Island, Mainland, and the Space Between: The Role of Geography in Shaping Community Historical Trajectories of 19th and 20th Century Ireland

Summary

This study looks at the relationship between geographical ‘islandness’ and community formation in Western Ireland. In this paper we investigate to what degree geography shapes the social, economic and political experiences of a community. Furthermore, we examine to what extent these elements of community composition strengthen or diminish their influence on each other. We compare the 19th and 20th century island communities of Inishbofin and Inishark, Co. Galway against the complementary mainland townlands of Streamstown, Co. Galway and the Killary, Co. Mayo. This paper traces the extent to which social dynamics (community constitution and development through time), degree of political engagement (local implementation of regional and national policy), and economic opportunity (types of local industry and extent of trade network) impact development on island communities in relation to these mainland counterparts. Using historical documents, archaeological excavation and survey data, as well as digital mapping, this comparative study shows how communities of similar historical composition, but with varying geographic situations, can result in different social, political, and economic mentalities which ultimately shaped the experience and development of the present day island and mainland communities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Living at the Margins: Archaeological and Ethnographic Research on Post-Eighteenth-Century Irish and Scottish Rural Life

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16881