Omey Island
| Omey Island | ||
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| Waters | Atlantic Ocean | |
| Geographical location | 53 ° 32 ′ 0 ″ N , 10 ° 10 ′ 1 ″ W | |
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| surface | 2.165 km² | |
| Highest elevation | 28 m | |
| Residents | 1 (2011) <1 inh / km² |
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Omey Island ( Irish Iomaí ) is a nearly square tidal island with a lake in the middle. It is located near Clifden and High Island , to the west of Connemara in County Galway , Ireland . At low tide it is possible to get to the island on a marked path over a wide sandy beach.
St. Feichin of Sligo , who founded various abbeys, including those on High Island (which archaeological research does not confirm in time), is said to have founded the monastery on Omey and died here in 664 AD. In the 1990s, a team of archaeologists examined the island's monastic heritage. The excavation provided insights into early monastery life. One of only a few female burials was found in the monastery cemetery. In the early 16th century, the O'Tooles of Leinster settled here under the protection of the O'Flaherty clan , but lost the island to the D'Arcys and Browns in the time of Oliver Cromwell . In the early 19th century, the Cloon and Sturrakeen districts belonged to the Martins of Ballynahinch, while Cartoorbeg, Gooteen and Gooreenatinny belonged to the D'Arcys of Clifden .
Although the island can be accessed via the sandbar, the lack of a permanent connection and school resulted in the depopulation of Omey. The population has decreased dramatically since the early 19th century when hundreds of people lived there. In 1988 there were only three households left here. The only full-time resident was former stuntman and wrestler Pascal Whelan.
The island remained a place of worship of St. Feichín with a holy spring and the old church.
John MacNeice (1866–1942), Bishop of the Church of Ireland and known for his opposition to the Ulster Covenant , was born and raised on Omey.
In 2014, storms exposed 6000-year-old living spaces on the western and northern coasts.
- Omey Island
literature
- Paul Gosling: Archaeological Inventory of County Galway . Vol. 1: West Galway (including Connemara and the Aran Islands) . Stationery Office, Dublin 1993, ISBN 0-7076-0322-6 .
- Heather Greer: Omey Island: A Geological and Human History (1 ed.). Cleggan: Connemara Doorstep Publishing 2018. pp. 1–176. ISBN 9780957504462 .
Web links
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 ))