Oileáin Chóplainn | |
|---|---|
 The Copeland Islands seen from a ferry | |
  Copeland Islands  Copeland Islands  Copeland Islands | |
| Etymology | Named from the de Coupland family, or from Old NorseKaupmanneyjar, "merchant islands" |
| Geography | |
| Location | North Channel |
| Coordinates | 54°40′29″N5°31′44″W / 54.6746°N 5.5289°W /54.6746; -5.5289 |
| Archipelago | Offshore islands of Ireland |
| Total islands | 3 |
| Major islands | Lighthouse Island, Copeland Island, Mew Island |
| Area | 392.25 acres (158.74 ha)[1] |
| Administration | |
| Constituent country | Northern Ireland |
| County | County Down |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| • Summer (DST) | |
TheCopeland Islands is a group of three islands in the northIrish Sea, north ofDonaghadee,County Down,Northern Ireland, consisting ofLighthouse Island (also known asOld Island),Copeland Island (also known asBig Island) andMew Island. They lie within thecivil parish ofBangor.[2]
Along withLambay Island andIreland's Eye offCounty Dublin, the islands are the only other one of the 258 sometime inhabited islands ofIreland which lie on the east coast.[3]
The Copeland Islands most likely derive their name from the de Coupland family, who settled in theNewtownards area, at the northern end of theArds Peninsula, along with otherNormans in the 12th century.[2] This family also lent their name to other landmarks in the vicinity such as Copeland Water nearCarrickfergus and the townland of Ballycopeland in the civil parish of Donaghadee.[2]
The earliest possible recorded name for the islands, however, may be theOld NorseKaupmanneyjar (kaupmann meaning 'merchant' andey meaning 'island'), recorded in the NorseHakonar Saga Gamla, and dated to 1230.[2] 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.[2]
The originalIrish name for the islands is unknown. However, it has been suggested that the 1570s usage of 'Helaine Harr[o]n[e]' may be an attempt at Anglicising theIrish nameOileáin Árann (island of the (kidney-shaped) ridge).[2] The modern Irish name, however, is aGaelicisation of Copeland Islands intoOileáin Chóplainn.[2][4]
There are three islands included in the Copeland Islands: the Great Copeland Island (also known as Big Island or Copeland Island), the Lighthouse Island (also known as Old Island, which does not have a lighthouse now), and Mew Island, which does have a lighthouse. Over a century ago, Lighthouse Island had a population of about 100, including a school master with 28 pupils.
In 1671, James Ross obtained afee farm grant of the islands, and in 1770 David Kerr bought them fromThe 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil (by thesecond creation). As the islands were a danger to ships, a light beacon was made on Lighthouse Island (also known as Old Island or 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 byArnold Benington.[5]
Hans Sloane visited the islands and noted howhow the sea wrens [sic] laid their eggs on the ground so thick that they had difficulty in passing along without treading on them while the birds screamed overhead.[6]
Until the 20th century, the islands were used by smugglers who brought tobacco and spirits through the islands and intoCounty Down.[2]
Copeland Islands ASSI is located off the County Down coast of Northern Ireland and comprises The Great Copeland, Lighthouse Island and Mew Island. The islands are important sites for breedingseabirds andwaders, in addition to their coastalplant communities andgeological features.[7]
Big Copeland supports the most diverse range ofhabitats of the three islands. Communities influenced by the sea are found around the shore with maritimecliff vegetation and pockets ofsalt marsh also present. The centre of the island is occupied by semi-improved wet grassland with frequent areas ofmarsh.[7]
The vegetation on Light House Island consists of shortrabbit grazed turf with large areas of rank bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) and Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera).[8] Notable species include English stonecrop (Sedum anglicum), rock sea-spurrey (Spergularia rupicola),[8] Scots lovage (Ligusticum scoticum) and sea purslane (Halimione portulacoides). Lighthouse Island represents the southern limit for Scots lovage inEurope and the northern limit for sea purslane inIreland. Other plants on the islands includeHyacinthoides non-scripta,Hyacinthoides hispanica,Dactylorhiza purpurella andCentaurium erythraea.[9][7]
Mew Island is dominated by rank stands of grass and bracken but, as on all the islands, notable areas of inter-tidal and exposed rock habitat are present.[7]
The marine algae of the Lighthouse Island and the Mew Islands was studied in 1975 and the 56 species, or genera, identified were listed and published.[10]
Nineteen species of lichens were collected in 1984, the identifications were confirmed or corrected by Dr A Fletcher. As far as is known these are the only records of lichens from the Lighthouse Island.[11]
The islands are internationally important sites for breeding populations ofManx shearwater andArctic tern and nationally important sites for breedingMediterranean gull,common gull andcommon eider. The Manx shearwater colony on Copeland Islands holds more than 1.7% of the world population. The colony is in excess of four thousand pairs. Therabbit populations on the islands play an important role in the breeding success of the Manx shearwater as the latter mainly nest in the rabbit burrows that honeycomb the islands. Grazing by rabbits maintains a short sward, which is desirable for the fledglings.[7]
Great Copeland has an internationally importantArctic tern colony, with some 550 pairs. The site now represents the largest colony for this species in Ireland. Mew Island has been an important tern colony in the past and it is hoped that positive management will encourage terns to become re-established. The islands are the most important breeding sites in Northern Ireland for common gull with over 250 pairs present. Big Copeland has recently held Northern Ireland's first successful breeding pair of Mediterranean gull. The islands are home to a nationally important population of breeding eider duck. In total the three islands account for 14% of the Irish population. Non-breeding eider form part of the nationally important population that occurs along the Outer Ards coast andBelfast Lough areas.[7]
Other breeding colonies of note includeblack guillemot,water rail andstock dove. The latter species has suffered a dramatic decline inNorthern Ireland, but numbers have increased on Copeland with some 100 pairs now breeding. Breeding waders such aslapwing andsnipe may be found further inland. Here the taller vegetation, interspersed with open areas, provides an ideal breeding habitat. Birds of prey favour the islands when the breeding season is over.Hen harrier,sparrowhawk,buzzard,kestrel,merlin andperegrine falcon are all seen regularly.[7]
Mammals, such as thegrey seal,common seal,harbour porpoise,bottlenose dolphin,common minke whale,common dolphin andotter have been reported from the Copeland Islands.[12]
Lepidoptera have also been recorded. 19 species of butterflies, 31 species of macro-Lepidoptera and three species of micro-Lepidoptera.[13]
A beetle new to Northern Ireland was recorded in 2013:Diplapion confluens (Kirby).[14]
_-_geograph.org.uk_-_454449.jpg)
A light station was established on Lighthouse Island in the early 18th century and a lighthouse built in 1815. It has been inactive since 1884, when the lighthouse was abandoned in favour of theMew Island Lighthouse, but the ruined stump of the 16 m (52 ft) stone tower remains. The ruins of the keeper's house have been rebuilt to house a bird observatory. The island is now owned by theNational Trust and operated by the volunteer members of theCopeland Bird Observatory.[15]
The Mew Island Lighthouse is currently active, and was converted to automatic operation with the lighthouse keepers permanently withdrawn in 1996.[16]
On 31 January 1953,Princess Victoria, aBritish Transport Commission ferry sailing fromStranraer toLarne, sank off the Copeland Islands in a heavy storm with the loss of 135 lives.[17]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.