Duvillaun
Encyclopedia
Duvillaun (Gaelic: Dubhoiléan) is the name of a cluster of islands lying south to the Inishkea Islands
and Inishglora
in the Atlantic Ocean
off the coast of North Mayo. The main island is known as Duvillaun Mór (Big Black Island). The other islands are known as Duvillaun Beg (Little Black Island), Turduvillaun, Shiraghy, Keely, Gaghta and Learnaraha.
The islands lie close to the coast of the Mullet Peninsula but in their geological type, they are composed of quartzite
rock like that found on Achill Island
and not like that of the Mullet Peninsula off which it lies, which is composed largely of schist
s, slate
, gneiss
and white psammite
with a granite
deposit at Termon Hill near its southern end. Unlike its neighbouring islands of the Inishkeas and Inishglora which are largely white sand and machair, blanket bog
formed on Duvillaun. There is approx 180 acre (0.7284348 km²) of grassland on Duvillaun Mor and about 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) of grassland on Duvillaun Beg.
The islands were inhabited until the end of the 19th century when the inhabitants left to live on the mainland. They are now a bird sanctuary where many coastal birds can nest without human disturbance. Fulmars and kittiwake
s nest on the cliffs, peregrine falcon
s hover, keeping a keen eye out for prey. Storm petrels, Leach's petrel shelter amongst the abandoned buildings. Shags
, cormorants, chough
s and tern
s are current inhabitants too.
Duvillaun Mor, which lies only a kilometer or so off Falmore at the southern tip of the Mullet Peninsula, has monastic remains which most likely date from the Early Christian period - i.e. 6th to 8th century AD, similar to the archaeological remains on Inishkea south and on Inishglora. There is a Gallerus type oratory similar to that on Inishglora, a tomb with large stone slabs, one of which is inscribed with a depiction of the crucifixion
. There are also some beehive huts
of a similar type to those on Inishglora. Unlike those on Inishglora, there is no 'saint' or religious house affiliated with the islands. The tomb is known as 'Uaimh na Naoimh' (The Saint's tomb).
Inishkea Islands
The Inishkea Islands are situated off the coast of the Mullet peninsula in the Barony of Erris. There are two main islands - Inishkea North and Inishkea South...
and Inishglora
Inishglora
Inishglora is an island off the coast of the Mullet Peninsula in Erris, North Mayo. It has some small neighbouring islands, known as Inishkeeragh. As with its neighbouring Inishkea Islands, Inishglora's geological composition is that of gneiss and schist, similar to the rest of Erris. The island...
in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
off the coast of North Mayo. The main island is known as Duvillaun Mór (Big Black Island). The other islands are known as Duvillaun Beg (Little Black Island), Turduvillaun, Shiraghy, Keely, Gaghta and Learnaraha.
The islands lie close to the coast of the Mullet Peninsula but in their geological type, they are composed of quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
rock like that found on Achill Island
Achill Island
Achill Island in County Mayo is the largest island off the coast of Ireland, and is situated off the west coast. It has a population of 2,700. Its area is . Achill is attached to the mainland by Michael Davitt Bridge, between the villages of Gob an Choire and Poll Raithní . A bridge was first...
and not like that of the Mullet Peninsula off which it lies, which is composed largely of schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
s, slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
, gneiss
Gneiss
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
and white psammite
Psammite
Psammite is a general term for sandstone. It is equivalent to the Latin-derived term arenite. Also, it is commonly used in various publications to describe a metamorphosed sedimentary rock with a dominantly sandstone protolith. In Europe, this term was formerly used for a fine-grained, fissile,...
with a granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
deposit at Termon Hill near its southern end. Unlike its neighbouring islands of the Inishkeas and Inishglora which are largely white sand and machair, blanket bog
Blanket bog
Blanket bog or blanket mire is an area of peatland, forming where there is a climate of high rainfall and a low level of evapotranspiration, allowing peat to develop not only in wet hollows but over large expanses of undulating ground. The blanketing of the ground with a variable depth of peat...
formed on Duvillaun. There is approx 180 acre (0.7284348 km²) of grassland on Duvillaun Mor and about 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) of grassland on Duvillaun Beg.
The islands were inhabited until the end of the 19th century when the inhabitants left to live on the mainland. They are now a bird sanctuary where many coastal birds can nest without human disturbance. Fulmars and kittiwake
Kittiwake
The kittiwakes are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae, the Black-legged Kittiwake and the Red-legged Kittiwake . The epithets "Black-legged" and "Red-legged" are used to distinguish the two species in North America, but in Europe, where R...
s nest on the cliffs, peregrine falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
s hover, keeping a keen eye out for prey. Storm petrels, Leach's petrel shelter amongst the abandoned buildings. Shags
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
, cormorants, chough
Chough
The Red-billed Chough or Chough , Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, is a bird in the crow family; it is one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax...
s and tern
Tern
Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae . They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks...
s are current inhabitants too.
Duvillaun Mor, which lies only a kilometer or so off Falmore at the southern tip of the Mullet Peninsula, has monastic remains which most likely date from the Early Christian period - i.e. 6th to 8th century AD, similar to the archaeological remains on Inishkea south and on Inishglora. There is a Gallerus type oratory similar to that on Inishglora, a tomb with large stone slabs, one of which is inscribed with a depiction of the crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
. There are also some beehive huts
Beehive house
A beehive house is a building made from a circle of stones topped with a domed roof. The name comes from the similarity in shape to a straw beehive.The ancient Bantu used this type of house, which was made with mud, poles, and cow dung....
of a similar type to those on Inishglora. Unlike those on Inishglora, there is no 'saint' or religious house affiliated with the islands. The tomb is known as 'Uaimh na Naoimh' (The Saint's tomb).