Arranmore

Árainn Mhór (English name: Arranmore)^[2][3] is an island off the west coast of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Arranmore is the largest inhabited island of County Donegal, with a population of 478 in 2022,^[1] but has had a gradually falling native population since the 1990s. Its main settlement is Leabgarrow. The island is part of the Gaeltacht, with most of the inhabitants speaking Ulster Irish.

Árainn Mhór Arranmore
Island
Aerial view of Arranmore (left)
Árainn Mhór Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 54°59′22″N 8°31′51″W / 54.98953°N 8.53089°W / 54.98953; -8.53089
Country	Ireland
Province	Ulster
County	County Donegal
Barony	Boylagh
District	The Rosses
Government
• Dáil Éireann	Donegal
Area
• Total	22 km^2 (8 sq mi)
Population  (2022^[1])
• Total	478
• Density	22/km^2 (56/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference	B665155
Árainn Mhór is the only official name. The anglicised spelling 'Arranmore' has no official status.

It is also known in English as Aran Island^[4] (not to be confused with the Aran Islands off Galway Bay or the Scottish Isle of Arran). In Irish it was traditionally called Árainn; the adjective mór (large) was added fairly recently. It was also sometimes called Árainn Uí Dhomhnaill, 'Aran of the O'Donnells'.

Appeal to foreigners

In 2019, islanders wrote open letters to the United States and Australia, asking people to consider moving to the island. They encouraged both populations to come to the less crowded island and enjoy "time for living".^[5] In 2022, following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the island became a refuge for Ukrainian refugees who were resettled in Ireland.^[6]

Irish language

There are 469 people living on Arranmore and 62% are native Irish speakers.^[7] During the summer, students of all ages from all over Ireland travel to the island for a 3-week holiday. It is a very popular way of meeting new people and also learning the Irish language. Students attend school during the day and play games and ceilí dance in the evenings. They are taught about the Irish language through Irish. Irish must be spoken at all times.^[8] The college on Arranmore is known as Coláiste Árainn Mhóir, meaning the College of Arranmore.^[9]

Location

 

Traditional housing on Arranmore

 

Arranmore Lighthouse

The island lies 5 km (3 mi) off Burtonport, a small coastal village in The Rosses. The island is served by two ferry services, which operate between Arranmore and Burtonport on the mainland. The two operators make use of vessels previously built for the Scottish ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac), allowing both to carry passengers, cars, and heavy-goods vehicles.^[5]

Habitation

 

Leabgarrow.

Most of the population lives along the southern and (comparatively sheltered) eastern coast, where the main village, Leabgarrow (Irish: Leadhb Gharbh), is located. The island has been settled since pre-Celtic times, and the few remaining signs of early settlement include a promontory fort to the south of the island^[10] and shell middens dotted along the beaches. Its position near the Atlantic shipping lanes was exploited, with a coast guard station and a lighthouse positioned on the most north-westerly point, and a World War II monitoring post.^{[citation needed]}

The permanent population is 478,^[1] but this rises to well over 1,000 during the summer. A large proportion of the housing stock is holiday homes, with both native islanders and their descendants, as well as nonlocals. Due to the long decline in population, in 2019, the local government began trying to entice Americans and Australians to move to the island.^[7][11]

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1841 1,431 —     1851 1,166 −18.5% 1861 1,223 +4.9% 1871 1,174 −4.0% 1881 1,163 −0.9% 1891 1,103 −5.2% 1901 1,308 +18.6% 1911 1,533 +17.2% 1926 1,390 −9.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1936 1,414 +1.7% 1946 1,344 −5.0% 1951 1,249 −7.1% 1956 1,131 −9.4% 1961 948 −16.2% 1966 847 −10.7% 1971 773 −8.7% 1979 825 +6.7% 1981 803 −2.7%	Year Pop. ±% 1986 735 −8.5% 1991 596 −18.9% 1996 602 +1.0% 2002 543 −9.8% 2006 522 −3.9% 2011 514 −1.5% 2016 469 −8.8% 2022 478 +1.9%
Source: Central Statistics Office. "CNA17: Population by Off Shore Island, Sex and Year". CSO.ie. Retrieved 12 October 2016.

Infrastructure and economy

 

View of Donegal mainland from Arranmore.

The island was the first offshore island in Ireland to get electricity from the Rural Electrification Scheme, run by the E.S.B., in 1957, but was amongst the last places in the country to get universally reliable piped water (in 1973–75) and an automatic phone exchange (in 1986). It went directly from a manual switchboard to an ISDN-enabled system, which had to be upgraded within weeks due to massive demand for consumer phone lines, as the previous exchange had been limited to issuing numbers to business ventures only, and only had 47 internal lines.

It relies mostly on tourism for its income (fishing was the island's mainstay up to the 1980s but is no longer a significant industry), as well as the traditional Gaeltacht summer schools. In recent years, a local development co-op has encouraged the development of other industries on the island, such as a call centre and teacher training for Irish teachers. The island's many lakes provide rod fishing opportunities.

 

A sculpture at Lough Thoir

A co-working facility was opened in 2019 in partnership with 3 Ireland, providing high-speed internet access which the island did not previously have.^[12] 3 have produced a major marketing campaign "The Island" based on this.^[13]

The island has a purpose-built An Post post office. Despite the population falling below the 500 level which An Post's 2018 review required, all island post offices have been retained.^[14]

Emergency Services

The island has had a based fire engine since the 1980s. A new fire station was built and supplied with a purpose-built fire engine designed for smaller roads in 2005,^[15] but has since been deemed sub-standard with a modern station required.^[16]

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station on the island is equipped with the largest class of vessel the service has, a Severn class lifeboat. There has been an RNLI presence on the island since 1883, with the station having moved from Aphort to Leabgarrow and most recently to a purpose-built station at Poolawaddy in 1997.^[17] The crews of the station have been involved in some major rescues over the years, including that of the SS Stolwijk, for which the crew received medals from both the RNLI and the Dutch state. A monument to this rescue was unveiled in 2017.^[18]

A helipad was constructed in Aphort in the early 2000s which can land a Sikorsky S-92 aircraft as used by the Irish Coast Guard.^[19]

A HSE and previously North Western Health Board ambulance has been based at Arranmore Health Centre for a similar length of time; but has frequently been inoperable. Second-hand vehicles were cascaded to the Health Centre in 2009^[20] and again in 2015^[21] to restore service. Patients are transferred to either the RNLI Lifeboat or Irish Coast Guard helicopter at Leabgarrow or Aphort as required; or can be brought by ferry in non-urgent cases.

Arranmore transmitter

The Arranmore Island transmitter is a relay Saorview site used by 2RN and Highland Radio to provide coverage to the island and much of The Rosses which are shielded by mountains from the main transmissions. Two towers exist, the smaller of which belongs to Highland Radio, and the significantly larger to 2RN. The EIRP of the Saorview multiplexes are, at 4 kW, amongst the highest of any relay station. The site is 125 metres (410 feet) above sea level, with the 2RN antenna standing at 45 metres (148 feet). FM radio services are also carried.

Three Ireland and Vodafone Ireland have LTE equipment on the 2RN mast, with Eir (telecommunications) having 3G equipment.^[22]

Services

FM radio

• 89.6Mhz - RTÉ Radio 1^[23]
• 91.8Mhz - RTÉ 2FM
• 94.0Mhz - RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
• 95.2Mhz - Highland Radio^[24]
• 99.2Mhz - RTÉ Lyric FM
• 104.0Mhz - iRadio

Saorview

• 655.25Mhz - Multiplex 2
• 679.25Mhz - Multiplex 1^[25]

Twinning

 

Main coastal road to Aphort.

The island is twinned with Beaver Island, an island in northern Lake Michigan where a large number of former residents gathered after being evicted from Arranmore in the mid-1800s. There are still today a number of families on Beaver Island that trace their roots to Arranmore.^[26] A monument to the twinning has been placed in the island's main reservoir.^[27]

Cultural references

The Donegal band Goats Don't Shave released a track entitled Arranmore on their 1994 album "Out In The Open", which references the island's history of emigration and the North West Donegal "Tunnel Tigers", many of which came from Arranmore^[28]

Places and villages on Arranmore Island

• Aphort
• Plohogue
• Fallagowan
• Ballintra
• Ballard
• Illion
• Leabgarrow (main settlement)
• Leabrannagh
• Pollawaddy
• Scraigatoke
• Torries
• Rannagh Park

Notable people

• Anna Ní Ghallachair, academic
• Mike Gallagher (died 1984), footballer

See also

• Lighthouses in Ireland
• List of RNLI stations
• Eighter Island
• Inishcoo
• Rutland Island

References

1. Population of Inhabited Islands Off the Coast (Report). Central Statistics Office. 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
2. Teanga, An Coimisinéir. "An Coimisinéir Teanga" (PDF). commissioner.ie. (PDF) from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
3. As to the meaning of the name, see Deirdre and Laurence Flanagan, Irish Place Names, Gill & Macmillan, 2002.
4. "Aran Island/Árainn Mhór". Placenames Database of Ireland.
5. Dixon, Emily (14 June 2019). "Irish island asks Americans to move there". CNN. from the original on 14 June 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
6. Specia, Megan (5 September 2022). "Ukrainians in Rural Ireland Piece Together New Lives, Step by Step". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
7. Brent, Harry (11 June 2019). "Irish island of Arranmore is looking for new residents from the United States". Irish Post. from the original on 13 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
8. "Rules".
9. "Home - Coláiste Árainn Mhóir". Colaistearainnmhoir.com. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
10. . www.arainnmhor.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2004.
11. Dixon, Emily (14 June 2019). "Irish island of Arranmore asks Americans to move there". CNN. from the original on 14 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
12. Maguire, Stephen. "Digital hub signals bright future for Arranmore islanders". The Irish Times. from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
13. "Three Business's Journey To Connect Arranmore | The Island". three.ie. from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
14. "An Post set to close 161 post offices across Ireland". JOE.ie. from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
15. "Donegal Fire Service". fire-ireland.com. from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
16. "Donegal fire station not meeting minimum requirements". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 22 September 2017. from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
17. "Arranmore Lifeboat". from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
18. Farrell, Daniel (4 August 2017). "Monument to brave Arranmore lifeboat crew to be unveiled this Sunday". Coast Monkey. from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
19. "Baby gets his wings after dramatic helicopter birth". The independent. from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
20. Siggins, Lorna. "Islanders celebrate new ferry and ambulance service". The Irish Times. from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
21. Maguire, Stephen (23 December 2015). "ARRANMORE ISLAND TO GET ITS OWN AMBULANCE SERVICE". from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
22. "ComReg SiteViewer". siteviewer.comreg.ie. from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
23. "Listing" (PDF). 2rn.ie. 2011. (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
24. "Listing" (PDF). frequencyfinder.org.uk. (PDF) from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
25. "Listing" (PDF). 2rn.ie. 2014. (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
26. "Beaver Island The Way it was: The Arranmore Connection". beaverbeacon.com. from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
27. "Arranmore Island, County Donegal, Ireland links to Beaver Island, Michigan, USA". oileanarainnmhoir.com. from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
28. "KING OF THE TUNNELLERS; THE 'MOLES' FROM ARRANMORE WHO ARE DIGGING THEIR WAY ROUND THE WORLD. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.

External links

 

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Arranmore Island.

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arranmore Island.

• Árainn Mhór Official Website
  • Arranmore Fery (Car and Passenger)
  • Arranmore Ferry Service
  • Arranmore Blue Ferry