Whiddy Island

Whiddy Island ( _ga. Oileán Faoide) is an island off Bantry Bay, Ireland. It is about 3.5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. As late as 1880 it had a resident population of around 450, mainly engaged in fishing and small-scale farming. It currently has a permanent, resident population of around 20 people, although there are many visitors in the tourist season.

The island is linked to the mainland by the Ocean Star ferry, which runs return trips several times a day, in summer cruises around the island are also available.

The Island also offers self-catering accommodation, in the form of several restored traditional Island Cottages. Information is available on request.

There is also a pub/restaurant, The Bank House, on the island near the pier, which caters for the needs of locals and visitors.

Historical Information

In the last few months of World War I, it was the site of a US naval air station. The US Navy's Air Wing established a seaplane base which was on the western end of Whiddy Island and became operational on 25 September 1918 when the first two planes arrived. They controlled an area around Fastnet. One of the planes crashed on the 22nd. October 1918 killing one. The base had an operational radio station receiving messages from as far as The US and Russia. Five planes were based in Whiddy. With the end of the War in November 1918 the rational ended and the station closed in January 1919.The following planes were based in Whiddy 1918:
*H16s, Nos. A1072 (crashed 22 October 1918 killing one airman),
*A1078, A1084, A3466, A4047, A4048, these were the pusher type of aircraft with the engine and propellor behind the pilot.
*The H16 "Large America", planes were made by Curtiss, at Buffalo, New York. They were 46ft. long, a wing span of 95ft two 400h.p. Liberty 12 engines, four Lewis machine guns a bomb load of four 230 pounders a crew of five consisting of a pilot, two observers, a mechanic and a wireless operator.

It is the site of a large oil terminal constructed in the late 1960s by Gulf Oil.

On Monday, January 8, 1979 a French oil tanker, the "Betelgeuse", was unloading a cargo of crude oil at the oil terminal when it exploded. The blast and subsequent fire killed 50 people. This was known as the Betelgeuse incident and is considered to be the worst maritime disaster in Irish history. The terminal, which had been operational since 1969, was never fully repaired. It was transferred to the Irish government in 1986 after which it was used to hold the Irish strategic oil reserve.

Archaeology

* Early Ecclesiastical Enclosure, Kilmore
* Protestant Graveyard, Kilmore
* Holy Well, Kilmore
* Redoubts, Reenavanny built 1806/1807 for 100 - 150 men 8 - 12 guns
* Tower House, Reenavanny Castle of O'Sullivan Bere collapsed in storm 1920

Townlands

* Crowangle
* Reenahunnick
* Kilmore
* Rathcool
* Reenavanny
* Close
* Tranaha
* Gorraha
* Traggabrandy

References

* Paddy O'Keeffe, the noted Bantry antiquarian's papers are deposited at the Cork City and County Archives, and there are papers relating to Whiddy, the pilchard industry, churches, land tenure and agriculture in Box 7, item 23