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Tory Island is remote but welcoming
 The
‘tory’ in Tory Island is nothing to do with the Conservatives.
It derives from ‘túr’ meaning tower, an allusion to
the high rocky cliffs.
Situated some nine miles off the coast of Donegal, the remote fastness
of Tory Island probably means it is never destined to become a major tourist
destination.
On Tory they know you’ve gone to a certain amount of trouble to
get there, and reward you accordingly.
They’ll tell you that in days gone by, late-night poitin drinkers
on their way home were forced to negotiate the hazardous journey back,
along a rough track, in a series of 50-yard hikes.
These were timed to coincide with the circling beam of the lighthouse
as it illuminated the deepest and most dangerous potholes.
They’ll tell you that story and many more, because the art of the
shenachie is still alive and well in this remote but friendly place.
Legends still abound on Tory Island. Balor of the Evil Eye (the Celtic
god of Darkness) lived here and it’s not hard to see why.
This piece of real estate as his residence can be harsh, forbidding
and, yes, very dark.
The island some three miles long by half a mile wide can,
however, look green and inviting. Pray that you go on a few calm, sunny
days.
Today there is a thriving community of some 170 people on the island,
all Irish-speaking and with a tradition that goes back some 5,000 years.
St. Colmcille, that great Donegal proselytiser of the early Christian
church, founded a monastery here in the sixth century and the ruins of
a round tower still stand as a landmark in West Town.
The tower, built of rock blocks of red granite and some 50ft high, is
the most westerly Christian construction in Europe.
Tory Island still has its own King, Patsy Dan Rodgers, whose hereditary
title goes back to the 6th century.
An accordion player, former pig farmer and now a painter, King Patsy Dan
meets the ferry most days.
But it’s not all sessions and shenachies.
Incongruous though it may seem, there are two thriving art galleries on
Tory exhibiting the work of local self-taught artists mostly seascapes
and landscapes.
The well-known English artist Derek Hill, who lived in Donegal (or in
‘Ireland’ as most of the locals call it), was a frequent visitor
and was an inspiration to the likes of Patsy Dan, Anton Meenan and Ruairí
Rodgers.
Art courses are now available at the galleries, with week-long courses
during the summer months.
In the 1980s, the Irish Government threatened to turn Tory Island into
an army firing range.
It tried to inveigle the inhabitants away from their homes with the promise
of new bungalows in Donegal.
A few went but most dug their boots in and stayed. Since then, the residents
of Tory have maintained their independence the two villages of
West Town and East Town have church, school, post office and shops.
The tourist trade is steady and some farming is carried out in the unresponsive
soil.
The sea is ever-present, crashing against the cliffs and the wind soughs
gently through the Marram grass. But it’s a great place to visit
if you have an interest in traditional music, Irish literature, the Irish
language or ornithology.
Tory Island is also home to the corncrake or Crex crex in the
Latin. The rarest of sounds now in Europe, the corncrake manages to hang
on here on Tory Island because the land is still farmed in the old traditional
way.
These ground-nesting birds have managed to survive against the odds, and
when the wind is low they produce their strange, evocative sound; the
sound of an Ireland that has almost disappeared.
Fact file:
Travel to and from Tory
For ferry times, contact Turasa Teo, (tel 00 353 (0) 75 31320}. Boats
to Tory set sail from Bunbeg Harbour of Magheroaty
Aer Arran, (tel 00 353 1890 462726) www.skyroad.com has flights daily
from Dublin to Carrickfinn Airport.
WHERE TO STAY:
Caisleain Oir, Annagry, (tel: 00 353 (0) 74 954 8133)is the nearest
hotel to the airport, and cofortable and friendly
Bunbeg House (tel. 00 353 (0) 7531305) is equally to be recommended. Situated
at Bunbeg Harbour, it's the nearest accommodation to the harbour, with
a magnificent scenic location over the Sound.
Ostán Thoraigh (tel 00 353 (0) 74 35920) offers various midweek specials
and weekend break deals.
Mrs Grace Duffy, East Town, (tel 00 353 (0) 74 35136) offers very comfortable
B&B. |
