Lielirbe

Lielirbe (Livonian: Īra) is a populated place in Tārgale Parish, Ventspils Municipality, Latvia. It is one of the twelve Livonian villages on Līvõd rānda - the Livonian Coast. The name from Latvian translates to 'Great Irbe (River)', since the Irbe flows in to the Baltic Sea at the village.

Lielirbe Livonian: Īra
Village
Village pier
Lielirbe Location in Latvia
Coordinates: 57°37′08″N 22°06′24″E
Country	Latvia
Municipality	Ventspils Municipality
Parish	Tārgale Parish
First mentioned	1387
Elevation	13 ft (4 m)
Population  (2015)
• Total	4
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

Most homes in the village are not inhabited year-round after the Livonian Coast was made into a closed border area of the Iron Curtain for fifty years during the Soviet occupation of Latvia.

Notable people

Born in Lielirbe:

• Mārtiņš Lepste (Livonian: Maŗt Lepst ) (1881-1958) — Livonian sailor and teacher on the Liv coast in 1923–1938, chairman of the Livonian Union in 1924–1933.^[1]
• Didriķis Blūms (1893-1970) — conductor of Lielirbe choir.
• Emīlija Rulle (1910-1989) — a poet.
• Valda Blūma-Šuvcāne (1923-2007) — researcher of the Livonian culture and history.