Deer Island (Ireland) facts for kids
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Native name:
Inis Mór
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 Deer Island
Location in island of Ireland
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| Geography | |
| Location | Shannon Estuary |
| Coordinates | 52°42′50″N 9°02′10″W / 52.71389°N 9.03611°W |
| Administration | |
| Province | Munster |
| County | Clare |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Deer Island, also known as Inishmore, is a special island located in County Clare, Ireland. Its Irish name, Inis Mór, means 'the great island'. This island is found in the Shannon Estuary, a large river mouth where the River Shannon meets the sea.
Contents
Where is Deer Island?
Deer Island, sometimes called Innismore, is located close to the western side of the River Fergus. It is about a quarter of a mile from a small village called Ballynacally. In 1837, the island was measured to be about 493 acres. That's a lot of space!
Who Lives on Deer Island?
Deer Island is part of the Ballynacally area. In 1996, only one person lived on the island. It was the only island in County Clare where people lived. The census from 1901 showed that nine families called the island home.
However, since 2004, no one has lived on Deer Island. The last person living there passed away. Even though no one lives there permanently, many families who used to live on the island still visit throughout the year.
Island Population Changes
The table below shows how the number of people living on Inishmore has changed over many years. This information comes from books and official counts of people in Ireland.
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History and Old Ruins
Back in 1837, Deer Island was almost equally divided between land used for grazing animals and land used for growing crops. It belonged to a rich person called the Earl of Egremont. It was also known as Inchmore, meaning "Great Island," because it was the biggest of the islands in the River Fergus.
People used to grow flax (a plant used to make linen) on the island. There are still some old remains of an abbey (a type of monastery) on the island. This abbey was built a very long time ago by Saint Senan. He asked one of his students, Saint Liberius, to lead it.
You can still see the ruins of the old church, some graves from a time when many people died from a sickness called cholera, and a holy well named Tobar Breedia. Deer Island was once a special park for deer. The Earl of Thomond kept deer there as a living food supply.
Other Islands Nearby
There are a few other interesting islands close to Deer Island:
- Canon Island: This island has the remains of an old priory (another type of monastery). It was built between 1166 and 1169 by Donald O'Brien, who was a king.
- Inishdadroum: This island's name means 'the island of the two backs'. It has two old churches. In one of them, a famous saint named Saint Brendan of Kerry used to teach.
- Low Island: On this island, you can find a special pile of stones called 'Dhiarmuid and Graunia's bed'. This is from an old Celtic legend. The story says that a young chieftain named Dhiarmuid ran away with Graunia, who was supposed to marry an older warrior named Fionn mac Cumhaill. Fionn and his warriors chased them. Each night, Dhiarmuid and Graunia would sleep in a different place under a stone structure that Dhiarmuid quickly built.
