Gores Island

Gores Island, also known as Gore's Island, is an island in Strangford Lough, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is connected to nearby Castle Island, and thence to the mainland, by a narrow roadway (causeway) that is passable only at low tides. It has been inhabited previously, but has had no residents since the early 20th century.

Location and geography

Gores Island is located at the southern end of Strangford Lough, in an inlet formed by the mouth of the Quoile River. It is north of the town of Downpatrick, south of Killyleagh and adjacent to Salt Island to the north east and Castle Island to the south west.[1] It has an area of 90 acres (36 ha) and is connected to Castle Island by a raised causeway,[2][3] which is passable at low tide.[4] The island has two hills, with heights of 88 feet (27 m) and 50 feet (15 m) respectively.[5] At low tide, the shoreline of the island is surrounded by an area of exposed soft mud, which can be treacherous.[6]

History

Amongst the island's last inhabitants were farmer Samuel Spratt, who died in 1898,[7] and his widow Jane Spratt, who died on the island in 1910 at the age of 98, having lived there for seventy years.[8] In the 1940s and 1950s, having been uninhabited for several decades, the island was used as a summer-camp venue for boys and girls from Industrial Schools and borstals such as the Malone Training School in Belfast.[4][9][10] In recent years the island has been used by the nearby Quoile Yacht Club for an annual "Gore's Island Race".[11]

Flora and fauna

The island features a number of butterfly features, including Pieris rapae, Pieris napi, the Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae), Aglais io, and Vanessa cardui.[12]

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References
  1. "Gores Island". Google Maps. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  2. John Falconer (1869). The Irish Law Times and Solicitors' Journal. 3. p. 168.
  3. "In pictures: Strangford Lough". BBC News. p. Image 8. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012.
  4. "An Island Camp". Belfast News-Letter. 12 July 1848. p. 6.
  5. Angélique Day; Patrick McWilliams (1992). Parishes of County Down IV, 1833-7: East Down and Lecale. Institute of Irish Studies. p. 111. ISBN 9780853894391.
  6. "Destination Strangford Lough Cano" (PDF). Visit Strangford Lough. Sketrick to Salt Island.
  7. Calendars of Wills (PDF). National Archives of Ireland. p. 411. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  8. "County Down Longevity". Irish News and Belfast Morning News. 10 May 1910. p. 3.
  9. "Malone Training School Camp". Northern Whig. 29 June 1957. p. 3.
  10. "Borstal Girl Recaptured in Belfast". Northern Whig. 9 August 1957. p. 1.
  11. "THE FAMOUS GORE's ISLAND RACE" (PDF). Quoile Yacht Club.
  12. Roger L H Dennis; Peter B Hardy (2018). British and Irish Butterflies: An Island Perspective. CABI. p. 275. ISBN 9781786395061.

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