Rathlin
| Rathlin | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Waters | North channel | |
| Archipelago | British Islands | |
| Geographical location | 55 ° 18 '2 " N , 6 ° 14' 39" W | |
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| length | 6.4 km | |
| width | 4 km | |
| surface | 14.4 km² | |
| Highest elevation | Slieveard 134 m |
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| Residents | 75 (2001) 5.2 inhabitants / km² |
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| main place | Church Quarter | |
 bottom left the coast of County Antrim, top right the Scottish Kintyre Peninsula |
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Rathlin ( English Rathlin Island , ir. Reachlainn , formerly Raghery Island ) is an island off the northeast coast of Northern Ireland . At this point it is only 25 kilometers to the Scottish Kintyre peninsula . The island is L-shaped and measures seven kilometers from west to east and four kilometers from north to south.
The highest point is the Slieveard in the townland of Kilpatrick with 134 meters.
Rathlin is known to sea bird watchers ( RSPB Seabird Viewpoint in the west of the island; you can see the kittiwake and the puffin ). She is Special Area of Conservation ( Special Area of Conservation (SAC)), that is partly under nature conservation . In the far northwest is the Kebble Nature Reserve , with the Rathlin West Lighthouse on the coast, but not at the westernmost point (this headland called Bull Point is a good 800 meters further southwest). The cliffs , which are up to 70 meters high, are striking . The island is largely treeless (although afforestation is being carried out) and overgrown with heather . The population has fallen sharply and is around 100 people.
The community center , the parish church of St. Thomas, docks and other central facilities are located in the Church Quarter on Church Bay of the same name.
history
On the limestone - and basalt island were grave mound , Cashels, menhirs , megalithic passage tombs , churches and castles built. The investigation of three men's skeletons that were found on the island and that date back to the Bronze Age 2026–1534 BC. A study of the genome showed that they belonged to a group of people who had ultimately immigrated to Europe from the steppes of southern Russia and large parts of them, along with the descendants of agricultural immigrants from the Middle East of the Irish population. The island was victims of a Viking raid in 795. The escaped Robert the Bruce was inspired in a cave on Rathlin to take up the fight for Scotland again. Guglielmo Marconi experimented here in 1898 .
Population development
The current population of only 75 (2001) is very low compared to previous population figures. In 1841 the island had 1010 inhabitants in 165 houses. In 1861 there were only 453 residents in 80 houses. The number of population and houses fell by half in 20 years. The main reason is that around 500 people left the island and emigrated to the United States in 1845 , according to a plaque on the island.
The drastic loss of population did not change the geographical settlement pattern of the island: that of one or more groups of houses in each townland. He only reduced the number of inhabited houses in each group to two or three. In the case of two townlands, Kebble and Kilpatrick, this resulted in complete evacuation. By 1926, the island's population continued to decrease to 299 in 71 houses, and the townland of Glebe was also relocated.
| year | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | 2001 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| population | 1010 | 753 | 453 | 417 | 349 | 360 | 368 | 351 | 299 | 75 |
structure
Rathlin belongs to the traditional barony of Cary (around the place Ballycastle ) or to the District Causeway Coast and Glens . The island corresponds to a civil parish and is divided into 22 townlands :
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The townlands are grouped into three areas :
- Area 1: West of the Island (Ballygill Middle, Ballygill North, Ballygill South, Cleggan, Kebble, Kilpatrick, Kinramer North, Kinramer South, Knockans)
- Area 2: Northeast of the Island (Ballycarry, Ballyconagan, Ballynagard, Ballynoe, Church Quarter, Glebe, Mullindress)
- Area 3: South of the Island (Carravinally, Carravindoon, Craigmacagan, Demesne, Kinkeel, Roonivoolin)
Transport and tourism
The island is reachable several times a day with a car ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne (km 10, 45 min.) Between Ballycastle and the port of the island, Church Bay. In summer, when the weather is good, various providers offer crossings with speedboats. Overnight stays are possible; there are about 30 beds on the island. Parts of the island in the north ( Ballyconagan Trails ) are protected by the National Trust . The approx. 70 inhabitants of the island live today u. a. from fishing ( crabs ) and from the sale of arts and crafts ( ceramics , silversmiths , wood carvings). Information can be obtained from the Boathouse Visitor Center (May – August) at Church Bay harbor. You can hike north-east to the East Lighthouse, south along the beach ( seal banks ) to Rue Point or west to Bull Point for bird watching, there are also minibus tours and bike rental .
mythology
According to the "Book of Conquests", Rathlin is one of the refuge areas of the Fir Bolg after the lost battle against the Túatha Dé Danann on the Mag Tuired . The island also appears in the "tragic stories of the children of Tuirean and the children of Lir ". The islanders named the three wind turbines that supply the island with electricity after the children of Lir, who were turned into swans, "Aedh, Conn and Fiachra".
Web links
- Tourist information
- IreAtlas Townland Database. Civil Parish: Rathlin (Historical division of Rathlin Island into 22 townlands)
- Historical map (townlands with borders)
- Map from 1833
- Map from 1904
Individual evidence
- ↑ Antrim Raghery (map of 1827)
- ↑ Lara M. Cassidy, Rui Martiniano, Eileen M. Murphy, Matthew D. Teasdale, James Mallory, Barrie Hartwell, Daniel G. Bradley Neolithic and Bronze Age migration to Ireland and establishment of the insular Atlantic genome Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , December 28, 2015, accessed December 29, 2015
- ↑ Tim Radford, Origins of the Irish down to mass migration, ancient DNA confirms in: The Guardian , December 28, 2015, accessed December 29, 2015
- ↑ The Irishman Atlas TOWN COUNTRY DATABASE , Civil Parish: Rathlin Iceland; Original figures in acres
- ↑ conversion
- ↑ Glens Of Antrim Historical Society: General Survey of Rathlin Island