Aughinish, County Limerick

This article is about the peninsula in County Limerick. For the island in County Clare, see Aughinish, County Clare.

Aughinish
As seen from Kildysart.
Interactive map of Aughinish
Administration
Ireland

Aughinish is a former island (now peninsula) in the Shannon estuary, in County Limerick, Ireland, near Foynes.

Rusal Aughinish, Europe's largest bauxite refinery, is located on the island, and was completed on 9 October 1971. The site includes a deep-water jetty in the Shannon through which the refinery imports bauxite from Guinea and Brazil and exports alumina to be refined into aluminium metal. Adjacent to the refinery is a 450-acre disposal area for bauxite residue, also called "red mud".

Although most of the island is occupied by industry, it is also the site of Ireland's first butterfly sanctuary, located in an abandoned quarry.

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