1.
Beaver IslandThere is a monument located on Arranmore Island called ‘Beaver Island’. The monument displays both the Irish and the American Flag with three animals sitting on the circular monument a beaver, otter and trout. The beaver symbolises Beaver Island, the otter represents Arranmore and the trout links the two places together due to the strong fishing ties. This represents the people who migrated from Aranmore to the Great Lakes region in America. The monument reads “You left your reasons as many as your number, but in truth it was because you were told to do so.“You made your contribution from afar and you gave birth to the generations who will return as pilgrims to the place they call home.” This is twinned with Beaver Island found in Lake Michigan, USA, where a similar monument is displayed. The islands consider themselves sister islands, the monument in Michigan is dedicated to Arranmore, and the Arranmore monument is dedicated to Michigan. In 2018, the Arranmore Pipe Band visited Beaver Island, to participate in the ‘Emerald Isle Irish Féile’. Many of the current members of the Arranmore Pipe Band have relations who emigrated to Beaver Island in the past and when a large contingent of Beaver Islanders visited Arranmore as part of an official twinning in 2002, the pipe band welcomed their lost cousins when they arrived on the island. The first people from Arranmore who got land on the island sent word home that it was a good place for fishing and logging. Money was sent home to pay for the passage of relatives and more and more people from Arranmore came to live on Beaver Island. By the 1880s approximately 300 Arranmore natives were living on the island and Irish was the predominant spoken language. Despite being geographically divided by the Atlantic Ocean, the two islands are intrinsically linked.
2.
Beaver IslandThere is a monument located on Arranmore Island called ‘Beaver Island’. The monument displays both the Irish and the American Flag with three animals sitting on the circular monument a beaver, otter and trout. The beaver symbolises Beaver Island, the otter represents Arranmore and the trout links the two places together due to the strong fishing ties. This represents the people who migrated from Aranmore to the Great Lakes region in America. The monument reads “You left your reasons as many as your number, but in truth it was because you were told to do so.“You made your contribution from afar and you gave birth to the generations who will return as pilgrims to the place they call home.” This is twinned with Beaver Island found in Lake Michigan, USA, where a similar monument is displayed. The islands consider themselves sister islands, the monument in Michigan is dedicated to Arranmore, and the Arranmore monument is dedicated to Michigan. In 2018, the Arranmore Pipe Band visited Beaver Island, to participate in the ‘Emerald Isle Irish Féile’. Many of the current members of the Arranmore Pipe Band have relations who emigrated to Beaver Island in the past and when a large contingent of Beaver Islanders visited Arranmore as part of an official twinning in 2002, the pipe band welcomed their lost cousins when they arrived on the island. The first people from Arranmore who got land on the island sent word home that it was a good place for fishing and logging. Money was sent home to pay for the passage of relatives and more and more people from Arranmore came to live on Beaver Island. By the 1880s approximately 300 Arranmore natives were living on the island and Irish was the predominant spoken language. Despite being geographically divided by the Atlantic Ocean, the two islands are intrinsically linked.
3.
Owey Island: Lake under a lakeOwey Island located off the west coast of Donegal has more than one claim to fame, but perhaps the most significant is the lake under a lake. This is incredibly unique it is one of the only lake under a lake in the world. This is a typical lake, easily reached by a short stroll along the inland trail that leads north from the village on the island. The lake supplies the village with water however, there is another lake just beneath this one. The underground lake lies 50 metres below the surface and can be reached by descending into a small sinkhole that is concealed at the northern end of the upper lake. The sinkhole requires some manoeuvring and crawling, and the final third of the descent is extremely muddy. Beware that the descent is both dark and risky, but this leads to the northernmost point of the slender subterranean lake, which is a deep silt beach. Upon arrival at the underground lake, you will see that the cave is bioluminescent, glowing when a torch is shone upon the walls. The final destination and arrival point is called ‘The Pool of Tranquility’, a place of silence where no natural light can penetrate. The lake under a lake received recognition from RedBull in a list compiled about ‘amazing’ underground lakes. Owey Island placed second on the list losing out on the top spot to Salina Turda, a salt mine in Romania.
4.
Owey Island: Lake under a lakeOwey Island located off the west coast of Donegal has more than one claim to fame, but perhaps the most significant is the lake under a lake. This is incredibly unique it is one of the only lake under a lake in the world. This is a typical lake, easily reached by a short stroll along the inland trail that leads north from the village on the island. The lake supplies the village with water however, there is another lake just beneath this one. The underground lake lies 50 metres below the surface and can be reached by descending into a small sinkhole that is concealed at the northern end of the upper lake. The sinkhole requires some manoeuvring and crawling, and the final third of the descent is extremely muddy. Beware that the descent is both dark and risky, but this leads to the northernmost point of the slender subterranean lake, which is a deep silt beach. Upon arrival at the underground lake, you will see that the cave is bioluminescent, glowing when a torch is shone upon the walls. The final destination and arrival point is called ‘The Pool of Tranquility’, a place of silence where no natural light can penetrate. The lake under a lake received recognition from RedBull in a list compiled about ‘amazing’ underground lakes. Owey Island placed second on the list losing out on the top spot to Salina Turda, a salt mine in Romania.