Mew Island

The Copeland Islands is a group of three islands in the north Irish Sea, north of Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland consisting of Lighthouse, Mew and Copeland Island. They lie within the civil parish of Bangor.

The Copeland Islands most likely derive their name from the de Coupland family, who settled in the Newtownards peninsula area along with other Normans in the 12th century. This family also lent their name to other landmarks in the vicinity such as Copeland Water near Carrickfergus and the townland of Ballycopeland in the civil parish of Donaghadee.

The earliest possible recorded name for the islands however may be the Old Norse Kaupmanneyjar (kaupmann meaning "merchant" and ey meaning "island"), recorded in the Norse Hakonar Saga Gamla, and dated to 1230. It has been suggested that "Kaupmann" developed into "Copman" and then into "Copeland", with the form "Copman" recorded several times in the late 16th century in reference to the islands.

The original Irish name for the islands is unknown, however it has been suggested that the 1570c usage of "Helaine Harr[o]n[e]" may be an attempt at Anglicising the Irish name Oileáin Árann (island of the (kidney-shaped) ridge). The modern Irish name however is a Gaelicisation of Copeland Islands into Oileáin Chóplainn.

There are three islands included in the Copeland Islands: the Great Copeland Island, the Lighthouse Island (which does not have a lighthouse now) and Mew Island which does have a lighthouse. Over a century ago the Lighthouse Island had a population of about 100, including a school master with 28 pupils. In 1671 James Ross obtained a fee farm grant of these and in 1770 David Kerr purchased the islands from the Earl of Clanbrassil. As the islands were a danger to ships a light beacon was made on the Lighhouse Island (Cross Island) in about 1715, it burned over 400 tons of coal every year. In 1796 the new British and Irish Lighthouse Board announced the erection of oil lamps and in 1813 the new lighthouse was built. In 1884 a new lighthouse was built on Mew Island. In 1954 the Bird Observatory was established by Arnold Bennington.

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