List of islands of Ireland explained
This is a list of islands of Ireland. Ireland is itself an island, lying west of the island of Great Britain and northwest of mainland Europe.
The Hebrides off Scotland and Anglesey off Wales were grouped with Ireland ("Hibernia") by the Greco-Roman geographer Ptolemy,[1] but this was not geographically correct and is purely of historical interest.
Largest offshore islands by area and population
Total population of Irish offshore islands
The number of people living on Irish offshore islands decreased dramatically during the Irish famine and the period following it. Since then the trend on most islands has been a decreasing population until the 1950s and 1960s, during which many islands were forcibly evacuated by the Irish Government as continuous bad weather meant that islanders were unable to travel to the mainland for several consecutive months. Of the remaining islands that were not evacuated, many of their populations have continued to dwindle ever since, with some seeing stabilisation or even a slight uptick in population during and after the Celtic Tiger.
The chart below shows the total number of people living on Irish islands throughout the years.
Full table
- Notes:
References
- Book: The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland adapted to the new Poor-Law, Franchise, Municipal and Ecclesiastical arrangements ... as existing in 1844–45 . 1846 . A. Fullarton & Co . Dublin . Vol. I: A–C, Vol. II: D–M, Vol. III: N–Z
- Book: Reports of the Commissioners for inquiring into the number and boundaries of poor-law unions and electoral divisions in Ireland . Parliamentary Reports from Commissioners . 7 . 26 . 1850 . 2nd, No.1145, 3rd, No.1146, 4th, No.1147, 5th, No.1148, 6th, No.1149 (PDFs: pp.1–7 pp.8–40), 7th, No.1155, 8th, No.1199, 9th, No.1191, 10th, No.1223, 11th, No.1257, 12th, No.1266, 13th, No.1277, 14th, No.1278
- Web site: Table 6: Population and area of each Province, County, City, urban area, rural area and Electoral Division, 2002 and 2006 . 2006 Census, Volume 1 . . 2007.
See also
Notes and References
- .
- Population of Inhabited Islands Off the Coast. Central Statistics Office. 2023 . 29 June 2023.
- 2011 Census gives 6500 for Cobh Town and 7534 for Cobh Rural ED; most were on Great Island but 148 were on Haulbowline and some on Fota Island.
- Taken from the Placenames Database of Ireland entry linked in the PDI ref column
- Unless stated otherwise, area is from Ordnance Survey Ireland's 19th-century 6" maps (viewable via the Historic 6" layer of the link in the OS-map column)
- Unless stated otherwise, height is from Ordnance Survey Ireland's 1:50,000 series maps (viewable for Republic of Ireland islands via the Wind Report layer of the link in the OS-map column)
- Unless stated otherwise, populations are from Population (Number) by Off Shore Island, Year and Sex Central Statistics Office
- Web site: Area Measurements in Northern Ireland . 12 April 2006 . Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency . 11 September 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070617083217/http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census/area_measurement.html . 17 June 2007 .
- Elwood. J. H.. Winter 1968. The population of Rathlin Island.. Ulster Medical Journal. 37. 1. 64–70. 2384959. 5656183.
- Web site: Census 2021 .
- Converted from height in feet given on Ordnance Survey Ireland's 19th-century 6" maps (viewable via the Historic 6" layer of the link in the OS-map column)
- Commissioners 14th Rpt, p.45 Bangor E. Division
- Commissioners 14th Rpt, p.44 Grey Abbey E Division
- Commissioners 14th Rpt, p.46 Comber E Division
- Web site: Island Hill & North Strangford Nature Reserve. Walk NI. Countryside Access & Activities Network. 16 October 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20130603021637/http://www.walkni.com/walks/193/island-hill-north-strangford-nature-reserve/. 3 June 2013. dead.
- Commissioners 14th Rpt, p.47 Tullynakill E Division
- Commissioners 14th Rpt, p.42–3 Killinchy E Division
- Commissioners 14th Rpt, p.43 Killyleagh E Division
- Commissioners 14th Rpt, p.44 Ranolf E Division
- Commissioners, 12th R, p.54 Skerries E Division
- Commissioners 14th Rpt, p.22 Howth E Division
- Web site: The Bull Island Nature Reserve . Clontarf Online . the area above high tide is approximately 300 hectares . 12 October 2010.
- Commissioners 14th Rpt, p.14 Killiney E Division
- 19th-century area, before reclamation
- Commissioners 9th Report, p.8 South Cork Union, Queenstown E. Division. The Great Island area and population are those of the total ED (7012acres, 10060 people) less those of Foaty, Haulbowline, Spike, Rocky, and Coney Islands (897acres, 636 people)
- 2006 Census Vol.1 Table 6 gives 6541 for Cobh town and 6339 for Cobh rural ED; most were on Great Island but 165 were on Haulbowline and some on Fota Island.
- Web site: Background Information . Dept of the Environment . 23–4 . It may therefore be concluded that the area of the island was 23.5 ha when steel processing started in 1938 and 34.9 ha when production ceased in 2001 . 20 September 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130903181803/http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/Environment/Waste/FileDownLoad,19047,en.pdf#page= . 3 September 2013 . dead .
- Commissioners 2nd Rpt, p.17 Myross E Division
- Commissioners 2nd Rpt, p.15 Cape Clear E Division
- Commissioners 2nd Rpt, p.19 Kilcoe E Division
- Commissioners, 2nd Rpt, p.14 Aghadown South E Division
- Commissioners, 2nd Rpt, p.19 Skull E Division
- Commissioners 2nd Rpt, p.18 Ballydehob E Division
- Including Chapel Island Little
- Commissioners, 3rd Rpt, p.6 Whiddy E Division
- Commissioners Third Rept, p.7 Bere E Division (excluding Fourteen Islands)
- Web site: Inis Fearn Ard . . Placenames Database of Ireland . . July 9, 2016.
- Commissioners Third Rept, p.8 Kilcatherine E Division
- Commissioners 6th Rpt, p.39 Dawros E. Division
- Dunkerron Island East and West are connected at low tide.
- Cappanacush is the largest of the Greenane Islands. It is listed separately and its area and population are excluded from the totals. It constitutes a separate townland.
- Commissioners 6th Rpt, p.39 Dromore E. Division
- Commissioners 6th Rpt, p.39 Greenane E. Division
- 170 in 1851
- Commissioners 6th Rpt, p.39 Castlecove E. Division
- 11 in 1911
- Commissioners 8th Rpt p.29
- Commissioners 8th Rpt, p.12 Dunquin E Division
- 13 in 1881
- Commissioners 8th Rpt, p.22 Ballynanaglish E Division
- Commissioners 8th Rpt, p.45 Shanagolden E Division
- Commissioners 8th Rpt, p.34 Aughinish E Division (Aughinish East and Aughinish West)
- Commissioners 7th Rpt, p.4 Clenagh E Division
- Duínis on OSI 1:50,000 map
- Commissioners 7th Rpt, p.21 Lisheen E Division
- The maximum spot height of 24 feet on the 6" map is incompatible with the 20-metre contour line present on the 1:50,000 map.
- Inis Bhig on OSI 1:50,000 map
- Commissioners 7th Rpt, p.26 Doorus E Division
- Parl Gazz Irl Vol.1 p.86
- Tawin Island comprise the townland of Tawin West (218acres, 108 people) and part of the townland of Tawin East (179acres, 193 people). Tawin East Island comprises the balance of the townland of Tawin East.
- Commissioners 7th Rpt, p.17 Ballynacourty E Division
- Commissioners 4th Rpt, p.21 Lettermore E. Division
- Commissioners 4th Rpt, p.21 Gorumna E. Division
- Commissioners 6th Rpt, p.10 Knockboy E. Division
- Commissioners 6th Rpt, p.10 Owengowla E. Division
- Commissioners 6th Rpt, p.9 Bunowen E. Division
- Commissioners 6th Rpt, p.10 Doonloughan E. Division
- Parl Gazz Irl Vol.3 p.316
- Excluding the tombolo linking Dorinish More and Dorinish Beg
- Commissioners 4th Rpt, p.12 Kilmeena E Division
- Commissioners 4th Rpt, p.11 Croaghpatrick E Division
- Island More and Knockycahillaun are now connected;
- Commissioners 4th Rpt, p.14 Derryloughan E Division
- Comprising townlands of Rosmore (78acres, 90 people) and Lisduff (27 acre, 43 people)
- Commissioners 4th Rpt, p.15 Newport East E Division
- Commissioners 4th Rpt, p.15 Newport West E Division
- Parl Gazz Irl Vol.1 p.8
- 18 in 1851
- Commissioners Second report, p.11 Binghamstown South E D
- Commissioners 5th Rpt, p.14 Laghy E Division
- Commissioners 5th Rpt, p.14 Tullynaught E Division
- Excluding the 10acres of Kinkeel, connected at low tide.
- Commissioners 5th Rpt, p.17 Maas E Division
- Commissioners 5th Rpt, p.17 Maghery E Division
- There is a foot bridge between Eighter and Inishcoo.
- Parl Gazz Irl Vol.1 p.87
- Commissioners 11th Rpt, p.8 Gweedore E Division
- 30 in 1861
- Commissioners 11th Rpt, p.8 Meenaclady E Division
- 2006 Census, Vol.1 Table 6, p.116
- Commissioners 14th Rpt, p.61 Inch E Division
