There are remains of an early Irish
monastic settlement. Laisrén (
Saint Molaise) Mac Decláin reputedly founded a monastery here in the 6th century. The island's ecclesiastical settlement was attacked in 795 and again in 807 by the
Vikings, and eventually the monks abandoned the island and it remained uninhabited until the first secular settlement, probably in the 12th century. The site contains various ecclesiastical buildings including enclosures, a stone-roofed oratory, two churches, a
clochán, a large beehive-shaped cell, a holy well and other remains including cross slabs suggesting foreign influences. The whole complex is composed of what is probably local sandstone rubble.
19th and 20th century The island's population, which peaked at just over 100 in the 1880s, were involved in
lobster fishing,
vegetable farming and
grazing cattle. Some locals were also involved in the "illicit" distilling and selling of
poitín. The "King of Inishmurray", a customary title used by inhabitants of the island which was similar to the
King of Tory, was last claimed by Michael Waters, who died in January 1951. Increases in barley and potato prices, during and after
The Emergency (World War II), impacted the island's economy. In the 1940s, Waters and the island's 60 remaining inhabitants petitioned the Irish government for new land and were "evacuated" to the mainland of County Sligo in 1948.
Later history Some of the island's abandoned buildings are still visible, including a number of houses and the island's school. The monastery site remained a pilgrimage destination into the early 21st century. In 2018, the Marine Survey Office of the
Department of Transport barred commercial operators from landing visitors on the island, due to "concerns for safety during embarking and disembarking". As of August 2019, landing facilities had not been developed and, as of March 2023, the development had yet to progress. ==See also==