Tory Island

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Tory Island is one of the most famous islands off the coast of Ireland, perhaps because it is the furthermost off-shore and is often cut off from the mainland for several weeks in winter. However it is this very sense of isolation which has helped preserve Tory as the most authentic and Gaelic of all the islands. Tory is home to about 175 hardy islanders who speak a dialect of Gaelic that at times sounds more like Scots Gallic. When you land on the East Pier and are picked up by the local taxi……a tractor and trailer, you have a tremendous sense of stepping back in time by at least fifty years. Tory is a birdwatchers paradise featuring gannets, petrels, guillemots, eider duck, puffin and fulmar. It has also gained a considerable reputation over the last generation as a centre for local raw artistic talent. In addition it is of great interest to archaeologists who wish to study its rich and varied early monastic remains. One thing you will not find on Tory is rats !! St. Colmcille is said to have banished them from the island in the 6th century. A look at the headstones in the island graveyard will surprise you with the ripe old age at which many of them died. It would seem as if the hardships of life were more than compensated for by the relative lack of stress and the strong sense of community. Tory is now served by a regular ferry which alternates between Bunbeg Harbour, Magheroarty Pier and Downings Pier…depending on the tides.

Tel. 074 9135061 or 074 9531320

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