Lifestyle

Turkfest: Ireland's little festival with a big heart – a photo essay


Inishturk is an island nine miles off the coast of County Mayo in west Ireland, midway between Clare Island and Inishbofin. It is just three miles long and two miles wide, a 490-million-year-old schist and slate rock that rises out of the North Atlantic.

The island is known for its views over the mountain ranges on the mainland, stretching from the Twelves Bens and Maamturks of Connemara, north to Clare Island, Achill and the Nephins; for its secluded beaches such as Tranaun and Curran; and its colonies of cliff-nesting fulmars and auks, as well as choughs, wheatears, plovers, and puffins.

The economy of Inishturk is based on “a bit of farming and a bit of fishing. That’s enough to get by”, according to Pete Faherty who was born on the island in 1954. There are also a number of state-funded initiatives to stimulate the rural economy, including environmental maintenance and staffing for Inishturk community club. Former island nurse Helen says: ‘‘It’s a slower pace, but it’s labour intensive so your day is filled.” Her husband Jack was born on the mainland and was rowed out to the island as a newborn 70 years ago.

Inishturk



Inishturk



  • Packie O’Toole (left), a lifelong resident, makes a model currach as a gift for the outgoing ferryman; Eamon Heanue is a farmer, fisherman and father of three

The island has been inhabited on and off since 4000BC, and permanently since around 1700. Local historian Paddy O’Toole recently told Roads & Kingdoms magazine that “600 people lived here before the Great Famine but from 1841 to 1851 more than 400 died or left the island, many fleeing Ireland. The population never recovered.” Today there are 54 permanent residents. There is concern among the islanders, however, that essential services may be at risk if the population continues to decline.

Eamon Heanue, a farmer, fisherman and father of three young children, says: “The kind of pattern that has been happening here is when your kids get to secondary school age they have to go across to the mainland … and they are kind of gone from you then after that age. The primary school has low numbers now. There have been three children, but I believe those three are going to be leaving after the summer. If they close the school will they reopen it again in a couple of years time? I don’t know.”

Inishturk



Inishturk



In an effort to develop more opportunities and income on the island, which may encourage more families to settle, the islanders are looking to tourism. Phylomena Heaney runs one of the island’s three B&Bs, Tranaun House, as well as opening the island’s post office for two afternoons a week.

James has been bringing two boat loads of people to and from the island seven days a week for the last four years. The ferry represents the only regular link to the mainland, and the crossing takes an hour. Before it started operating in 1997, people had to make the journey in fishing boats.

Inishturk



Though they embrace tourism, the islanders are careful to protect their culture and identity. According to resident Bernard Heaney: “People come to an island to see an island. Turk is nice because not everybody is in tourism, they are in fishing and farming and doing their own thing. Some busier islands can feel like an extension of the mainland. Most people come to our island because they want to talk to the locals.”

Inishturk



However, for one weekend of the year, the population grows fivefold, when the island throws open its doors to 200 young revellers. Turkfest, held over the second weekend in June since 2013 (but now every other year from 2017), is “an exploration of craic and island adventure” with a core aim of highlighting one of Ireland’s most resilient island communities, according to its organisers Fionn Kidney, Aoife McElwain and Conor Wilson.

Inishturk



Inishturk



The island is transformed into a natural theatre that plays host to beach barbecues, lobster pot stages, and music venues. The Inishturk community club, which is the social hub of the island year round, extends its hospitality to the guests, and a “glampsite” of 12 bell tents is set up by the islanders on one of the few areas of flat land.

Inishturk



The islanders assemble stages and catch fish and lobsters to feed the visitors, as well as helping to lay on extra ferries. “Everybody pulls together and gets it done. That exchange and the support from the islanders is integral to Turkfest,” says volunteer Daithi. Islanders and guests alike “put the headphones on and go mad”, according to islander Jack during the silent disco which forms one part of the broad musical programme.

Turkfesters also learn skills, such as how to catch and prepare fish. Other events see festivalgoers making the most of the island’s dark skies with guided tours of the cosmos.

Inishturk



Coming mostly from Dublin, Cork and London, the festivalgoers bring with them aspects of their urban lives that are otherwise not readily available on the island, such as primal scream yoga, fermentation classes and tap-dancing. “It could be a clash of cultures but it’s more a meeting of minds” says Emma, a returning guest from London. Many guests have returned every year since the first festival and have formed ongoing relationships with the islanders.

Inishturk



A highlight of the weekend’s festivities is the GAA football match, which takes place on a pitch laid out in a natural arena of rocky hills. Islanders compete against the “blow-ins” in a game that is competitive but cordial.

Inishturk



This year’s match was won by the blow-ins but only after the odds had been sufficiently stacked against the residents by loading the field with almost twice as many players on the visiting team. “The island lads and the Turkfest crew all mixing together and having a bit of fun – it’s great,” says Robert, who lives on the island and is responsible for purifying the drinking water.

Turkfest comes to a close on the Sunday evening with the spectacle of road boules. Two teams comprised of a mix of islanders and visitors compete to see which can throw a boule around the distance of the island’s only road in the fewest possible throws. Islander Brendon O’Toole says ‘‘Turkfest is brilliant. It’s a long winter and you can see here how happy the locals are to have these people here.” Turkfester James says: ‘‘The islanders are not only hosting us, they’re also the life and soul of the party.”

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The festivalgoers are part a growing trend of respectful tourism that seeks to leave no trace that that they were ever on the island. This philosophy ensures there is mutual appreciation between the partygoers and the residents. Eamon says that after the guests leave, “the island is exactly as it was … as if nothing has happened.”

Though the island faces difficulties in terms of sustaining its population, the islanders continue to believe that “tourism gives a chance for other people to come, as well as creating jobs to keep people here”.

Stephen Young, who works remotely as a graphic designer, says of his experience moving to the island with his wife Maggie from Bath in 2015: “Inishturk is a small community with a big heart, you will find no better welcome anywhere.”

With a steady flow of Woofers, foreign nationals and seasonal workers, there are reasons to believe that this beautiful island will continue to provide a home to people for generations to come. For now though, the islanders need a chance to recuperate. Mary Anne O’Toole, who hosts Turkfesters, says “after the storm, there is a calm – and a big one”.

The next Turkfest is in June 2021. Tickets cost €135 to non-islanders, which includes access to music, classes and workshops; other activities cost extra. O’Malley Ferries operates daily all-year round between Inishturk and Roonagh pier, which is 6km from Louisburgh, Co Mayo. From 1 May to 30 September, it operates two daily crossings in each direction, full fare €9 return, students and children 5-18 €6, under fives and pensioners with Irish travel pass free

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