Inishturk

Geography

The island lies about 15 km off the coast; its highest point reaches 189.3 m above sea level. Between Inisturk and Clare Island lies Caher Island. It has a permanent population of 58 people. There are two main settlements, both on the more sheltered eastern end of the island, Ballyheer and Garranty. Bellavaun and Craggy are abandoned settlements.

History

Inishturk has been inhabited on and off since 4,000 BCE and has been inhabited permanently since at least 1700. Some of the island's more recent inhabitants are descended from evacuees from Inishark to the southwest.

A Martello tower was built during the Napoleonic Wars, , on Inishturk's western coast.

Recent history

In 1993, Inishturk Community centre was opened, this community centre doubles as a library and a pub. In June 2014 the ESB commissioned three new Broadcrown BCP 110-50 100kVA diesel generators to supply electricity to the island. The ESB have operated a diesel power station on the island since the 1980s.

Inishturk gained international attention in 2016 after a number of websites claimed that the island would welcome any American "refugees" fleeing a potential Donald Trump presidency. These were examples of the type of "fake news" that arose during the 2016 US presidential election campaign.

The island is home to a primary school on the island which in 2011 had only 3 pupils; this is believed to be the smallest primary school in Ireland.

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.

|1841|577 |1851|174 |1861|110 |1871|112 |1881|116 |1891|135 |1901|135 |1911|132 |1926|101 |1936|107 |1946|125 |1951|123 |1956|110 |1961|108 |1966|92 |1971|83 |1979|85 |1981|76 |1986|90 |1991|78 |1996|83 |2002|72 |2006|58 |2011|53 |2016|51 |2022|56

Transport

Prior to 1997 there was no scheduled ferry service and people traveled to and from the islands using local fishing boats. Since then a ferry service operates from Roonagh Quay, Louisburgh, County Mayo. The pier was constructed during the 1980s by the Irish government, around this time the roads on the island were paved.

Gallery

File:Caher and Inishturk - geograph.org.uk - 1400397.jpg|Inisturk and Caher island File:Inishturk1.jpg|Inishturk pier File:Inishturk pier1.jpg|Harbour with Caher Island in background File:Inishturk community centre.jpg|Community centre File:Inishturk lake2.jpg|Freshwater lake File:Inishturk clare island.jpg |Clare Island as seen from Inishturk File:Inishturk powerstation.jpg|Power station

References

References

1. R. Lloyd Praeger. (March 1907). "The Flora of Inishturk". The Irish Naturalist.
2. (2023). "Population of Inhabited Islands Off the Coast". Central Statistics Office.
3. Sometimes the island's name is reported as ''Inisturk'', as for instance by [https://www.google.it/maps/place/Inishturk/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x4859897f46f28287:0xd265ae1ab7fab25c?sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwi-lN3CkNfMAhVMDsAKHVFnAAUQ8gEIjQEwDg Google Maps]
4. "Inisturk".
5. (24 December 2014). "No Christmas medical cover on island of Inishturk".
6. "Mayo Walks - Inishturk".
7. "Ten Reasons to Take a Trip to Inishturk".
8. "BC Inishturk case study".
9. "New hope for Inishturk".
10. Nadine Ajaka. (19 July 2016). "The Tiny Irish Island That Will Welcome American Refugees". [[The Atlantic]].
11. Ed Mazza. (8 July 2016). "Looking To Escape Donald Trump? This Irish Island Welcomes You". [[The Huffington Post]].
12. Nick Bramhill. (21 March 2016). "Remote Irish island seeks Americans fleeing Donald Trump presidency".
13. Jane Ruffino. (20 November 2016). "Fake news is big business - and may have handed Trump the election". [[Business Post]].
14. Aine Ryan. (14 September 2011). "Three-pupil school urges families to consider move to 'idyllic' island". [[The Irish Times]].
15. (19 April 2016). "Inishturk islander committed to her community". [[The Mayo News]].
16. Rubsam, Robert. "Winter in Inishturk". [[Roads & Kingdoms]].