Oileán Ruaidh
island in County Donegal, Ireland
Oileán Ruaidh (Irish: red island), anglicised as Island Roy, also called Oileán an Bhráighe (Irish: island of the captive), is a small island in Mulroy Bay, County Donegal, Ireland.
Geography
Oileán Ruaidh is low lying, gravel-based, and occupies 91.46 acres (37.01 ha; 0.14291 sq mi). It has green fields, abundant growth of seaweed - used for healthy bathing - and the landscape has views of Rossapenna's sand-dunes, the surrounding Mulroy coastline, and the Donegal hills.
The island is located approximately 3.5 miles from the mainland villages of Downings and Carrigart.
Etymology
The island was formerly known as Oileán an Bhráighe, meaning 'island of the prisoners,' which is its official name. It formerly had links with Doe Castle on Rossapenna, so this probably explains the origin of that name.
The present name, Oileán Ruaidh, means 'red island,' so called for the vibrant rusty colour of the vegetation in winter. The English name, 'Island Roy' is an anglicisation created by surveyors in the 19th century.
History
There has been continuous settlement here for several hundred if not thousands of years, and most of the island's residents are descended from original settlers.
The island faced desertion in the early 19th century when Lord Leitrim sought to banish his tenants and put the island's pastures to use for cattle grazing.
The public source identifies “Oileán Ruaidh” as island in County Donegal, Ireland. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Oileán, Ruaidh and island.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Oileán Ruaidh”, the useful work is to connect “island in County Donegal, Ireland” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7081481. Authority coordinates are 55.189, -7.794. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Three-step research path
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This entry incorporates text from “Oileán Ruaidh” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.