Recent from talks
Inisheer
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Inisheer
Inisheer (Irish: Inis Oírr [ˈɪnʲɪʃ iːɾˠ], Inis Thiar [ˈɪnʲɪʃ hiəɾˠ] or Inis Oirthir [ˈɪnʲɪʃ ˈɛɾʲhəɾʲ]) is the smallest and most easterly of the three Aran Islands in Galway Bay, Ireland. With 343 residents as of the 2022 census, it is second-most populous of the Arans. Caomhán of Inis Oírr is the island's patron saint. There are five small settlements: Baile Thiar, Chapeltown (Baile an tSéipéil), Castle Village (Baile an Chaisleáin), Baile an Fhormna and Baile an Lorgain. The island is in a civil parish of the same name.
The island was originally called Árainn Airthir, and later Inis Oirthir, which are thought to mean "eastern Aran" and "eastern island" respectively. The second element is also found in the names Inishsirrer and Orior. According to Séamas Ó Murchú, the current official name, Inis Oírr, was brought into use by the Ordnance Survey Ireland. He says it may be a compromise between Inis Oirthir and the traditional local name Inis Thiar.
The island is geologically an extension of The Burren. The terrain of the island is composed of limestone pavements with crisscrossing cracks known as "grikes", leaving isolated rocks called "clints".
The limestones date from the Viséan period (Lower Carboniferous), formed as sediments in a tropical sea approximately 350 million years ago, and compressed into horizontal strata with fossil corals, crinoids, sea urchins and ammonites.
Glaciation following the Namurian phase facilitated greater denudation. The result is that Inisheer is one of the finest examples of a Glacio-Karst landscape in the world.[citation needed] The effects of the last glacial period (the Midlandian) are most in evidence, with the island overrun by ice during this glaciation. The impact of earlier Karstification (solutional erosion) has been eliminated by the last glacial period, so any Karstification now seen dates from approximately 10,000 years ago and the island Karst is thus recent.[citation needed]
Solutional processes have widened and deepened the limestone pavement. Pre-existing lines of weakness in the rock (vertical joints) contribute to the formation of extensive fissures separated by clints (flat pavement-like slabs). The rock karstification facilitates the formation of subterranean drainage.
The island has a temperate climate. Average air temperatures range from 15 °C (59 °F) in July to 6 °C (43 °F) in January. The soil temperature does not usually drop below 6 °C (43 °F). Since grass will grow once the temperature rises above 6 °C (43 °F), this means that the island (like the neighbouring Burren) has one of the longest growing seasons in Ireland, and supports diverse and rich plant growth.
Late May is the sunniest time, and also likely the best time to view flowers, with the gentians and avens peaking (but orchid species blooming later).[original research?]
Hub AI
Inisheer AI simulator
(@Inisheer_simulator)
Inisheer
Inisheer (Irish: Inis Oírr [ˈɪnʲɪʃ iːɾˠ], Inis Thiar [ˈɪnʲɪʃ hiəɾˠ] or Inis Oirthir [ˈɪnʲɪʃ ˈɛɾʲhəɾʲ]) is the smallest and most easterly of the three Aran Islands in Galway Bay, Ireland. With 343 residents as of the 2022 census, it is second-most populous of the Arans. Caomhán of Inis Oírr is the island's patron saint. There are five small settlements: Baile Thiar, Chapeltown (Baile an tSéipéil), Castle Village (Baile an Chaisleáin), Baile an Fhormna and Baile an Lorgain. The island is in a civil parish of the same name.
The island was originally called Árainn Airthir, and later Inis Oirthir, which are thought to mean "eastern Aran" and "eastern island" respectively. The second element is also found in the names Inishsirrer and Orior. According to Séamas Ó Murchú, the current official name, Inis Oírr, was brought into use by the Ordnance Survey Ireland. He says it may be a compromise between Inis Oirthir and the traditional local name Inis Thiar.
The island is geologically an extension of The Burren. The terrain of the island is composed of limestone pavements with crisscrossing cracks known as "grikes", leaving isolated rocks called "clints".
The limestones date from the Viséan period (Lower Carboniferous), formed as sediments in a tropical sea approximately 350 million years ago, and compressed into horizontal strata with fossil corals, crinoids, sea urchins and ammonites.
Glaciation following the Namurian phase facilitated greater denudation. The result is that Inisheer is one of the finest examples of a Glacio-Karst landscape in the world.[citation needed] The effects of the last glacial period (the Midlandian) are most in evidence, with the island overrun by ice during this glaciation. The impact of earlier Karstification (solutional erosion) has been eliminated by the last glacial period, so any Karstification now seen dates from approximately 10,000 years ago and the island Karst is thus recent.[citation needed]
Solutional processes have widened and deepened the limestone pavement. Pre-existing lines of weakness in the rock (vertical joints) contribute to the formation of extensive fissures separated by clints (flat pavement-like slabs). The rock karstification facilitates the formation of subterranean drainage.
The island has a temperate climate. Average air temperatures range from 15 °C (59 °F) in July to 6 °C (43 °F) in January. The soil temperature does not usually drop below 6 °C (43 °F). Since grass will grow once the temperature rises above 6 °C (43 °F), this means that the island (like the neighbouring Burren) has one of the longest growing seasons in Ireland, and supports diverse and rich plant growth.
Late May is the sunniest time, and also likely the best time to view flowers, with the gentians and avens peaking (but orchid species blooming later).[original research?]