Owey Island
| Owey Island Irish: Uaigh | |
 Owey Island | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Location: | 55°3’17"N, 8°27’3"W |
| Area: | 300 acres |
| Data | |
| Population: | uninhabited |
Owey Island is an island of County Donegal lying out in the in the wide Atlantic Ocean, just over a mile and a half off the mainland of the county but just 500 yards from Cruit Iskand which fills much of the gap. The nearest mainland village is Kincasslagh.[1]. The name of the island is from the Irish Uaigh, meaning "Cave".[2][1]
Geography and people
Owey Island is around 300 acres in extent.[3] Its highest hill, Moylemore, is at 335 feet above sea level.[4]
The island is now devoid of residents, but was permanently inhabited until the 1970s. The buildings of the islands' former population are located on its southern part, as the northern coast is rocky and exposed to the Atlantic winds There is no mains electricity nor public water supply to the island.
Census data shows a population of 94 souls in 1841, which increased to a height of 152 inhabitants in 1911, after which there was a decline until the last residents left in the 1970s: the last census record showing inhabitants was in 1971.[5]
Since the mid 1970s the island has hosted only part-time residents, mainly at summer. Most of them own old cottages inherited by ancestors who used to permanently live in the island.
History
Plenty of fish in the waters surrounding the island and the land that, fertilized with seaweed, was suitable for growing vegetables, allowed a simple lifestyle to more than 100 people. Peat was used to heat the homes; some of the islanders used it also to heat the equipment to produce single malt and liquors.[1]
In the olden days Owey had a post office and a school, which closed in 1971; its remains are still there. It had just one teacher in charge of the primary education of all ages, while for their secondary education children had to be sent to the mainland.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Owey Island) |
- Owey Island on welovedonegal.com
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Donegal Islands: Owey on 'WeLoveDonegal'
- ↑ Uaigh - Placenames Database of Ireland
- ↑ Owey Island, County Donegal, Ireland - Inyourfootsteps.com UK Ltd.
- ↑ MountainViews.ie: Moylemore (Owey Island) Hill
- ↑ Ritsema, Alex: 'Discover the Islands of Ireland' (Collins Press, 1999)
