Search Results for 'Inishkea Islands'

Off the longest county coastline in Ireland, around scores of islands, as many lakes and along 100 rivers, the inhabitants of Mayo have taken to their boats and exploited our county's waterways in a sustainable manner for hundreds of years. That strong heritage is etched on our crest and is alive and celebrated today. Irish traditional boats in general took on distinctive regional characteristics and the designs of crafts were shaped by purpose, available materials and historical circumstances. Because of our geographical size, Mayo has been a focus of academics studying our many contributions to traditional boat typology.

In October 1981, the carcases of 140 butchered seals were discovered on the Inishkea Islands, off the Belmullet peninsula. The slaughter horrified the public and animal welfare groups and the brutal manner in which the animals met their doom had ensured that the incident would gather negative media attention for the Erris area. But who carried out the massacre and why? The finger of blame immediately pointed to local fishermen.

No sooner had Ireland’s impressive Euro 2016 campaign come to an end in sweltering Lyon, but I was looking for another bandwagon to hop on. Iceland’s plucky unbeaten run through the group stage had already caught my eye and after their deserved win against England on Monday night it was decided, the Nordic republic would have my full support.