Inishsirrer facts for kids
Native name:
Inis Oirthir
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![]() NW half of the island from a flight preparing to land at Donegal Airport
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Geography | |
Location | Atlantic Ocean |
Coordinates | 55°06′54″N 8°19′55″W / 55.11500°N 8.33194°W |
Area | 0.43 km2 (0.17 sq mi) |
Length | 1.6 km (0.99 mi) |
Width | 0.4 km (0.25 mi) |
Administration | |
Province | Ulster |
County | Donegal |
Demographics | |
Population | 0 |
Inishsirrer (which means "outer island" in Irish) is a small island located off the coast of Gweedore. Gweedore is a beautiful area in County Donegal, Ireland. It is also known as a townland, which is a small division of land in Ireland.
Island Geography
Inishsirrer is quite close to the mainland. It is about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) away from the coast of Gweedore. Another island called Inishmeane is also nearby.
The island itself is not very big. It stretches for about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) in length. Its width is around 400 meters (1,300 feet). Near the northern tip of Inishsirrer, you can find a sandy bay. This bay is a good place for boats to anchor safely.
Island History
A small group of people used to live on Inishsirrer during the early 1900s. However, today the island is no longer home to anyone. All the old buildings that once stood there are now mostly in ruins.
The population of Inishsirrer changed a lot over time:
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As you can see from the numbers, the population grew in the early 1900s. But after 1926, the number of people living on the island started to decrease. By the mid-1950s, Inishsirrer became completely uninhabited.
Fishing on Inishsirrer
In the past, Inishsirrer was well-known for its excellent lobster fishing. Fishermen would come to the waters around the island to catch these valuable sea creatures.