Dursey Island
| Dursey Island | ||
|---|---|---|
| Waters | Atlantic Ocean | |
| Geographical location | 51 ° 36 ′ 0 ″ N , 10 ° 12 ′ 0 ″ W | |
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| surface | 6.153 km² | |
| Highest elevation | Tower Hill 252 m |
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| Residents | 3 (2011) <1 inh / km² |
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Dursey Island ( Irish Baoi Bhéarra or Oileán Baoi ) is located at the south-western end of the Beara Peninsula in western County Cork in Ireland . Between Dursey and the mainland lies the 230 meter wide Dursey Sound.
The connection between Dursey Point at the end of the peninsula and the island is made by Ireland's only cable car. After most of Dursey's residents were relocated to the mainland in the mid-1970s, the island is almost uninhabited. Currently only 6 to 12 people live here all year round. The scenic island can be circumnavigated on a section of the Beara Way . Bird lovers can observe many rare sea birds here. Whales and dolphins can sometimes be seen in the sea around the island.
To the west of Dursey Island are the small rock islands of Calf, Cow and Bull Rock. The latter is famous for its natural rock tunnel that cuts across the island. The historically interesting lighthouse on Bull Rock was rebuilt in 1888 and has been in operation again since 1889.
history
The island was settled by the Celts at the latest . Skellig Michael monks are believed to have founded the church on Dursey.
In 1193, the O'Sullivans, expelled from Tipperary by the Anglo- Normans, immigrated to the Beara Peninsula and came to Dursey. The island saw its heyday under the O'Sullivans and was home to 350 people in the Middle Ages. In 1602 the castle of the O'Sullivans was destroyed by the English and the inhabitants of the island murdered and thrown into the sea. Fishing has always been one of the most important industries on the island. In July 1943, a German Junkers 88 type reconnaissance aircraft crashed into Ballinacarriga Hill on the Dursey Head headland, in front of which the island is located. All four crew members were killed. The plane wreck could be seen until the 1990s.
The cableway
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In 1969 a cable car was built in the hope of stimulating economic growth for Dursey. When fishermen's catches collapsed in the 1970s, the government encouraged people to move to the mainland. The cable car has a capacity of six people, six sheep or one cow. In principle, the transport of livestock had priority. Furthermore, islanders, fodder and building materials have priority over tourists. The usual operating times in summer are 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (as of 2015). The journey time is around 10 minutes. The cable car is likely to be the only cable car in the world where livestock transport is still a priority in practice.
The aerial tramway is 360 m long and has a span of 250 m between the two pillars . The only car drives through an opening in the middle of the supports. It hangs on a rectangular metal frame, at the corners of which 4 rollers are attached, with which the car moves on the two carrying ropes. The cabin is pulled back and forth across Dursey Sound with a rotating pull rope. The sliding doors of the cabin are to be closed manually by the passengers. While the permissible payload of 544 kg for 6 people is generous (90 kg / person), it is fully used by a cow (500 to 800 kg). The aging system probably does not meet German TÜV criteria, but it is checked annually by the responsible insurance company. In April 2009, after 40 years of operation, the ropes were so worn that the ropeway had to be shut down for two months in order to completely replace the ropes. At the same time, a new cabin was installed, which is similar in shape to the old one. In the cabin, a bottle of holy water and a notice from Psalm 91 serve to calm anxious passengers.
places
Attractions
- Bull Rock, with rock tunnel and lighthouse
- Bullaun Stones, at Killowen and Ballynacallagh
- Castle ruins, Ballynacallagh (destroyed 1602)
- Marked Stone , Ballynacallagh
- Church ruins, Ballynacallagh
- Hut Site , Killowen
- former lighthouse (200 years old), Tilickatina
- former lighthouse, Dursey Head
See also
literature
- Olaf Kanter: Irish island Dursey: Assumption for calf and cone. In: Spiegel Online . March 21, 2012, accessed May 23, 2015 .
- Ralf Sotscheck: Ireland's only cable car: thirty meters above sea level. In: taz . May 2, 2015, accessed May 23, 2015 .
Web links
- Reportage du Téléphérique Dursey Island on www.remontees-mecaniques.net, July 31, 2008 (French)
- Dursey Island Cable Car: Sheep in a box , video by Jörg Pfeiffer in Spiegel Online , June 30, 2010 (3:33 min)
- Cable car data
- The cable car is becoming a danger for Dursey Island
Individual evidence
- ↑ Table No. 11 Population of inhabited Islands off the coast, 2006 and 2011 . In: Central Statistics Office (Ed.): Population Classified by area . Dublin 2012, pp. 132-133 ( PDF file; 3.64 MB ( memento of October 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ))
- ↑ History of the O'Sullivans (English)
- ^ A tragic aircraft accident at Dursey in SW Ireland
- ↑ Foreign Aircraft Landings in Ireland 1939-1946
- ^ Rother hiking guide Ireland
- ↑ Notice at the cable car
- ^ Dursey Island cable car replacement hit by delay. Article of June 17, 2009 by the Irish Examiner
- ↑ Psalm 91: Whoever goes to the Lord for safety, whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty, can say to Him: "You are my defender and protector. You are my God, in you I trust." ...