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The Inishkea Islands (Goose Islands, Irish: ''Inis Gé'') are situated off the coast of the Mullet peninsula in Ireland. There are two main islands - Inishkea North and Inishkea South. The islands lie between Inishglora to their north and Duvillaun to their south, off the Mullet's west coast, and offer some protection to the mainland coast from the power of the eastern Atlantic Ocean. The underlying rock of the Inishkea Island is that of gneiss and schist, the same as that on the Mullet. The islands are relatively low lying and are covered in machair. Fine white sand is found everywhere, often blown into drifts by the strong winds especially along the beach beside the harbour where it fills the houses of the abandoned village. The sea surrounding the islands is crystal clear. The inhabitants of both Inishkea North and South left the islands in the 1930s after most of their young men died at sea in a storm.〔(Beautiful Isles, ) ''The Mayo News''.〕 〔http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2183&Itemid=38〕 == History == The islands are little known outside of the local area but are well known by fishermen who use the island harbour regularly. There are regular trips from Falmore on the mainland to the islands when weather permits and after a trip taking about half-an-hour, the boat ties up at the pier right beside the pure white sandy beach lined with little ruined cottages, some of them with slate and galvanised roofs and in habitable condition (these being used by surveyors etc. doing work on the islands). Sand has taken its toll on most of the buildings with the floors covered in several feet of white sand blown in from the beach. The island is inhabited by donkeys and many sheep. The earliest evidence of settlement on the island goes back at least 5,000 years and the islands have numerous archaeological sites from the Neolithic and several Early Christian monastic sites. Early Christian sites dating from the sixth to the tenth centuries are found on most of the Erris islands including Duvillaun and Inishglora. A well known archaeologist, Francoise Henri visited these offshore islands in the 1930s and again in the 1950s. On Inishkea North (which is less visited than the south island) are the ruins of St. Colmcille's Church, the Bailey Mór, Bailey Beag and Bailey Dóite, small circular areas which contained beehive huts, used by monks in the Early Christian period. On the south island is a tall cross inscribed slab and to its west, the foundations of a small church. Inishkea must have been an important centre in the Early Christian period. In 1927, the men from the islands were night fishing in the clear waters which surround the islands and a sudden violent storm blew up which caught them unawares. Some of the currachs managed to reach home but several failed to get back and one was reputed to have been taken all the way in and thrown up on the mainland with its crew unharmed. In the morning, it was discovered that several currachs and ten young fishermen had been lost. The island community was devastated and a few years later the community was rehoused, mostly on the Mullet Peninsula. The few who had miraculous escapes often related the tale of that fateful night. The last survivor, Pat Reilly, died aged 101 in 2008.〔http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4766&Itemid=38〕 The islands had a number of owners including the Barretts, who were a Norman family, the McCormacks who were given the island by King James I and finally the O’Donnells of Newport who took control of them in the 18th century. It is believed by many historians that the islands were abandoned in the Middle Ages before being re-inhabited in the 17th century. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Inishkea Islands」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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