Lambay Island (Irish: Reachrainn), often simply Lambay (, LAM-bay), is an island in the Irish Sea off the coast of north County Dublin, Ireland. The largest island off the east coast of Ireland, it is four kilometres (two nautical miles) offshore from the headland at Portrane, and is the easternmost point of the province of Leinster. Of volcanic origin, it has been inhabited since the prehistoric period and has been the subject of multiple archaeological studies. Lambay has notable populations of seabirds, a range of local fauna, some not found elsewhere in Ireland, and a colony of wallabies, as well as more than 300 plant varieties, and was the subject of major studies of flora and birds, and a major multidisciplinary study of flora and fauna between 1905 and 1907. The island is privately owned by a trust for members of certain branches of the Baring family and managed by the current Baron Revelstoke. It has a very small permanent population and few buildings but hosts some day visitors and short-stay guests, and there is a working farm.
Etymology The name 'Lambay' comes from Old Norse Lamb ey meaning "lamb island". The name probably originated from the practice of sending ewes to the island in Spring so they could lamb in a predator-free environment. A similar place name is Lamba in Shetland. The Irish name for the island is Reachrainn, which is also the Irish name for Rathlin Island. The coastal settlement of Portrane faces Lambay and its name comes from Port Reachrann, the "port of Reachrainn".
Geography Lambay Island is the largest island off the east coast of Ireland. It covers about 2.5 km2 (0.97 sq mi). The highest point – a hill known as Knockbane – rises to 126 m (413 ft). The island's high ground lies to the east and aside from Knockbane includes Heath Hill and Tinian Hill, and in the extreme northeast, Pilot's Hill. Steep cliffs lie along the northern, eastern, and southern coasts of the island, while the western side has low-lying land and gentle slopes. Due to the island's topography and exposure to weather, the western shore is where almost all of the island's buildings are located – the Castle, coastguard cottages and guest residences, and the Catholic chapel – as well as the only harbour, while two cottages exist on hillier ground. The island has eight named bays and a few narrow inlets, and the easternmost point is Lambay Head. The bays are, running counter-clockwise from the harbour, Talbot's Bay, named for a former owner, Carnoon Bay, Bishop's Bay, Sunk Island Bay, Tayleur Bay, Freshwater Bay, Saltpan Bay and Broad Bay. Inlets include Seal Hole. There is a sandy beach by the harbour, and several small rocky strands on the steeper coasts.
Geology The island is of volcanic origin, and its basic geology is Lambay Volcanic Formation, mostly igneous rocks. Bedrock is a mix of andesite, tuff (from volcanic ash) and mudstone, as well as breccia, but there are beds of shales and limestones also, and loamy soil. The andesite, present across the whole area of Lambay, is primarily of the specific type Lambay porphyry.
Hydrology A small number of wells, springs and small streams are fed by aquifers, topped up by rainfall and so varying seasonally. The wells include Trinity Well near the peak of Knockbane, and Raven Well near the central-eastern cliffs; there was also historically a spring near Raven's Well, another near the castle, and a well near Carnoon Bay. A small stream flows down into Carnoon Bay and a slightly larger into Freshwater Bay. There was also a stream to Seal Hole, which at least once had three rivulets meeting, one from Raven Well and two from marshy patches nearby, and finally, there was a flow from the vicinity of the castle to the sea near the harbour.
Demographics The island of Ireland has 258 sometime-inhabited islands but Lambay is one of only five of these which lie off the eastern coast. The Copeland Islands off the coast of County Down are the only other islands off the east coast which remain inhabited as of 2020. The population has ranged from reports of over 140 to as few as 3. The table below reports data on Lambay's population taken from Discover the Islands of Ireland (Alex Ritsema, Collins Press, 1999) and the census of Ireland. Census data in Ireland before 1841 are not considered complete and/or reliable.
Administration and designations Lambay Island forms a townland in the civil parish of Portraine, in the barony of Nethercross, within the modern county of Fingal and in the traditional County Dublin. For electoral purposes, it is in the electoral division of Donabate, within the Swords ward for local authority polls, and the Dublin Fingal constituency for national elections. The island, a Natura-2000 site, has both Special Protection Area (SPA) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC) designations, as well as being a pNHA. The island is also wholly enclosed by the Rockabill to Dalkey Island SAC which references reef communities and harbour porpoises. There are, as of 2020, 26 National Monuments (sites on the Record of Monuments and Places), and one possible site.
Flora and fauna The island was discovered to hold 90 species not seen elsewhere in Ireland, and 5 new to science, when studied in 1905–1906.
Flora The island is home to 308 plant types. However, surveys have found that 33 are invasive species that have arisen as weeds from agriculture or horticulture.
Fauna
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