Árainn Mhór

Árainn Mhór ; Arranmore , Aran Island
	Beach at An Leadhb Gharbh
Waters	Atlantic
Geographical location	54 ° 59 ′ N , 8 ° 32 ′ W Coordinates: 54 ° 59 ′ N , 8 ° 32 ′ W
surface	17.78 km²
Residents	514 (2011)
main place	To Leadhb Gharbh; ( Leabgarrow )

Árainn Mhór ( English Arranmore or Aran Island ) is an island off the west coast of Ireland that belongs to County Donegal . It is part of the Irish-speaking Gaeltacht and had 514 permanent residents in 2011, in the summer months the island is more populated by returnees and tourists.

The English spelling of the island is also Aran Island , not to be confused with the Aran Islands in Galway, their main island Árainn (also called Árainn Mhór or Inis Mór ) or the Isle of Arran in Scotland.

geography

The total size is around 17.78 km², making it the largest island in Donegal. The main town is An Leadhb Gharbh ( Leabgarrow ). The Arranmore Ferries connect the island to the mainland ( Burtonport ).

history

Until the Middle Ages, the island was in the hands of the O'Donnells, the clan ruling Donegal before the English occupation, and was therefore originally called Ára Uí Dhomhnaill (O'Donnells Aran). After the plantation in the 17th century, the island was assigned to the English noble Conyngham family . During the Great Famine ( Famine ), they sold the island to speculators. With the independence of Ireland the time of the feudal lords ended , the Irish Land Commission carried out a land reform throughout Ireland.

Traditional houses on Arranmore

Attractions

Arranmore Lighthouse

The Old Mill, 18th century mill.
The Cave of Slaughter (Uaimh an Áir), site of a massacre during the Irish Rebellion in 1641 .
Lighthouse at Rinawros Point, Donegal's oldest lighthouse from 1798 (now modernized).
Cliffs, approx. 120 m high cliffs on the north and west coast.

Green Island off the west coast of Arranmore

Web links

Commons : Arranmore Island - collection of images, videos and audio files

Discover Ireland: Arranmore Island (Árainn Mhór = large mountain range) , accessed February 7, 2016.

Footnotes

↑ Table VII: Area, Houses, Out-offices and Farm-steadings, and Population, together with the Valuation of each Poor Law Union (or Superintendent Registrar's District), Dispensary (or Registrar's District), District Electoral Division, Townland etc., in 1911. In: Census of Ireland, 1911. Area, Houses, and Population; Also the Ages, civil or conjugal condition, Occupations, Birthplaces, Religions and Education of the people. Province of Munster. County and City of Cork. Thom, Dublin 1912, p. 11 ff.
↑ cf. Discover Ireland: Arranmore Island

[1] Table VII: Area, Houses, Out-offices and Farm-steadings, and Population, together with the Valuation of each Poor Law Union (or Superintendent Registrar's District), Dispensary (or Registrar's District), District Electoral Division, Townland etc., in 1911. In: Census of Ireland, 1911. Area, Houses, and Population; Also the Ages, civil or conjugal condition, Occupations, Birthplaces, Religions and Education of the people. Province of Munster. County and City of Cork. Thom, Dublin 1912, p. 11 ff.

[2] . Discover Ireland: Arranmore Island