Inishbiggle () is a small inhabited

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

off the coast of Ballycroy in

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) 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 Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

. Its name in Irish means "Vigil Island". The island is unique in that it is traditionally both a

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

and

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Geography

The island is situated between the northeast of

Achill Island Achill Island (; ) is an island off the west coast of Ireland in the historical barony of Burrishoole, County Mayo. It is the largest of the Irish isles and has an area of approximately . Achill had a population of 2,345 in the 2022 census. ...

and the mainland, and is accessed by boat from either Doran's point at Ballycroy or Bullsmouth,

Dooniver Dún Ibhir () is a townland and Gaeltacht village on Achill Island in County Mayo, Ireland. Geography Dooniver is located on the east coast of Achill Island. Nearby areas include Askill, Tóin an tSeanbhaile (The Valley) and Bunnacurry. Geog ...

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 (; ) is an island off the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland in the barony (Ireland), historical barony of Burrishoole, County Mayo. It is the largest of the Irish isles and has an area of approximately . Achill had a popu ...

had been under discussion since 1996, but have now been abandoned. Planning permission for the cablecar was denied by

Mayo County Council Mayo County Council () is the local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housin ...

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 (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. At the end of 2023 the population had dropped to 8 people.

References

External links

Discover Ireland - Inishbiggle
Islands of County Mayo {{Mayo-geo-stub

Geography

Description

Demographics

See also

References

External links