Tory Island

The main spoken language on the island is Irish, although English is spoken as well, to communicate with visitors. Tory is part of the Donegal Gaeltacht, and Ulster Irish (Gaeilge Uladh) is the main Irish dialect in use.

File:Tau Cross and West Pier, Toraigh - geograph.org.uk - 1437370.jpg. One of only two tau crosses left in Ireland]]

The island is approximately {{convert|5|km|mi|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} long and {{convert|1|km|mi|sigfig=1|abbr=off}} wide,[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4545175.stm A place of bewitching beauty] – BBC News article with an area of {{convert|3.581|km2| acre|abbr=on|0}}.{{cite web |url=https://www.townlands.ie/donegal/kilmacrenan/tullaghobegly/meenaclady/toraigh/ |title=Tory Island Townland, Co. Donegal | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200824/https://www.townlands.ie/donegal/kilmacrenan/tullaghobegly/meenaclady/toraigh/ |archivedate =24 June 2021 |website=townlands.ie |publisher=Irish Townlands |location=Ireland }} The 2022 census recorded a population of 141, an increase from the 2016 population of 119. The population is distributed among four towns: An Baile Thoir (East Town), An Baile Thiar (West Town), An Lár (Middletown) and Úrbaile (Newtown). Petrol and diesel are available from Tory Oil at prices significantly higher than on the mainland.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pumps.ie/viewStation.php?stationID=959|title=Pumps.ie – Tory Oil, West Town, Tory Island}}

Tory has no airport, but it has regular ferry connections from mainland County Donegal.Ferries depart from Magheroarty. The shortest crossing (Magheroarty to Tory Island) takes about 45 minutes. [http://www.oileanthorai.com/TravelTaisteal.htm Oileanthorai.com — Official Tory Island Tourism Website – Travel details] The ferry operates daily all year round. It does not take cars, but holds up to 70 passengers. During the winter months, ferry crossings may not be possible on some days due to rough seas. However, between November and March a four-seater helicopter operates every other Thursday between Falcarragh and Tory.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}

Power on the island is generated by three diesel electricity generators.{{Cite journal|url=http://captstevestories.com/tory-island-2|title=Tory Island|date=21 January 2012|website=captstevestories.com}} These have a total capacity of 4 MW and burn through approximately 500 litres of fuel every day.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}

In the apocryphal history of Ireland, Lebor Gabála Érenn, Tory Island was the site of Conand's Tower, the stronghold of the Fomorians, before they were defeated by the Nemedians in a great battle on the island. The later Fomorian king, Balor of the evil eye, also lived here.G. H. Kinahan "Donegal Folk-lore: Ballor of the Evil Eye." The Folk-Lore Journal. Volume 5, 1894. Balor would imprison Ethlinn in a tower built atop Tor Mór (or Túr Mór in Old Irish, meaning The High Tower). Tor Mór is the island's highest point.

A monastery was founded on Tory in the 6th century by Colmcille. The monastery dominated life on the island until 1595, when it was plundered and destroyed by English troops, who were waging a war of suppression against local chieftains. (The monastery's bell tower, built in the 6th or 7th century, is the largest structure to have survived.){{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}

In 1608, in what is known as the Siege of Tory Island (one of the final incidents of O'Doherty's Rebellion), a group of the surviving rebels took shelter in the castle on the island, but began killing each other in hopes of securing a pardon.

The final action in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, the naval Battle of Tory Island, took place in the sea just off the island.

The first battleship the British lost during the First World War, the super-dreadnought {{HMS|Audacious|1912|6}} (23,400 tons), was sunk off Tory Island on 27 October 1914 by a naval mine that had been laid by the armed German merchant-cruiser Berlin. The loss was kept an official secret in Britain until 14 November 1918 (three days after the end of the war). The sinking was witnessed and photographed by passengers on {{RMS|Olympic}}, the sister ship of {{RMS|Titanic}}.

Since the 1950s, the island has been home to a small community of artists, and has its own art gallery. The English artist Derek Hill (1916–2000) was associated with the Tory artist community.[http://www.rte.ie/news/2000/0731/hill.html Funeral arrangements made for artist Derek Hill] – RTÉ News article, 31 July 2000

File:Kingoftory.jpg (d. 2018), waiting near the harbour to welcome visitors to the island]]

In keeping with a long-standing tradition, a "king" is chosen by consensus of the islanders. The most recent "King of Tory" (in Irish, Rí Thoraí) was the painter Patsy Dan Rodgers (Patsaí Dan Mac Ruaidhrí), who held the post from the 1990s until his death on 19 October 2018.{{cite web |url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/2018/10/22/news/tributes-paid-to-king-of-tory-patsy-dan-rodgers-1464535/ |title=Tributes paid to King of Tory Patsy Dan Rodgers |last=Young |first=Connla |date=22 October 2018 |publisher=The Irish News }} The king has no legal power, but has duties that include acting as a spokesperson for the island community and welcoming people to the island.{{cite web |url=http://patsydanrodgers.littleireland.ie/ |title=Patsy Dan Rodgers – Tory Island Artist, Musician and King of Tory, County Donegal |publisher=Patsydanrodgers.littleireland.ie |access-date=10 November 2008 |archive-date=19 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819035302/http://patsydanrodgers.littleireland.ie/ |url-status=dead }}

File:Looking east along the village street, West Town, Tory Island - geograph.org.uk - 1051202.jpg

In 2009, the island gained attention from several news outlets when a resident was awarded damages against a neighbour for demolition and removal of his house in 1993. The house had gradually disappeared over a nine-month period, while the owner worked in New Zealand. On his return, and with the house completely removed and replaced with a car park, his questions and the subsequent investigations by the police were reportedly met with a "wall of silence" from other residents.{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ireland/6541121/Hotel-turned-film-directors-home-into-a-car-park.html|title=Hotel turned film director's home into a car park|website=The Telegraph}}[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09mzb4n The House that Disappeared], (five-part podcast series).{{cite book |last=McCabe|first=Anton|date=2012|title=The House That Disappeared on Tory Island |publisher=Drumkeen Press|isbn=978-0955355226}}{{Cite web|title=Man gets just $69,000 after home is leveled|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna33824492|access-date=2021-07-22|website=NBC News|language=en}} The story was featured in a book in 2012 and a BBC podcast in 2021, both titled "The House That Vanished".{{Cite news|last=Maguire|first=Stephen|title=Book tells of Tory Island 'disappeared' house|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/book-tells-of-tory-island-disappeared-house-1.557667|access-date=2021-07-22|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}{{Cite news|date=2021-07-06|title=Tory Island vanishing house: Neville Presho's mystery|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-57720152|access-date=2021-07-22}}

In 2015, the island's only café was destroyed by fire.{{Cite web|url=https://donegalnews.com/2015/02/tory-islands-cafe-destroyed-by-fire/|title=Tory Island's cafe destroyed by fire|date=12 February 2015|website=Donegal News|access-date=7 December 2020|archive-date=17 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117181252/http://donegalnews.com/2015/02/tory-islands-cafe-destroyed-by-fire/|url-status=dead}}

The table below reports data on Tory Island's population, taken from Discover the Islands of Ireland (Alex Ritsema, Collins Press, 1999) and from the census of Ireland. Censuses in Ireland before 1841 are not considered complete or reliable.

{{Historical populations

| align = none

| cols = 3

|footnote= Source:{{cite web |url=https://data.cso.ie/table/E2021 |title=E2021 - Population of Inhabited Islands Off the Coast 2011 to 2016 |publisher=Central Statistics Office |access-date=27 December 2020}}

|1841|399

|1851|402

|1861|386

|1871|343

|1881|332

|1891|348

|1901|335

|1911|307

|1926|250

|1936|291

|1946|265

|1951|257

|1956|273

|1961|264

|1966|243

|1971|273

|1979|213

|1981|208

|1986|136

|1991|119

|1996|169

|2002|133

|2006|142

|2011|144

|2016|119

|2022|141

}}

File:Tormore, Tory Island - geograph.org.uk - 1051221.jpg

File:Tory Island Cliffs 2005 08 10.jpg

Tory Island has a number of sites connected with historical events and island mythology:

• Dún Bhaloir (“Balor's Fort”) is located on the island's eastern side, on a peninsula surrounded on three sides by {{convert|90|m|ft|0|adj=mid|abbr=off|-high}} cliffs. The fort is accessible only by crossing a narrow isthmus that is defended by four earthen embankments.{{Cite web|url=http://www.oileanthorai.com/PlacesofInterestAiteachaSuimila.htm|title=Places of Interest / Aiteacha Suimiúla on Tory Island / Oileán Toraigh, County Donegal, North-West Ireland|website=www.oileanthorai.com}}
• An Eochair Mhór (the “Big Key”) is a long, steep-sided spur jutting from the east side of the peninsula and ending in a crag called An Tor Mór (the “Big Rock” or the “Big Tower”). The spur has prominent rocky pinnacles known as “Balor's soldiers” (Saighdiúirí Bhaloir). They give the spur a 'toothed' appearance, helping to inspire the name “the Big Key”.
• The Wishing Stone is a precipitous, flat-topped rock alongside the northern cliff-face of Balor's Fort. Traditionally, a wish is granted to anyone foolhardy enough to step onto the rock, and also to anyone who succeeds in throwing three stones onto it.
• An Cloigtheach (the “Bell Tower”) is the largest structure to have survived the 16th-century destruction of the monastery (see history section above). The round tower was built in the 6th or 7th century.
• The Tau Cross (a T-shaped cross) is believed to date from the 12th century. It is one of only two Tau crosses in Ireland (the other is in Kilnaboy, County Clare).
• Móirsheisear (“Grave of the Seven”): Móirsheisear (which literally means “big six”, but is nevertheless a term signifying seven) is the tomb of seven people, six men and one woman, who drowned when their boat capsized off Scoilt an Mhóirsheisear (the “Cleft of the Seven”) on the island's northwest coast. According to local superstition, clay from the woman's grave has the power to ward off vermin.
• The Lighthouse, standing at the west end of the island, was built between 1828 and 1832 based on a design by George Halpin, a noted designer of Irish lighthouses. In April 1990, the lighthouse was automated. It is one of three lighthouses in Ireland into which a reference station for the Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) has been installed. The lighthouse is at coordinates {{Coord|55|16.357|N|8|14.964|W |region:IE_type:landmark |name=Tory Island Lighthouse}}
• The Torpedo: A torpedo can be seen midway between An Baile Thiar and An Baile Thoir. It washed ashore during World War II and was then defused and moved to its present location.

The island is a designated “Important Bird Area”.BirdLife International (2015) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Tory Island. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 17 June 2015 It is a breeding site for corn crakes (Crex crex), a globally threatened species whose numbers have fallen as agriculture has intensified. In 2007, Tory Island recorded 18 calling males, down from a recorded maximum of 34 calling males in 2003. In 2010, numbers dropped down further to 10. In addition to its indigenous birdlife, the island records many vagrants.Birds and Wildlife of Tory Island, leaflet published by Bird Watch Ireland

Ancient records of the flora and fauna of this island can be found in Hyndman's notes on the history of the island.Hyndman, G.C. 1852. Notes on the natural history of Tory Island. Ulster J.Archaeol. 1: 34 – 3 Algae found locally include: Fucus vesiculosus, Fucus nodosus, Himanthalia lorea, Laminaria digitata, Rhodomenia laciniata, Plocamium coccineum, Ptilota plumosa, Conferva rupestrus, Codium tomentosum, Codium adhaerens det Dr Harvey.

Because of its high winds, the island has no trees.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/irish/articles/view/359/english/|title=BBC - Irish - Oileán Thoraí|website=www.bbc.co.uk}}

Tory Island Cattle are a rare breed of cattle from Tory Island.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/the-last-of-the-tory-cows-1.126991#:~:text=On%20remote%20Tory%20Island%20off,to%20be%20specific%20to%20Tory.|title=The Last of the Tory cows|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=2022-06-04}}{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/longford-bull-could-do-the-business-for-tory-island-1.167858|title=Longford bull could do the business for Tory Island|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=2022-06-04}}{{cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/archives/2019/0723/1064707-tory-island-bull-running-wild/|title=RTÉ Archives | Environment | Tory Island Bull Running Wild|website=rte.ie|date=2019-07-23|access-date=2022-06-04}}{{cite web|url=https://group.irishecho.com/2011/02/love-elusive-for-last-of-rare-bovine-breed/|title=Love elusive for last of rare bovine breed - Archive|website=Irish Echo|date=16 February 2011 |access-date=2022-06-04}}

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{{Refbegin}}

• {{Cite book |last=Fox |first=R. |date=1995 |title=The Tory Islanders: A People of the Celtic Fringe |publisher=University of Notre Dame Press |isbn=978-0-268-01890-0}}
• {{Cite book |last=Hunter |first=J. |date=2006 |title=The Waves of Tory |publisher=Colin-Smyth Ltd |isbn=978-0-86140-456-8}}
• {{Cite journal |last=Williams |first=H. G. |date=1952 |title=Tory Island, County Donegal: A Study on Geographical Isolation |journal=Irish Geography}}
• {{Cite journal |first=Dorothy |last=Kelly |date=2000 |title=The Crosses of Tory Island |editor=Smyth, Alfred P. |journal=Seanchas: Studies in Early and Medieval Irish Archaeology, History and Literature in Honour of Francis John Byrne |location=Dublin |publisher=Four Courts Press |pages=53–63}}

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{{Commons category|Tory Island}}

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{{County Donegal}}

{{Irish lighthouses}}

{{Irish mythology (mythological)}}

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Category:Islands of County Donegal

Category:Cloughaneely

Category:Gaeltacht places in County Donegal

Category:Important Bird Areas of the Republic of Ireland

Category:Lighthouses in the Republic of Ireland

Category:National monuments in County Donegal