were not complete and/or reliable.
Gallery
File:Tory Island 3.jpg, Inishbofin as seen from Tory Island
Tory Island, or simply Tory, is an island 14.5 kilometres (7+3⁄4 nautical miles) off the north-west coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ulster, the northern Provinces of Ireland, province in Ireland. It is officially known by its Iris ...
File:Inis_Bó_Finne1.jpg, The harbour
File:Inis_Bó_Finne2.jpg, Inishbofin
File:Inis_Bó_Finne3.jpg, Landing at Inishbofin
See also
*
List of islands of Ireland
References
External links
Inishbofin Island- The Island Website with information on the island and its history.
Inis Bó Finne- information from Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann
- a first-hand account – with photographs – of one American's visit
Historical Map of Inishbofin
Cloughaneely
Gaeltacht places in County Donegal
Islands of County Donegal
Townlands of County Donegal
{{Donegal-geo-stub