Garnish Island

Garinish
Native name: Garinis
	Landing slip
	Garinish
Geography
Location	Bantry Bay
Coordinates	51°44′11″N 9°32′28″W / 51.73639°N 9.54111°W / 51.73639; -9.54111
Administration
	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	Cork

Garinish^[1] or Garnish Island (Irish: Garinis)^[1] (also known as Ilnacullin) is an island in Glengarriff Bay, an inlet of Bantry Bay, near the shore of the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland.^[2] It is a tourist attraction with walled gardens and a Martello tower.

History

The garden was designed by Harold Peto, (1854–1933), for its owner John Annan Bryce, (1841–1923), a Belfast native, who purchased the island from the War Office in 1910. Bryce's son Roland bequeathed the island to the Irish nation in 1953. It was taken over and is still maintained by the Office of Public Works. Renowned for its gardens and architecture (a mansion was designed by Peto but was never built), the island has played host to writers including George Bernard Shaw and George William Russell.^{[citation needed]}

There is a restored Martello tower on the island dating from the time of the Napoleonic Wars. The tower, like others in Cork, but unlike other Irish Martello towers, has a straight cylindrical shape that does not splay out at its base.^{[citation needed]}

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1841	13	—
1851	4	−69.2%
1861	4	+0.0%
1871	0	−100.0%
1881	11	—
1891	8	−27.3%
1901	5	−37.5%
1911	5	+0.0%

Year	Pop.	±%
1926	87	+1640.0%
1936	105	+20.7%
1946	4	−96.2%
1951	3	−25.0%
1956	2	−33.3%
1961	2	+0.0%
1966	2	+0.0%
1971	2	+0.0%

Year	Pop.	±%
1979	2	+0.0%
1981	2	+0.0%
1986	2	+0.0%
1991	1	−50.0%
1996	1	+0.0%
2002	0	−100.0%
2006	0	0.00%

Source: Central Statistics Office. "CNA17: Population by Off Shore Island, Sex and Year". CSO.ie. Retrieved 12 October 2016.

Mains electricity was brought to the island in the early 1950s via overhead cable.^[3]

Gardens

The island extends to 15 hectares (37 acres) and is renowned for its gardens which flourish in the mild humid micro-climate of Glengarriff harbour assisted by a mainly pine shelter belt. Structures include a clock tower, a Grecian temple, a Martello Tower, and an Italian casita.

Access

Several ferries service the island from the village of Glengarriff. These ferries generally include a tour of the nearby seal colony.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ a b Garinish/Garinis. Placenames Database of Ireland.
^ "Garinish Island". Glengarriff. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
^ Rural electrification of Castletownbere, Co Cork in 1952

External links

Official website
Webpage on Heritage Ireland site
Visitor guide

[logainm-1] Garinish/Garinis. Placenames Database of Ireland.

[2] "Garinish Island". Glengarriff. Retrieved 15 December 2020.

[3] Rural electrification of Castletownbere, Co Cork in 1952