Inishturk (''Inis Toirc'' in
Irish, meaning ''Wild Boar Island'') is a small
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 ...
and a
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 ...
[ of ]County Galway
County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...
, in 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 ...
. The island is also referred as Inishturk South 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 ...
.
Geography
Inisturk lies off the Irish coast not faraway from Clifden
Clifden () is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capital of Connemara". Frequen ...
and Cleggan
Cleggan () is a fishing village in County Galway, Ireland. The village lies northwest of Clifden and is situated at the head of Cleggan Bay.
A focal point of the village is the pier, built by Alexander Nimmo in 1822 and extended in 1908. Fer ...
. It is located between Turbot
The turbot ( ) ''Scophthalmus maximus'' is a relatively large species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is a demersal fish native to marine or brackish waters of the Northeast Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a ...
(or ''Inishturbot'', South) and Omey Island
Omey Island () is a tidal island situated near Claddaghduff on the western edge of Connemara in County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. From the mainland the island is almost hidden. It is possible to drive or walk across a large sandy str ...
(North). On the hill topping the island stands a radio-TV mast. The easiest place to land on Inishturk is the SE part of the island.
History
A small community used to live on the island up to the mid-20th century, but it later become uninhabited. At the end of the 20th century some old buildings were transformed into holiday houses.[
]
Demographics
The table below shows data on Inisturk'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.
See also
* List of islands of Ireland
This is a list of islands of Ireland. Ireland is itself an island, lying west of the island of Great Britain and northwest of mainland Europe.
The Hebrides off Scotland and Anglesey off Wales were grouped with Ireland ("Hibernia") by the Greco ...
References
{{County Galway
Islands of County Galway
Townlands of County Galway