Tory’s biggest employer, Óstan Thóraigh has been at the centre of island life since the late 1800s, when thefamily ran it as a hotel and general store, supplying everything from salted fish to marine chandlery.
It traded with passing ships while people from what Tory islanders call “the country” – the mainland – made regular shopping trips to the hotel over the decade. In the decades since, it been a favourite for artists and nature-lovers. The only access to the island is by ferry and each crossing takes about an hour. The ferry runs four times daily during the summer season and twice daily during the winter months.Tory Island, which is part of the Donegal Gaeltacht and has one of the highest rates of native speakers anywhere in Ireland, has a permanent population of 140, but that doubles in the summer.