Inishbofin, County Galway
Inishbofin ( Inis Bó Finne Irish - " island of the white cow " ) is a small island 9 km off the west coast of Ireland in County Galway. The 15 km ² island is located north of the town of Clifden, Connemara before. It reaches a height of 85 meters to the west and has two almost equally high peaks on. A ferry service to the island is from the small town of Cleggan. On the island still 199 people live (as of 2006 ) living from fishing and agriculture in particular. In winter storms cut the island sometimes for weeks on the mainland.
History
Among the archaeological sites on the island include: Multiple Castle ruins, a Cillin, destroyed Cromwell barracks, an earthwork, an indefinite and an early ecclesiastical enclosure, a field system, a ruined house, two holy sources, a horizontal mill, two Kökkenmöddinger, four Promontory forts and more than half a dozen round huts.
According to the Venerable Bede (d. 735 ) came St. Colman ( 605-675 ), the Irish Bishop of Northumbria, after the Synod of Whitby, when he resigned because of the Catholic rite was introduced as a pensioner to Inishbofin, where he 665 a monastery founded. The Annals of the Four Masters record his various abbots 918 by the year
The island belonged initially to the O'Flaherty clan until they won the O'Malleys in 1380. She has been associated with the female pirate Grace O'Malley (1530-1603) and the Spanish pirates Alonzo Bosco, fortified the port in conjunction.
1609 Before Inishbofin was like many other lands resolved monasteries Count of Clanrickard. During the Irish Rebellion of 1641-52 Inishbofin was an important base for the weapons supply to the royalists by the Duke of Lorraine ( Lorraine). As Galway and the Aran Islands were occupied in 1652 by Cromwell's men captured a troop of Inishbofin from back of one of the Aran forts. Beginning of 1653 was Inishbofin threatened by the bombardment by ships and was passed. It later became a prison camp for Catholic priests who were arrested by Cromwell's men. The fort at the harbor was in 1690 a garrison of the Jacobites, but which was already in 1691 handed over to King William people. About 1830 went on Inishbofin of the Clanrickards to the Brownes of Westport. Lord Sligo, an heir to the family sold it in 1855 to Henry William Wilberforce. In 1876 it was bought by Cyril Allies, a Catholic Englishman and finally by him it acquired the Land Commission. The island is divided into five farming communities.
Flora
Grasses, irises, marsh thistles, red clover and moss cover Inishbofin and everywhere growing thyme. More than 6000 years ago the first people came to the island. " Island of the white cow " means that a witch according to legend, is said to have a cow into stone here.
Legend
The island was, according to legend, a tidal island, as fishermen landed in the fog and fire brought to the island. When rid of the fog they saw an old woman who led a white cow, which turned into a rock when she suggested. The cow visited occasionally Loch Bó Finne, the lake of the white cow.