Mayo island building network on mainland for students

A MAYO island is hoping to build a support network for students attending secondary school on the mainland.

Inishturk is seeking host families in Westport and Louisburgh while also building a support network for island students.

In a social media appeal, they have reached out to the extended Inishturk community to see if anyone in Westport might be interested in hosting a secondary school student during term time (January to May 2026).

This would be weekdays only (Monday to Friday), with the student returning home to the island for weekends, bank holidays and school breaks.

If you, or someone you know in Westport, might be open to offering a warm and supportive home during the school week, they'd love to hear from you.

The Inishturk Island Facebook post explained how the community are looking further into the future, be planning for the years ahead: “We are also beginning to build a database of potential host families in both Westport and Louisburgh to help island families plan for the years ahead. Even if hosting doesn’t suit you this year, we would really encourage you to register your interest in being included on this list for the future.”

If you are interested or would like to know more, please contact Sinéad Cahalan by email at development@inishturkisland.ie.

“Your support makes a huge difference to island families and helps our young people stay connected to both their education and their home.”