Economy in Inis Meain

The islanders live primarilly from farming, fishing and knitwear. The tourist season peaks in the summer but the island is beautiful to visit at any time of the year and there is always a trickle of people coming and going.

The local potatoes are grown in sandy soil and have a particular taste of their own. As the land is very rocky there are no mechanical methds of farming employed and in the Spring you will see the farmers turning the fields manually. Some of them are very skillful and you will be surprised at the eveness of the furrows. The favoured fertiliser is seaweed and in February and March the fields are heaped with black fucus vesiculosis - organic farming is a way of life here not a fad!

The local fishermen fish for monkfish, salmon and lobster among many other species that are commonly found off the west coast. Mackerel, Pollock, Johnny Dory and Cod are often to be found.

Many of the islanders take visitors and accomodation costs are surprisingly cheap for Ireland.

There is a small factory on the island producing designer knitwear based on local traditional patterns and styles. The factory has a shop with incredible bargains for these luxury goods. The factory has a website at www.inismeain.ie