- Great Island
Great Island ("Oileán Mór an Barraigh" in Irish) is the name of an island in
Cork Harbour , just outside Cork city, at the mouth of the River Lee. The town ofCóbh is situated on the island, which is connected by bridge toFota Island to the north, which in turn is connected by a causeway to the mainland. A railway line runs out through both islands to Cóbh.The island's name comes from the Irish, meaning "Great island of the Barrys", referring to a powerful Norman family who settled in the area. The original name of the island was "Oilean Ard na Neimhad", the "High (or important) island of "Neimhad". "Neimhad" was a leader who invaded Ireland in ancient times.
That population of Great Island is over 16,000.
Due to the close proximity of Great island to the amenities on
Fota Island , the development of a dedicated car-free walking and biking trail around the perimeter of Great island will be a major tourist attraction, particularly as the walking trail can be connected by ferry to the dedicatedrail trail already existing between Passage West and Cork city.External links
* [http://www.irishrail.ie/your_journey/your_station.asp?letter=C&action=showdetail&station_id=43 Cobh railway station]
* [http://homepage.eircom.net/~dodonovan/ Photos and further Information]
* [http://www.cobhharbourchamber.ie/history.html History of Cobh]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
