Cape Clear Island
| Native name: Cléire | |
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 Cape Clear Island
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| Geography | |
| Location | Carbery's Hundred Isles |
| Coordinates | 51°26′N 9°30′W / 51.433°N 9.500°WCoordinates: 51°26′N 9°30′W / 51.433°N 9.500°W |
| Area | 6.7 km2 (2.6 sq mi) |
| Length | 5.2 km (3.23 mi) |
| Width | 2.4 km (1.49 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 160 m (520 ft) |
| Highest point | Cnoicín an tSeabhaic |
| Administration | |
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Ireland
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| Province | Munster |
| County | Cork |
| Barony | Carbery West |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 124 (2011) |
| Pop. density | 18.6 /km2 (48.2 /sq mi) |
| Additional information | |
| The island is a Gaeltacht | |
Clear Island or Cape Clear Island (officially known by its Irish name: Cléire, and sometimes also called Oileán Chléire) lies south-west of County Cork in Ireland. It is the southernmost inhabited part of the island of Ireland and has a population of over 100 people. Officially it is a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area), and most inhabitants speak Irish and English. Its nearest neighbour is Sherkin Island, 2 km (1 mi) east of the island. The island is divided into east and west halves by an isthmus called the Waist, with North Harbour to landward and South Harbour on the seaward side. Ferries sail from the North Harbour to Schull and Baltimore on the mainland. The South Harbour is a popular berth for yachts.
Archaeological sites on the island include a prehistoric cup-marked stone (moved to the island's museum), a fulacht fiadh at Gort na Lobhar, a neolithic passage tomb at Cill Leire Forabhain, several standing stones around the island, a promontory fort at Dún an Óir, and a signal tower dating from the Napoleonic Wars. The island also has a number of early Christian sites, and is reputed to be the birthplace of Saint Ciarán of Saigir. The ruins of 12th century church are close to the main pier.
The island had a population of over 1,052 before the 19th century famine, and the population of Cape Clear is currently less than one-eighth that figure. The island's primary school was built in 1897, and visited by President of Ireland Mary McAleese in 1998.
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Wikipedia