Island life

Island Life

From eighteenth century newspapers record the names of some early inhabitants of the island and Griffith's Valuation introduces us to family names such as Tiernan, Nolan and Celia.

The sense of neighbourliness on the islands was always very strong. In many cases the islanders from one island took marriage partners from a neighbouring island, thus the genealogies of many of the families show such familiar surnames as: Tiernan, Quigley, Ganly, Hanly, Walshe and McGee.

In recent years all the houses on the island have been vacated by the families who have moved to the mainland but few habitable houses are still used as summer holiday homes.

School House on Inchmore

Black and white photograph of the school house on Inchmore

© PJ Murray

School House on Inchmore
© PJ Murray

School House on Inchmore

Black and white photograph of the school house on Inchmore

© PJ Murray

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The Island School

While the children on the other islands on Lough Ree generally headed to the mainland for their education those on Inchmore and nearby Inchturk were fortunate to have their own school-house. The first school on the island was grant-aided from 1st January, 1905. The temporary school was held in a room in a vacant house owned by Ralph Smyth Esq., possibly the house vacated by the Marquis of Westmeath. The Smyths who owned the nearby castle at Portlick had land on Inchmore also.

The purpose built school-house dates from 1927. Due to dwindling populations on Inchmore and the neighbouring islands this school closed in the 1940s when the pupils and teacher transferred to the mainland. Among those who taught in the national school on Inchmore were: Miss Martha Berry, Mrs Kathleen Egan and Mrs Brid Gibbons.