Lettermullen Leitir Mealláin | |
|---|---|
Village | |
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  Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates:53°14′38″N9°43′34″W / 53.244°N 9.726°W /53.244; -9.726 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Connacht |
| County | County Galway |
| Elevation | 1 m (3 ft) |
| Population (2022)[1] | |
• Total | 214 |
| Irish Grid Reference | L848522 |
Lettermullen, (Irish:Leitir Mealláin, meaning 'Mealláin's rough hillside' or possibly "the hill with the mill"), is a small island and village on the coast of southernConnemara inCounty Galway,Ireland. It is about 58 km (36 mi) west ofGalway city, at the far western end ofGalway Bay, Lettermullen is the westernmost of three islands; Lettermullen,Gorumna andLettermore, along with smaller islands collectively known asCeantar na nOileán ("District of the Islands") connected to the mainland by the bridges and causeways of R374.[2]
Lettermullen is in the parish of Kilcummin, barony of Moycullen, and province of Connaught. It forms one side of Kiegall Bay, and its northern end is part of the shore of Casheen Bay. The island comprises about 100 hectares (250 acres) of arable and pasture land. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in herring and cod fisheries and in the collection of seaweed for manure. Lettermullen is connected to the islands ofDinish, Furnish, Inisherk and An Crappagh.
The northern third of Lettermullan is composed of the same intrusiveDevonian-agedgranite underlying most of Galway that formed from crustal melting as a result of theCaledonian Orogeny in the lateSilurian. The remainder of the island is made up ofOrdovician-aged bedrock ofsedimentary marine rocks andbasalt.[3]
Lettermullen is part of theGaeltacht (Irish-speaking region of Ireland) and Irish is the most common spoken language. Accordingly, its official name isLeitir Mealláin.[4]
A very well preserved Signal Station is situated near Golam Head. These stations were built all along the Irish coast by the British from 1804 to 1806 to monitor for maritime invasions.
A picturesque cemetery is situated just south of R374 immediately after you cross the bridge from Gorumna to Lettermullen.
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| Source:Central Statistics Office."CNA17: Population by Off Shore Island, Sex and Year".CSO.ie. Retrieved12 October 2016. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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