fbpx
Wikipedia

Hebrides

May 03, 2023

For other uses, see Hebrides (disambiguation).

The Hebrides (/ˈhɛbrɪdiːz/; Scottish Gaelic: Innse Gall, pronounced [ˈĩːʃə ˈkaul̪ˠ]; Old Norse: Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebrides.

These islands have a long history of occupation (dating back to the Mesolithic period), and the culture of the inhabitants has been successively influenced by the cultures of Celtic-speaking, Norse-speaking, and English-speaking peoples. This diversity is reflected in the various names given to the islands, which are derived from the different languages that have been spoken there at various points in their history.

The Hebrides are where much of Scottish Gaelic literature and Gaelic music has historically originated. Today, the economy of the islands is dependent on crofting, fishing, tourism, the oil industry, and renewable energy. The Hebrides have less biodiversity than mainland Scotland, but a significant number of seals and seabirds.

The islands have a combined area of 7,285 km2 (2,813 sq mi), and, as of 2011, a combined population of around 45,000.[1]

Geology, geography and climate

Main articles: List of Inner Hebrides and List of Outer Hebrides

The Hebrides have a diverse geology, ranging in age from Precambrian strata that are amongst the oldest rocks in Europe, to Paleogene igneous intrusions.[2][3][Note 1] Raised shore platforms in the Hebrides have been identified as strandflats, possibly formed during the Pliocene period and later modified by the Quaternary glaciations.[4]

The Hebrides can be divided into two main groups, separated from one another by the Minch to the north and the Sea of the Hebrides to the south. The Inner Hebrides lie closer to mainland Scotland and include Islay, Jura, Skye, Mull, Raasay, Staffa and the Small Isles. There are 36 inhabited islands in this group. The Outer Hebrides form a chain of more than 100 islands and small skerries located about 70 km (45 mi) west of mainland Scotland. Among them, 15 are inhabited. The main inhabited islands include Lewis and Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, and Barra.

A complication is that there are various descriptions of the scope of the Hebrides. The Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland describes the Inner Hebrides as lying "east of the Minch". This definition would encompass all offshore islands, including those that lie in the sea lochs, such as Eilean Bàn and Eilean Donan, which might not ordinarily be described as "Hebridean". However, no formal definition exists.[5][6]

In the past, the Outer Hebrides were often referred to as the Long Isle (Scottish Gaelic: An t-Eilean Fada). Today, they are also sometimes known as the Western Isles, although this phrase can also be used to refer to the Hebrides in general.[Note 2]

The Hebrides have a cool, temperate climate that is remarkably mild and steady for such a northerly latitude, due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. In the Outer Hebrides, the average temperature is 6 °C (44 °F) in January and 14 °C (57 °F) in the summer. The average annual rainfall in Lewis is 1,100 mm (43 in), and there are between 1,100 and 1,200 hours of sunshine per annum (13%). The summer days are relatively long, and May through August is the driest period.[8]

Etymology

The earliest surviving written references to the islands were made circa 77 AD by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History: He states that there are 30 Hebudes, and makes a separate reference to Dumna, which Watson (1926) concluded refers unequivocally to the Outer Hebrides. About 80 years after Pliny the Elder, in 140–150 AD, Ptolemy (drawing on accounts of the naval expeditions of Agricola) writes that there are five Ebudes (possibly meaning the Inner Hebrides) and Dumna.[9][10][11] Later texts in classical Latin, by writers such as Solinus, use the forms Hebudes and Hæbudes.[12]

The name Ebudes (used by Ptolemy) may be pre-Celtic.[11] Ptolemy calls Islay “Epidion”,[13] and the use of the letter "p" suggests a Brythonic or Pictish tribal name, Epidii,[14] because the root is not Gaelic.[15] Woolf (2012) has suggested that Ebudes may be "an Irish attempt to reproduce the word Epidii phonetically, rather than by translating it", and that the tribe's name may come from the root epos, meaning "horse".[16] Watson (1926) also notes a possible relationship between Ebudes, and the ancient Irish Ulaid tribal name Ibdaig, and also the personal name of a king Iubdán (recorded in the Silva Gadelica).[11]

 
South Uist is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides.

The names of other individual islands reflect their complex linguistic history. The majority are Norse or Gaelic, but the roots of several other names for Hebrides islands may have a pre-Celtic origin.[11] Adomnán, a 7th-century abbot of Iona, records Colonsay as Colosus and Tiree as Ethica, and both of these may be pre-Celtic names.[17] The etymology of Skye is complex and may also include a pre-Celtic root.[15] Lewis is Ljoðhús in Old Norse. Various suggestions have been made as to possible meanings of the name in Norse (for example, "song house"),[18] but the name is not of Gaelic origin, and the Norse provenance is questionable.[15]

The earliest comprehensive written list of Hebridean island names was compiled by Donald Monro in 1549. This list also provides the earliest written reference to the names of some of the islands.

The derivations of all the inhabited islands of the Hebrides and some of the larger uninhabited ones are listed below.

Outer Hebrides

Lewis and Harris is the largest island in Scotland and the third largest of the British Isles, after Great Britain and Ireland.[19] It incorporates Lewis in the north and Harris in the south, both of which are frequently referred to as individual islands, although they are joined by a land border. The island does not have a single common name in either English or Gaelic and is referred to as "Lewis and Harris", "Lewis with Harris", "Harris with Lewis" etc. For this reason it is treated as two separate islands below.[20] The derivation of Lewis may be pre-Celtic (see above) and the origin of Harris is no less problematic. In the Ravenna Cosmography, Erimon may refer to Harris[21] (or possibly the Outer Hebrides as a whole). This word may derive from the Ancient Greek: ἐρῆμος (erimos "desert".[22] The origin of Uist (Old Norse: Ívist) is similarly unclear.[15]

Island Derivation Language Meaning Munro (1549) Modern Gaelic name Alternative Derivations
Baleshare Am Baile Sear Gaelic east town[23] Baile Sear
Barra Barrøy Norse Finbar's island[24] Barray Barraigh
Benbecula Peighinn nam Fadhla Gaelic pennyland of the fords[25] Beinn nam Fadhla "little mountain of the ford" or "herdsman's mountain"[23]
Berneray Bjarnarøy Norse Bjorn's island[25] Beàrnaraigh bear island[23]
Eriskay Uruisg Gaelic goblin island[23] Eriskeray Èirisgeigh Erik's island[23][26]
Flodaigh Norse float island[27] Flodaigh
Fraoch-eilean Gaelic heather island Fraoch-eilean
Great Bernera Bjarnarøy Norse Bjorn's island[28] Berneray-Moir Beàrnaraigh Mòr bear island[28]
Grimsay[Note 3] Norse Grim's island[23] Griomasaigh
Grimsay[Note 4] Norse Grim's island[23] Griomasaigh
Harris Erimon[21] Ancient Greek? desert Harrey na Hearadh Ptolemy's Adru. In Old Norse (and in modern Icelandic), a Hérað is a type of administrative district.[29] Alternatives are the Norse haerri, meaning "hills" and Gaelic na h-airdibh meaning "the heights".[28]
Lewis Limnu Pre-Celtic? marshy Lewis Leòdhas Ptolemy's Limnu is literally "marshy". The Norse Ljoðhús may mean "song house" — see above.[15][29]
North Uist English/Pre-Celtic?[15] Ywst Uibhist a Tuath "Uist" may possibly be "corn island"[30] or "west"[28]
Scalpay Skalprøy Norse scallop island[28] Scalpay of Harray Sgalpaigh na Hearadh
South Uist English/Pre-Celtic? Uibhist a Deas See North Uist
Vatersay Norse water island[31] Wattersay Bhatarsaigh fathers' island, priest island, glove island, wavy island[28]

Inner Hebrides

There are various examples of earlier names for Inner Hebridean islands that were Gaelic, but these names have since been completely replaced. For example, Adomnán records Sainea, Elena, Ommon and Oideacha in the Inner Hebrides. These names presumably passed out of usage in the Norse era, and the locations of the islands they refer to are not clear.[32] As an example of the complexity: Rona may originally have had a Celtic name, then later a similar-sounding Norse name, and then still later a name that was essentially Gaelic again, but with a Norse "øy" or "ey" ending.[33] (See Rona, below.)

Island Derivation Language Meaning Munro (1549) Modern Gaelic name Alternative Derivations
Canna Cana Gaelic porpoise island[34] Kannay Eilean Chanaigh Possibly from Old Irish cana, meaning "wolf-whelp" or Norse kneøy - "knee island"[34]
Coll Colosus Pre-Celtic Colla Possibly from Gaelic coll - a hazel[35]
Colonsay Pre-Celtic[36] Colnansay Colbhasa Norse for "Columba's island"[37]
Danna Norse Unknown[38] Danna
Easdale Eisdcalfe Eilean Èisdeal Eas is "waterfall" in Gaelic and dale is the Norse for "valley".[39] However the combination seems inappropriate for this small island. Also known as Ellenabeich - "island of the birches"[40]
Eigg Eag Gaelic a notch[41] Egga Eige Also called Eilean Nimban More - "island of the powerful women" until the 16th century.[42]
Eilean Bàn Gaelic white isle Naban Eilean Bàn
Eilean dà Mhèinn Gaelic
Eilean Donan Gaelic island of Donnán Eilean Donnain
Eilean Shona Norse sea island[43] Eilean Seòna Adomnán records the pre-Norse Gaelic name of Airthrago - the foreshore isle".[44]
Eilean Tioram Gaelic dry island
Eriska Norse Erik's island[26] Ùruisg
Erraid Possibly Arthràigh Gaelic foreshore island[43] Erray Eilean Earraid
Gigha Guðey[45] Norse "good island" or "God island"[46] Gigay Giogha Various including the Norse Gjáey - "island of the geo" or "cleft", or "Gydha's isle".[47]
Gometra Goðrmaðrey[48] Norse "The good-man's island", or "God-man's island"[48] Gòmastra "Godmund's island".[49]
Isle of Ewe Eubh Gaelic echo Ellan Ew Eilean Iùbh Old Irish: eo - "yew"[50]
Iona Hí Gaelic Possibly "yew-place" Colmkill Ì Chaluim Chille Numerous. Adomnán uses Ioua insula which became "Iona" through misreading.[51]
Islay Pre-Celtic Ila Ìle Various - see above
Jura Dyrøy Norse deer island[52] Duray Diùra Norse: Jurøy - udder island[52]
Kerrera Kjarbarøy Norse Kjarbar's island[53] Cearrara Norse: ciarrøy - "brushwood island"[53] or "copse island"[54]
Lismore Gaelic big garden[55] Lismoir Lios Mòr
Luing Gaelic ship island[56] Lunge An t-Eilean Luinn Norse: lyng - heather island[56] or pre-Celtic[57]
Lunga Langrøy Norse longship isle[58] Lungay Lunga Gaelic long is also "ship"[58]
Muck Eilean nam Muc Gaelic isle of pigs[59] Swynes Ile Eilean nam Muc Eilean nam Muc-mhara- "whale island". John of Fordun recorded it as Helantmok - "isle of swine".[59]
Mull Malaios Pre-Celtic[15] Mull Muile Recorded by Ptolemy as Malaios[13] possibly meaning "lofty isle".[11] In Norse times it became Mýl.[15]
Oronsay Norse ebb island[60] Ornansay Orasaigh Norse: "Oran's island"[37]
Raasay Raasøy Norse roe deer island[61] Raarsay Ratharsair Rossøy - "horse island"[61]
Rona Hraunøy or Rònøy Norse or Gaelic/Norse "rough island" or "seal island" Ronay Rònaigh
Rum Pre-Celtic[62] Ronin Rùm Various including Norse rõm-øy for "wide island" or Gaelic ì-dhruim - "isle of the ridge"[63]
Sanday sandøy Norse sandy island[34] Sandaigh
Scalpay Skalprøy Norse scallop island[64] Scalpay Sgalpaigh Norse: "ship island"[65]
Seil Possibly Sal Probably pre-Celtic[66] "stream"[40] Seill Saoil Gaelic: sealg - "hunting island"[40]
Shuna Unknown Norse Possibly "sea island"[43] Seunay Siuna Gaelic sidhean - "fairy"[67]
Skye Scitis[68] Pre-Celtic? Possibly "winged isle"[69] Skye An t-Eilean Sgitheanach Numerous - see above
Soay So-øy Norse sheep island Soa Urettil Sòdhaigh
Tanera Mor Hawnarøy Norse island of the haven[70] Hawrarymoir(?) Tannara Mòr Brythonic: Thanaros, the thunder god[70]
Tiree Eth, Ethica Possibly pre-Celtic Unknown[17] Tiriodh Norse: Tirvist of unknown meaning and numerous Gaelic versions, some with a possible meaning of "land of corn"[17]
Ulva Ulvøy Norse wolf island[71] Ulbha Ulfr's island[71]

Uninhabited islands

 
Dhu Heartach Lighthouse, During Construction by Sam Bough (1822–1878)

The names of uninhabited islands follow the same general patterns as the inhabited islands. (See the list, below, of the ten largest islands in the Hebrides and their outliers.)

The etymology of the name “St Kilda”, a small archipelago west of the Outer Hebrides, and the name of its main island, “Hirta,” is very complex. No saint is known by the name of Kilda, so various other theories have been proposed for the word's origin, which dates from the late 16th century.[72] Haswell-Smith (2004) notes that the full name "St Kilda" first appears on a Dutch map dated 1666, and that it may derive from the Norse phrase sunt kelda ("sweet wellwater") or from a mistaken Dutch assumption that the spring Tobar Childa was dedicated to a saint. (Tobar Childa is a tautological placename, consisting of the Gaelic and Norse words for well, i.e., "well well").[73] Similarly unclear is the origin of the Gaelic for "Hirta", Hiort, Hirt, or Irt[74] a name for the island that long pre-dates the name "St Kilda". Watson (1926) suggests that it may derive from the Old Irish word hirt ("death"), possibly a reference to the often lethally dangerous surrounding sea.[75] Maclean (1977) notes that an Icelandic saga about an early 13th-century voyage to Ireland refers to “the islands of Hirtir”, which means "stags" in Norse, and suggests that the outline of the island of Hirta resembles the shape of a stag, speculating that therefore the name “Hirta” may be a reference to the island's shape.[76]

The etymology of the names of small islands may be no less complex and elusive. In relation to Dubh Artach, Robert Louis Stevenson believed that "black and dismal" was one translation of the name, noting that "as usual, in Gaelic, it is not the only one."[77]

Island Derivation Language Meaning Munro (1549) Alternatives
Taransay Norse Taran's island[78] Tarandsay
Scarba Norse cormorant island[66] Skarbay
Scarp Skarpoe[79] Norse "barren"[66] or "stony" Scarpe
Pabbay Norse priest island[80] Pabay
Hirta Hirt Possibly Old Irish death Hirta Numerous - see above
Mingulay Mikilay Norse big island[81] Megaly "Main hill island".[82] Murray (1973) states that the name “appropriately means Bird Island”.[83]
Ronay Norse rough island[84]
Sandray Sandray[85] Norse sand island[65] Sanderay
Wiay Norse Possibly "house island"[86]
Ceann Ear Ceann Ear Gaelic east headland

History

Main articles: Inner Hebrides, Outer Hebrides, and History of the Outer Hebrides

Prehistory

The Hebrides were settled during the Mesolithic era around 6500 BC or earlier, after the climatic conditions improved enough to sustain human settlement. Occupation at a site on Rùm is dated to 8590 ±95 uncorrected radiocarbon years BP, which is amongst the oldest evidence of occupation in Scotland.[87][88] There are many examples of structures from the Neolithic period, the finest example being the standing stones at Callanish, dating to the 3rd millennium BC.[89] Cladh Hallan, a Bronze Age settlement on South Uist is the only site in the UK where prehistoric mummies have been found.[90][91]

Celtic era

Main article: Dál Riata

In 55 BC, the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus wrote that there was an island called Hyperborea (which means "beyond the North Wind"), where a round temple stood from which the moon appeared only a little distance above the earth every 19 years. This may have been a reference to the stone circle at Callanish.[92]

A traveller called Demetrius of Tarsus related to Plutarch the tale of an expedition to the west coast of Scotland in or shortly before 83 AD. He stated it was a gloomy journey amongst uninhabited islands, but he had visited one which was the retreat of holy men. He mentioned neither the druids nor the name of the island.[93]

The first written records of native life begin in the 6th century AD, when the founding of the kingdom of Dál Riata took place.[94] This encompassed roughly what is now Argyll and Bute and Lochaber in Scotland and County Antrim in Ireland.[95] The figure of Columba looms large in any history of Dál Riata, and his founding of a monastery on Iona ensured that the kingdom would be of great importance in the spread of Christianity in northern Britain. However, Iona was far from unique. Lismore in the territory of the Cenél Loairn, was sufficiently important for the death of its abbots to be recorded with some frequency and many smaller sites, such as on Eigg, Hinba, and Tiree, are known from the annals.[96]

North of Dál Riata, the Inner and Outer Hebrides were nominally under Pictish control, although the historical record is sparse. Hunter (2000) states that in relation to King Bridei I of the Picts in the sixth century: "As for Shetland, Orkney, Skye and the Western Isles, their inhabitants, most of whom appear to have been Pictish in culture and speech at this time, are likely to have regarded Bridei as a fairly distant presence.”[97]

Norwegian control

 
The Kingdom of the Isles about the year 1100
Main article: Kingdom of the Isles

Viking raids began on Scottish shores towards the end of the 8th century, and the Hebrides came under Norse control and settlement during the ensuing decades, especially following the success of Harald Fairhair at the Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872.[98][99] In the Western Isles Ketill Flatnose may have been the dominant figure of the mid 9th century, by which time he had amassed a substantial island realm and made a variety of alliances with other Norse leaders. These princelings nominally owed allegiance to the Norwegian crown, although in practice the latter's control was fairly limited.[100] Norse control of the Hebrides was formalised in 1098 when Edgar of Scotland formally signed the islands over to Magnus III of Norway.[101] The Scottish acceptance of Magnus III as King of the Isles came after the Norwegian king had conquered Orkney, the Hebrides and the Isle of Man in a swift campaign earlier the same year, directed against the local Norwegian leaders of the various island petty kingdoms. By capturing the islands Magnus imposed a more direct royal control, although at a price. His skald Bjorn Cripplehand recorded that in Lewis "fire played high in the heaven" as "flame spouted from the houses" and that in the Uists "the king dyed his sword red in blood".[101][Note 5]

The Hebrides were now part of the Kingdom of the Isles, whose rulers were themselves vassals of the Kings of Norway. This situation lasted until the partitioning of the Western Isles in 1156, at which time the Outer Hebrides remained under Norwegian control while the Inner Hebrides broke out under Somerled, the Norse-Gael kinsman of the Manx royal house.[103]

Following the ill-fated 1263 expedition of Haakon IV of Norway, the Outer Hebrides and the Isle of Man were yielded to the Kingdom of Scotland as a result of the 1266 Treaty of Perth.[104] Although their contribution to the islands can still be found in personal and place names, the archaeological record of the Norse period is very limited. The best known find is the Lewis chessmen, which date from the mid 12th century.[105]

Scottish control

 
Kisimul Castle, the ancient seat of Clan MacNeil, Castlebay, Barra

As the Norse era drew to a close, the Norse-speaking princes were gradually replaced by Gaelic-speaking clan chiefs including the MacLeods of Lewis and Harris, Clan Donald and MacNeil of Barra.[106][107][Note 6] This transition did little to relieve the islands of internecine strife although by the early 14th century the MacDonald Lords of the Isles, based on Islay, were in theory these chiefs' feudal superiors and managed to exert some control.[111]

The Lords of the Isles ruled the Inner Hebrides as well as part of the Western Highlands as subjects of the King of Scots until John MacDonald, fourth Lord of the Isles, squandered the family's powerful position. A rebellion by his nephew, Alexander of Lochalsh provoked an exasperated James IV to forfeit the family's lands in 1493.[112]

In 1598, King James VI authorised some "Gentleman Adventurers" from Fife to civilise the "most barbarous Isle of Lewis".[113] Initially successful, the colonists were driven out by local forces commanded by Murdoch and Neil MacLeod, who based their forces on Bearasaigh in Loch Ròg. The colonists tried again in 1605 with the same result, but a third attempt in 1607 was more successful and in due course Stornoway became a Burgh of Barony.[113][114] By this time, Lewis was held by the Mackenzies of Kintail (later the Earls of Seaforth), who pursued a more enlightened approach, investing in fishing in particular. The Seaforths' royalist inclinations led to Lewis becoming garrisoned during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms by Cromwell's troops, who destroyed the old castle in Stornoway.[115]

Early British era

 
Clachan Bridge between the mainland of Great Britain and Seil, also known as the "Bridge across the Atlantic", was built in 1792.[116]

With the implementation of the Treaty of Union in 1707, the Hebrides became part of the new Kingdom of Great Britain, but the clans' loyalties to a distant monarch were not strong. A considerable number of islesmen "came out" in support of the Jacobite Earl of Mar in the 1715 and again in the 1745 rising including Macleod of Dunvegan and MacLea of Lismore.[117][118] The aftermath of the decisive Battle of Culloden, which effectively ended Jacobite hopes of a Stuart restoration, was widely felt.[119] The British government's strategy was to estrange the clan chiefs from their kinsmen and turn their descendants into English-speaking landlords whose main concern was the revenues their estates brought rather than the welfare of those who lived on them.[120] This may have brought peace to the islands, but in the following century it came at a terrible price. In the wake of the rebellion, the clan system was broken up and islands of the Hebrides became a series of landed estates.[120][121]

The early 19th century was a time of improvement and population growth. Roads and quays were built; the slate industry became a significant employer on Easdale and surrounding islands; and the construction of the Crinan and Caledonian canals and other engineering works such as Clachan Bridge improved transport and access.[122] However, in the mid-19th century, the inhabitants of many parts of the Hebrides were devastated by the Clearances, which destroyed communities throughout the Highlands and Islands as the human populations were evicted and replaced with sheep farms.[123] The position was exacerbated by the failure of the islands' kelp industry that thrived from the 18th century until the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815[124][125] and large scale emigration became endemic.[126]

As Iain Mac Fhearchair, a Gaelic poet from South Uist, wrote for his countrymen who were obliged to leave the Hebrides in the late 18th century, emigration was the only alternative to "sinking into slavery" as the Gaels had been unfairly dispossessed by rapacious landlords.[127] In the 1880s, the "Battle of the Braes" involved a demonstration against unfair land regulation and eviction, stimulating the calling of the Napier Commission. Disturbances continued until the passing of the 1886 Crofters' Act.[128]

Language

 
Geographic distribution of Gaelic speakers in Scotland (2011)

The residents of the Hebrides have spoken a variety of different languages during the long period of human occupation.

It is assumed that Pictish must once have predominated in the northern Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides.[97][129] The Scottish Gaelic language arrived from Ireland due to the growing influence of the kingdom of Dál Riata from the 6th century AD onwards, and became the dominant language of the southern Hebrides at that time.[130][131] For a few centuries, the military might of the Gall-Ghàidheil meant that Old Norse was prevalent in the Hebrides. North of Ardnamurchan, the place names that existed prior to the 9th century have been all but obliterated.[131] The Old Norse name for the Hebrides during the Viking occupation was Suðreyjar, which means "Southern Isles"; in contrast to the Norðreyjar, or "Northern Isles" of Orkney and Shetland.[132]

South of Ardnamurchan, Gaelic place names are more common,[131] and after the 13th century, Gaelic became the main language of the entire Hebridean archipelago. Due to Scots and English being favoured in government and the educational system, the Hebrides have been in a state of diglossia since at least the 17th century. The Highland Clearances of the 19th century accelerated the language shift away from Scottish Gaelic, as did increased migration and the continuing lower status of Gaelic speakers.[133] Nevertheless, as late as the end of the 19th century, there were significant populations of monolingual Gaelic speakers, and the Hebrides still contain the highest percentages of Gaelic speakers in Scotland. This is especially true of the Outer Hebrides, where a slim majority speak the language.[133][134] The Scottish Gaelic college, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, is based on Skye and Islay.[135]

Ironically, given the status of the Western Isles as the last Gaelic-speaking stronghold in Scotland, the Gaelic language name for the islands – Innse Gall – means "isles of the foreigners"; from the time when they were under Norse colonisation.[136]

Modern economy

 
Sea-filled slate quarries on Seil (foreground) and Easdale in the Slate Islands

For those who remained, new economic opportunities emerged through the export of cattle, commercial fishing and tourism.[137] Nonetheless, emigration and military service became the choice of many[138] and the archipelago's populations continued to dwindle throughout the late 19th century and for much of the 20th century.[139][140] Lengthy periods of continuous occupation notwithstanding, many of the smaller islands were abandoned.[141]

There were, however, continuing gradual economic improvements, among the most visible of which was the replacement of the traditional thatched blackhouse with accommodation of a more modern design[142] and with the assistance of Highlands and Islands Enterprise many of the islands' populations have begun to increase after decades of decline.[1] The discovery of substantial deposits of North Sea oil in 1965 and the renewables sector have contributed to a degree of economic stability in recent decades. For example, the Arnish yard has had a chequered history but has been a significant employer in both the oil and renewables industries.[143]

The widespread immigration of mainlanders, particularly non-Gaelic speakers, has been a subject of controversy.[144][145]

Agriculture practised by crofters remained popular in the 21st century in the Hebrides; crofters own a small property but often share a large common grazing area. Various types of funding are available to crofters to help supplement their incomes, including the "Basic Payment Scheme, the suckler beef support scheme, the upland sheep support scheme and the Less Favoured Area support scheme". One reliable source discussed the Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme (CAGS) in March 2020:[146]

the scheme "pays up to £25,000 per claim in any two-year period, covering 80% of investment costs for those who are under 41 and have had their croft less than five years. Older, more established crofters can get 60% grants".

Media and the arts

Music

 
Entrance to Fingal's Cave, Staffa

Many contemporary Gaelic musicians have roots in the Hebrides, including Julie Fowlis (North Uist),[147] Catherine-Ann MacPhee (Barra), Kathleen MacInnes (South Uist), and Ishbel MacAskill (Lewis). All of these singers have repertoire based on the Hebridean tradition, such as puirt à beul and òrain luaidh (waulking songs). This tradition includes many songs composed by little-known or anonymous poets before 1800, such as "Fear a' bhàta", "Ailein duinn" and "Alasdair mhic Cholla Ghasda". Several of Runrig's songs are inspired by the archipelago; Calum and Ruaraidh Dòmhnallach were raised on North Uist[148] and Donnie Munro on Skye.[149]

Literature

The Gaelic poet Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair spent much of his life in the Hebrides and often referred to them in his poetry, including in An Airce and Birlinn Chlann Raghnaill.[150] The best known Gaelic poet of her era, Màiri Mhòr nan Òran (Mary MacPherson, 1821–98), embodied the spirit of the land agitation of the 1870s and 1880s. This, and her powerful evocation of the Hebrides—she was from Skye—has made her among the most enduring Gaelic poets.[151] Allan MacDonald (1859–1905), who spent his adult life on Eriskay and South Uist, composed hymns and verse in honour of the Blessed Virgin, the Christ Child, and the Eucharist. In his secular poetry, MacDonald praised the beauty of Eriskay and its people. In his verse drama, Parlamaid nan Cailleach (The Old Wives' Parliament), he lampooned the gossiping of his female parishioners and local marriage customs.[152]

In the 20th century, Murdo Macfarlane of Lewis wrote Cànan nan Gàidheal, a well-known poem about the Gaelic revival in the Outer Hebrides.[153] Sorley MacLean, the most respected 20th-century Gaelic writer, was born and raised on Raasay, where he set his best known poem, Hallaig, about the devastating effect of the Highland Clearances.[154] Aonghas Phàdraig Caimbeul, raised on South Uist and described by MacLean as "one of the few really significant living poets in Scotland, writing in any language" (West Highland Free Press, October 1992)[155] wrote the Scottish Gaelic-language novel An Oidhche Mus do Sheòl Sinn which was voted in the Top Ten of the 100 Best-Ever Books from Scotland.

Film

Video games

Influence on visitors

Natural history

In some respects the Hebrides lack biodiversity in comparison to mainland Britain; for example, there are only half as many mammalian species.[168] However, these islands provide breeding grounds for many important seabird species including the world's largest colony of northern gannets.[169] Avian life includes the corncrake, red-throated diver, rock dove, kittiwake, tystie, Atlantic puffin, goldeneye, golden eagle and white-tailed sea eagle.[170][171] The latter was re-introduced to Rùm in 1975 and has successfully spread to various neighbouring islands, including Mull.[172] There is a small population of red-billed chough concentrated on the islands of Islay and Colonsay.[173]

Red deer are common on the hills and the grey seal and common seal are present around the coasts of Scotland. Colonies of seals are found on Oronsay and the Treshnish Isles.[174][175] The rich freshwater streams contain brown trout, Atlantic salmon and water shrew.[176][177] Offshore, minke whales, orcas, basking sharks, porpoises and dolphins are among the sealife that can be seen.[178][179]

 
The open landscapes of Benbecula

Heather moor containing ling, bell heather, cross-leaved heath, bog myrtle and fescues is abundant and there is a diversity of Arctic and alpine plants including Alpine pearlwort and mossy cyphal.[180]

Loch Druidibeg on South Uist is a national nature reserve owned and managed by Scottish Natural Heritage. The reserve covers 1,677 hectares across the whole range of local habitats.[181] Over 200 species of flowering plants have been recorded on the reserve, some of which are nationally scarce.[182] South Uist is considered the best place in the UK for the aquatic plant slender naiad, which is a European Protected Species.[183][184]

Hedgehogs are not native to the Outer Hebrides—they were introduced in the 1970s to reduce garden pests—and their spread poses a threat to the eggs of ground nesting wading birds. In 2003, Scottish Natural Heritage undertook culls of hedgehogs in the area although these were halted in 2007 due to protests. Trapped animals were relocated to the mainland.[185][186]

See also

References and footnotes

Notes

  1. ^ Rollinson (1997) states that the oldest rocks in Europe have been found "near Gruinard Bay" on the Scottish mainland. Gillen (2003) p. 44 indicates the oldest rocks in Europe are found "in the Northwest Highlands and Outer Hebrides". McKirdy, Alan Gordon, John & Crofts, Roger (2007) Land of Mountain and Flood: The Geology and Landforms of Scotland. Edinburgh. Birlinn. p. 93 state of the Lewisian gneiss bedrock of much of the Outer Hebrides that "these rocks are amongst the oldest to be found anywhere on the planet". Other (non-geologist) sources sometimes claim that the rocks of Lewis and Harris are "the oldest in Britain", meaning that they are the oldest deposits of large bedrock. As Rollinson makes clear, Lewis and Harris is not the location of the oldest small outcrop.
  2. ^ Murray (1973) notes that "Western Isles" has tended to mean "Outer Hebrides" since the creation of the Na h-Eileanan an Iar or Western Isles parliamentary constituency in 1918. Murray also notes that "Gneiss Islands" – a reference to the underlying geology – is another name used to refer to the Outer Hebrides, but that its use is "confined to books".[7]
  3. ^ There are two inhabited islands called "Grimsay" or Griomasaigh that are joined to Benbecula by a road causeway, one to the north at grid reference NF855572 and one to the south east at grid reference NF831473.
  4. ^ See above note.
  5. ^ Thompson (1968) provides a more literal translation: "Fire played in the fig-trees of Liodhus; it mounted up to heaven. Far and wide the people were driven to flight. The fire gushed out of the houses".[102]
  6. ^ The transitional relationships between Norse and Gaelic-speaking rulers are complex. The Gall-Ghàidhels who dominated much of the Irish Sea region and western Scotland at this time were of joint Gaelic and Scandinavian origin. When Somerled wrested the southern Inner Hebrides from Godred the Black in 1156, this was the beginnings of a break with nominal Norse rule in the Hebrides. Godred remained the ruler of Mann and the Outer Hebrides, but two years later Somerled's invasion of the former caused him to flee to Norway. Norse control was further weakened in the ensuring century, but the Hebrides were not formally ceded by Norway until 1266.[108][109] The transitions from one language to another are also complex. For example, many Scandinavian sources from this period of time typically refer to individuals as having a Scandinavian first name and a Gaelic by-name.[110]

Citations

  1. ^ a b General Register Office for Scotland (28 November 2003) Occasional Paper No 10: Statistics for Inhabited Islands. (pdf) Retrieved 22 January 2011. 22 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Rollinson, Hugh (September 1997). "Britain's oldest rocks" 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Geology Today. 13 no. 5 pp. 185-190.
  3. ^ Gillen, Con (2003). Geology and landscapes of Scotland. Harpenden. Terra Publishing. Pages 44 and 142.
  4. ^ Dawson, Alastair G.; Dawson, Sue; Cooper, J. Andrew G.; Gemmell, Alastair; Bates, Richard (2013). "A Pliocene age and origin for the strandflat of the Western Isles of Scotland: a speculative hypothesis". Geological Magazine. 150 (2): 360–366. Bibcode:2013GeoM..150..360D. doi:10.1017/S0016756812000568. S2CID 130965005.
  5. ^ Keay & Keay (1994) p. 507.
  6. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica (1978) states: “Hebrides – group of islands of the west coast of Scotland extending in an arc between 55.35 and 58.30 N and 5.26 and 8.40 W." These coordinates include Gigha, St Kilda and everything up to Cape Wrath – although not North Rona.
  7. ^ Murray (1973) p. 32.
  8. ^ Thompson (1968) pp. 24–26.
  9. ^ Breeze, David J. "The ancient geography of Scotland" in Smith and Banks (2002) pp. 11-13.
  10. ^ Watson (1994) pp. 40–41
  11. ^ a b c d e Watson (1994) p. 38
  12. ^ Louis Deroy & Marianne Mulon (1992) Dictionnaire de noms de lieux, Paris: Le Robert, article "Hébrides".
  13. ^ a b Watson (1994) p. 37.
  14. ^ Watson (1994) p. 45.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h Gammeltoft, Peder "Scandinavian Naming-Systems in the Hebrides - A Way of Understanding how the Scandinavians were in Contact with Gaels and Picts?" in Ballin Smith et al (2007) p. 487.
  16. ^ Woolf, Alex (2012) Ancient Kindred? Dál Riata and the Cruthin 2 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Academia.edu. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  17. ^ a b c Watson (1994) p. 85-86.
  18. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 80.
  19. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 262.
  20. ^ Thompson (1968) p. 13.
  21. ^ a b "The Roman Map of Britain Maiona (Erimon) 7 Lougis Erimon Isles of Harris and Lewis, Outer Hebrides " 27 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine romanmap.com. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  22. ^ Megaw, J.V. S. and SIMPSON, D.A. (1960) "A short cist burial on North Uist and some notes on the prehistory of the Outer Isles in the second millennium BC" 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (pdf) p. 72 Proc Soc Antiq Scot. archaeologydataservice.ac.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 236.
  24. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 17.
  25. ^ a b Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 19.
  26. ^ a b Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 46.
  27. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 50.
  28. ^ a b c d e f Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 218.
  29. ^ a b Mac an Tàilleir (2003).
  30. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 116.
  31. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 117.
  32. ^ Watson (1994) p. 93.
  33. ^ Gammeltoft (2010) pp. 482, 486.
  34. ^ a b c Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 143.
  35. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 118.
  36. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 31.
  37. ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 52.
  38. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 38.
  39. ^ "Etymology of British place-names" 9 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine Pbenyon. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  40. ^ a b c Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 76.
  41. ^ Watson (1994) p. 85.
  42. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 134.
  43. ^ a b c Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 105.
  44. ^ Watson (1994) p. 77.
  45. ^ Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar, § 328, line 8 Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  46. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 72.
  47. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 32.
  48. ^ a b Gillies (1906) p. 129. "Gometra, from N., is gottr + madr + ey."
  49. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) pp. 58-59.
  50. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 185.
  51. ^ Watson (1926) p. 87.
  52. ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 47.
  53. ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 84.
  54. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 69.
  55. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 109.
  56. ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 70.
  57. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 83.
  58. ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 65.
  59. ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 132.
  60. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 93.
  61. ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 161.
  62. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 102.
  63. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 138.
  64. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 153.
  65. ^ a b Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 103.
  66. ^ a b c Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 104.
  67. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 63.
  68. ^ "Group 34: islands in the Irish Sea and the Western Isles 1" 8 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine kmatthews.org.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2008.
  69. ^ Munro, D. (1818) Description of the Western Isles of Scotland called Hybrides, by Mr. Donald Munro, High Dean of the Isles, who travelled through most of them in the year 1549. Miscellanea Scotica, 2. Quoted in Murray (1966) p. 146.
  70. ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 195.
  71. ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 102.
  72. ^ Buchanan (1983) Pages 2–6.
  73. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 314–25.
  74. ^ Newton, Michael Steven. The Naughty Little Book of Gaelic: All the Scottish Gaelic You Need to Curse, Swear, Drink, Smoke and Fool around. Sydney, Nova Scotia: Cape Breton UP, 2014.
  75. ^ Watson (1994) p. 97.
  76. ^ Maclean (1977) page 33.
  77. ^ Stevenson (1872) p. 10.
  78. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 111.
  79. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p 285.
  80. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 94.
  81. ^ Buxton (1995) p. 33.
  82. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 87
  83. ^ Murray (1973) p. 41.
  84. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 101.
  85. ^ Buxton (1995) p. 158.
  86. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 118.
  87. ^ Edwards, Kevin J. and Whittington, Graeme "Vegetation Change" in Edwards & Ralston (2003) p. 70.
  88. ^ Edwards, Kevin J., and Mithen, Steven (Feb. 1995) "The Colonization of the Hebridean Islands of Western Scotland: Evidence from the Palynological and Archaeological Records," 22 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine World Archaeology. 26. No. 3. p. 348. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
  89. ^ Li, Martin (2005) Adventure Guide to Scotland 22 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Hunter Publishing. p. 509.
  90. ^ "Mummification in Bronze Age Britain" 28 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine BBC History. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
  91. ^ "The Prehistoric Village at Cladh Hallan" 25 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine. University of Sheffield. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
  92. ^ See for example Haycock, David Boyd. "Much Greater, Than Commonly Imagined." 26 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine The Newton Project. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  93. ^ Moffat, Alistair (2005) Before Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History. London. Thames & Hudson. pp. 239-40.
  94. ^ Nieke, Margaret R. "Secular Society from the Iron Age to Dál Riata and the Kingdom of Scots" in Omand (2006) p. 60.
  95. ^ Lynch (2007) pp. 161 162.
  96. ^ Clancy, Thomas Owen "Church institutions: early medieval" in Lynch (2001).
  97. ^ a b Hunter (2000) pp. 44, 49.
  98. ^ Hunter (2000) p. 74.
  99. ^ Rotary Club (1995) p. 12.
  100. ^ Hunter (2000) p. 78.
  101. ^ a b Hunter (2000) p. 102.
  102. ^ Thompson (1968) p. 39.
  103. ^ "The Kingdom of Mann and the Isles" Archived 17 December 2012 at archive.today The Viking World. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  104. ^ Hunter (2000) pp. 109-111.
  105. ^ Thompson (1968) p. 37.
  106. ^ Thompson (1968) p. 39.
  107. ^ Rotary Club (1995) pp. 27, 30.
  108. ^ Gregory (1881) pp. 13-15, 20-21.
  109. ^ Downham (2007) pp. 174-75.
  110. ^ Gammeltoft, Peder "Scandinavian Naming-Systems in the Hebrides: A Way of Understanding how the Scandinavians were in Contact with Gaels and Picts?" in Ballin Smith et al (2007) p. 480.
  111. ^ Hunter (2000) pp. 127, 166.
  112. ^ Oram, Richard "The Lordship of the Isles: 1336–1545" in Omand (2006) pp. 135–38.
  113. ^ a b Rotary Club (1995) pp. 12-13.
  114. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 312.
  115. ^ Thompson (1968) pp. 41-42.
  116. ^ Murray (1977) p. 121.
  117. ^ "Dunvegan" 4 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine castlescotland.net Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  118. ^ "Incidents of the Jacobite Risings - Donald Livingstone" 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine clanmclea.co.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  119. ^ "The Battle of Culloden" 8 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine BBC. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  120. ^ a b Hunter (2000) pp. 195–96, 204–06.
  121. ^ Hunter (2000) pp. 207–08.
  122. ^ Duncan, P. J. "The Industries of Argyll: Tradition and Improvement" in Omand (2006) pp. 152-53.
  123. ^ Hunter (2000) p. 212.
  124. ^ Hunter (2000) pp. 247, 262.
  125. ^ Duncan, P. J. "The Industries of Argyll: Tradition and Improvement" in Omand (2006) pp. 157–58.
  126. ^ Hunter (2000) p. 280.
  127. ^ Newton, Michael. . The Virtual Gael. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  128. ^ Hunter (2000) pp. 308-23.
  129. ^ Watson (1994) p. 65.
  130. ^ Armit, Ian "The Iron Age" in Omand (2006) p. 57.
  131. ^ a b c Woolf, Alex "The Age of the Sea-Kings: 900-1300" in Omand (2006) p. 95.
  132. ^ Brown, James (1892) "Place-names of Scotland" 10 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine p. 4 ebooksread.com. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  133. ^ a b Duwe, Kurt C. (17 May 2005). "Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic) Local Studies". Linguae Celticae.
  134. ^ Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2004) "1901–2001 Gaelic in the Census" 7 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine (PowerPoint) Linguae Celticae. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  135. ^ "A' Cholaiste". UHI. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  136. ^ Hunter (2000) p. 104.
  137. ^ Hunter (2000) p. 292.
  138. ^ Hunter (2000) p. 343.
  139. ^ Duncan, P. J. "The Industries of Argyll: Tradition and Improvement" in Omand (2006) p. 169.
  140. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 47, 87.
  141. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 57, 99.
  142. ^ "Blackhouses" 19 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine. isle-of-lewis.com Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  143. ^ "Yard wins biggest wind tower job". BBC News Online. 10 December 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
  144. ^ McEwan-Fujita, Emily (2010), "Ideology, Affect, and Socialization in Language Shift and Revitalization: The Experiences of Adults Learning Gaelic in the Western Isles of Scotland", Language in Society, 39 (1): 27–64, doi:10.1017/S0047404509990649, JSTOR 20622703, S2CID 145694600
  145. ^ Charles Jedrej; Mark Nuttall (1996). White Settlers: Impact/Cultural. p. 117. ISBN 9781134368501. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  146. ^ "How small-scale crofters in the Hebrides survive the challenges". 27 March 2020.
  147. ^ "Julie Fowlis". Thistle and Shamrock. NPR. 22 May 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  148. ^ Hebrides at IMDb. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  149. ^ "Donnie Munro: Biography" 30 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine donniemunro.co.uk. Retrieved 5 April 2007.
  150. ^ John Lorne Campbell, "Canna: The Story of a Hebridean Island," Oxford University Press, 1984, pages 104–105.
  151. ^ J. MacDonald, "Gaelic literature" in M. Lynch, ed., The Oxford Companion to Scottish History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), ISBN 0-19-211696-7, pp. 255-7.
  152. ^ School of Scottish Studies. (1967) University of Edinburgh. 11-12 p. 109.
  153. ^ "Làrach nam Bàrd". BBC Alba.
  154. ^ MacLean, Sorley (1954) Hallaig 30 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Gairm magazine. Translation by Seamus Heaney (2002). Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  155. ^ a b . Angus Peter Campbell. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  156. ^ Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle (2007) at IMDb
  157. ^ . Media Co-op. January 2013. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  158. ^ "An Drochaid". BBC Alba. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  159. ^ "How The Wicker Man changed the face of horror". The Independent. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  160. ^ "The Wicker Man - The Various Versions of "The Wicker Man"". www.steve-p.org. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  161. ^ "Famous Visitors to the Islands - Luchd-tadhail Ainmeil" 17 October 2002 at the Wayback Machine Culture Hebrides. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
  162. ^ Thomson, Gordon (28 May 2009) "The house where Big Brother was born" 31 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine New Statesman. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  163. ^ Bold, Alan (29 December 1983) The Making of Orwell's 1984 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine The Glasgow Herald.
  164. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 130.
  165. ^ "Translations for Shepherd Moons" 13 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. pathname.com. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  166. ^ "The various versions of The Wicker Man" 12 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Steve Philips. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  167. ^ The Decoy Bride at IMDb
  168. ^ Murray (1973) p. 72.
  169. ^ "Seabirds" 3 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine. National Trust for Scotland. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  170. ^ Fraser Darling (1969) p. 79.
  171. ^ "Trotternish Wildlife" 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Duntulm Castle. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
  172. ^ Watson, Jeremy (12 October 2006). "Sea eagle spreads its wings...". Scotland on Sunday. Edinburgh.
  173. ^ Benvie (2004) p. 118.
  174. ^ "Protected mammals - Seals" 20 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  175. ^ Murray (1973) pp. 96-98.
  176. ^ Fraser Darling (1969) p. 286.
  177. ^ "Trout Fishing in Scotland: Skye" 29 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine Trout & Salmon Fishing. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  178. ^ (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2007.
  179. ^ "Species List" 2 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine. www.whalewatchingtrips.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  180. ^ Slack, Alf "Flora" in Slesser (1970) pp. 45-58.
  181. ^ "Loch Druidibeg National Nature Reserve: Where Opposites Meet". 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine (pdf) SNH. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
  182. ^ "South Uist and Eriskay attractions" 14 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine isle-of-south-uist.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  183. ^ "Higher plant species: 1833 Slender naiad" 13 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine JNCC. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
  184. ^ "Statutory Instrument 1994 No. 2716 " 18 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine Office of Public Sector Information. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  185. ^ . Epping Forest Hedgehog Rescue. Archived from the original on 27 August 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2007.
  186. ^ Ross, John (21 February 2007). "Hedgehogs saved from the syringe as controversial Uist cull called off". The Scotsman. Edinburgh.

General references

  • Ballin Smith, B. and Banks, I. (eds) (2002) In the Shadow of the Brochs, the Iron Age in Scotland. Stroud. Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-2517-X
  • Ballin Smith, Beverley; Taylor, Simon; and Williams, Gareth (2007) West over Sea: Studies in Scandinavian Sea-Borne Expansion and Settlement Before 1300. Leiden. Brill.
  • Benvie, Neil (2004) Scotland's Wildlife. London. Aurum Press. ISBN 1-85410-978-2
  • Buchanan, Margaret (1983) St Kilda: a Photographic Album. W. Blackwood. ISBN 0-85158-162-5
  • Buxton, Ben. (1995) Mingulay: An Island and Its People. Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN 1-874744-24-6
  • Downham, Clare "England and the Irish-Sea Zone in the Eleventh Century" in Gillingham, John (ed) (2004) Anglo-Norman Studies XXVI: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 2003. Woodbridge. Boydell Press. ISBN 1-84383-072-8
  • Fraser Darling, Frank; Boyd, J. Morton (1969). The Highlands and Islands. The New Naturalist. London: Collins. First published in 1947 under title: Natural history in the Highlands & Islands; by F. Fraser Darling. First published under the present title 1964.
  • Gammeltoft, Peder (2010) "Shetland and Orkney Island-Names – A Dynamic Group 23 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine". Northern Lights, Northern Words. Selected Papers from the FRLSU Conference, Kirkwall 2009, edited by Robert McColl Millar.
  • . (28 November 2003) General Register Office for Scotland. Edinburgh. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  • Gillies, Hugh Cameron (1906) The Place Names of Argyll. London. David Nutt.
  • Gregory, Donald (1881) The History of the Western Highlands and Isles of Scotland 1493–1625. Edinburgh. Birlinn. 2008 reprint - originally published by Thomas D. Morrison. ISBN 1-904607-57-8
  • Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
  • Hunter, James (2000) Last of the Free: A History of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Edinburgh. Mainstream. ISBN 1-84018-376-4
  • Keay, J. & Keay, J. (1994) Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland. London. HarperCollins.
  • Lynch, Michael (ed) (2007) Oxford Companion to Scottish History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-923482-0.
  • Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2003) Ainmean-àite/Placenames. (pdf) Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  • Maclean, Charles (1977) Island on the Edge of the World: the Story of St. Kilda. Edinburgh. Canongate ISBN 0-903937-41-7
  • Monro, Sir Donald (1549) . Appin Regiment/Appin Historical Society. Retrieved 3 March 2007. First published in 1774.
  • Murray, W. H. (1966) The Hebrides. London. Heinemann.
  • Murray, W.H. (1973) The Islands of Western Scotland. London. Eyre Methuen. ISBN 0-413-30380-2
  • Omand, Donald (ed.) (2006) The Argyll Book. Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN 1-84158-480-0
  • Ordnance Survey (2009) . Retrieved 1–15 August 2009.
  • Rotary Club of Stornoway (1995) The Outer Hebrides Handbook and Guide. Machynlleth. Kittiwake. ISBN 0-9511003-5-1
  • Slesser, Malcolm (1970) The Island of Skye. Edinburgh. Scottish Mountaineering Club.
  • Steel, Tom (1988) The Life and Death of St. Kilda. London. Fontana. ISBN 0-00-637340-2
  • Stevenson, Robert Louis (1995) The New Lighthouse on the Dhu Heartach Rock, Argyllshire. California. Silverado Museum. Based on an 1872 manuscript and edited by Swearingen, R.G.
  • Thompson, Francis (1968) Harris and Lewis, Outer Hebrides. Newton Abbot. David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-4260-6
  • Watson, W. J. (1994) The Celtic Place-Names of Scotland. Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN 1-84158-323-5. First published 1926.
  • Woolf, Alex (2007). From Pictland to Alba, 789–1070. The New Edinburgh History of Scotland. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-1234-5.

External links

 
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Hebrides.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hebrides.
  • Hebrides/Western Isles Guide
  • National Library of Scotland: SCOTTISH SCREEN ARCHIVE (selection of archive films about the Hebrides)
  • "Hebrides, The" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.

Coordinates: 57°00′N 07°00′W / 57.000°N 7.000°W / 57.000; -7.000

May 03, 2023
hebrides, other, uses, disambiguation, scottish, gaelic, innse, gall, pronounced, ˈĩːʃə, ˈkaul, norse, suðreyjar, southern, isles, archipelago, west, coast, scottish, mainland, islands, fall, into, main, groups, based, their, proximity, mainland, inner, outer,. For other uses see Hebrides disambiguation The Hebrides ˈ h ɛ b r ɪ d iː z Scottish Gaelic Innse Gall pronounced ˈĩːʃe ˈkaul ˠ Old Norse Sudreyjar southern isles are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland The islands fall into two main groups based on their proximity to the mainland the Inner and Outer Hebrides The Inner and Outer Hebrides These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic period and the culture of the inhabitants has been successively influenced by the cultures of Celtic speaking Norse speaking and English speaking peoples This diversity is reflected in the various names given to the islands which are derived from the different languages that have been spoken there at various points in their history The Hebrides are where much of Scottish Gaelic literature and Gaelic music has historically originated Today the economy of the islands is dependent on crofting fishing tourism the oil industry and renewable energy The Hebrides have less biodiversity than mainland Scotland but a significant number of seals and seabirds The islands have a combined area of 7 285 km2 2 813 sq mi and as of 2011 update a combined population of around 45 000 1 Contents 1 Geology geography and climate 2 Etymology 2 1 Outer Hebrides 2 2 Inner Hebrides 2 3 Uninhabited islands 3 History 3 1 Prehistory 3 2 Celtic era 3 3 Norwegian control 3 4 Scottish control 3 5 Early British era 4 Language 5 Modern economy 6 Media and the arts 6 1 Music 6 2 Literature 6 3 Film 6 4 Video games 6 5 Influence on visitors 7 Natural history 8 See also 9 References and footnotes 9 1 Notes 9 2 Citations 9 3 General references 10 External linksGeology geography and climate Edit The Caledonian MacBrayne ferry MV Hebrides leaving Lochmaddy for Skye Main articles List of Inner Hebrides and List of Outer Hebrides The Hebrides have a diverse geology ranging in age from Precambrian strata that are amongst the oldest rocks in Europe to Paleogene igneous intrusions 2 3 Note 1 Raised shore platforms in the Hebrides have been identified as strandflats possibly formed during the Pliocene period and later modified by the Quaternary glaciations 4 The Hebrides can be divided into two main groups separated from one another by the Minch to the north and the Sea of the Hebrides to the south The Inner Hebrides lie closer to mainland Scotland and include Islay Jura Skye Mull Raasay Staffa and the Small Isles There are 36 inhabited islands in this group The Outer Hebrides form a chain of more than 100 islands and small skerries located about 70 km 45 mi west of mainland Scotland Among them 15 are inhabited The main inhabited islands include Lewis and Harris North Uist Benbecula South Uist and Barra A complication is that there are various descriptions of the scope of the Hebrides The Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland describes the Inner Hebrides as lying east of the Minch This definition would encompass all offshore islands including those that lie in the sea lochs such as Eilean Ban and Eilean Donan which might not ordinarily be described as Hebridean However no formal definition exists 5 6 In the past the Outer Hebrides were often referred to as the Long Isle Scottish Gaelic An t Eilean Fada Today they are also sometimes known as the Western Isles although this phrase can also be used to refer to the Hebrides in general Note 2 The Hebrides have a cool temperate climate that is remarkably mild and steady for such a northerly latitude due to the influence of the Gulf Stream In the Outer Hebrides the average temperature is 6 C 44 F in January and 14 C 57 F in the summer The average annual rainfall in Lewis is 1 100 mm 43 in and there are between 1 100 and 1 200 hours of sunshine per annum 13 The summer days are relatively long and May through August is the driest period 8 Etymology EditThe earliest surviving written references to the islands were made circa 77 AD by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History He states that there are 30 Hebudes and makes a separate reference to Dumna which Watson 1926 concluded refers unequivocally to the Outer Hebrides About 80 years after Pliny the Elder in 140 150 AD Ptolemy drawing on accounts of the naval expeditions of Agricola writes that there are five Ebudes possibly meaning the Inner Hebrides and Dumna 9 10 11 Later texts in classical Latin by writers such as Solinus use the forms Hebudes and Haebudes 12 The name Ebudes used by Ptolemy may be pre Celtic 11 Ptolemy calls Islay Epidion 13 and the use of the letter p suggests a Brythonic or Pictish tribal name Epidii 14 because the root is not Gaelic 15 Woolf 2012 has suggested that Ebudes may be an Irish attempt to reproduce the word Epidii phonetically rather than by translating it and that the tribe s name may come from the root epos meaning horse 16 Watson 1926 also notes a possible relationship between Ebudes and the ancient Irish Ulaid tribal name Ibdaig and also the personal name of a king Iubdan recorded in the Silva Gadelica 11 South Uist is the second largest island of the Outer Hebrides The names of other individual islands reflect their complex linguistic history The majority are Norse or Gaelic but the roots of several other names for Hebrides islands may have a pre Celtic origin 11 Adomnan a 7th century abbot of Iona records Colonsay as Colosus and Tiree as Ethica and both of these may be pre Celtic names 17 The etymology of Skye is complex and may also include a pre Celtic root 15 Lewis is Ljodhus in Old Norse Various suggestions have been made as to possible meanings of the name in Norse for example song house 18 but the name is not of Gaelic origin and the Norse provenance is questionable 15 The earliest comprehensive written list of Hebridean island names was compiled by Donald Monro in 1549 This list also provides the earliest written reference to the names of some of the islands The derivations of all the inhabited islands of the Hebrides and some of the larger uninhabited ones are listed below Outer Hebrides Edit Lewis and Harris is the largest island in Scotland and the third largest of the British Isles after Great Britain and Ireland 19 It incorporates Lewis in the north and Harris in the south both of which are frequently referred to as individual islands although they are joined by a land border The island does not have a single common name in either English or Gaelic and is referred to as Lewis and Harris Lewis with Harris Harris with Lewis etc For this reason it is treated as two separate islands below 20 The derivation of Lewis may be pre Celtic see above and the origin of Harris is no less problematic In the Ravenna Cosmography Erimon may refer to Harris 21 or possibly the Outer Hebrides as a whole This word may derive from the Ancient Greek ἐrῆmos erimos desert 22 The origin of Uist Old Norse Ivist is similarly unclear 15 Island Derivation Language Meaning Munro 1549 Modern Gaelic name Alternative DerivationsBaleshare Am Baile Sear Gaelic east town 23 Baile SearBarra Barroy Norse Finbar s island 24 Barray BarraighBenbecula Peighinn nam Fadhla Gaelic pennyland of the fords 25 Beinn nam Fadhla little mountain of the ford or herdsman s mountain 23 Berneray Bjarnaroy Norse Bjorn s island 25 Bearnaraigh bear island 23 Eriskay Uruisg Gaelic goblin island 23 Eriskeray Eirisgeigh Erik s island 23 26 Flodaigh Norse float island 27 FlodaighFraoch eilean Gaelic heather island Fraoch eileanGreat Bernera Bjarnaroy Norse Bjorn s island 28 Berneray Moir Bearnaraigh Mor bear island 28 Grimsay Note 3 Norse Grim s island 23 GriomasaighGrimsay Note 4 Norse Grim s island 23 GriomasaighHarris Erimon 21 Ancient Greek desert Harrey na Hearadh Ptolemy s Adru In Old Norse and in modern Icelandic a Herad is a type of administrative district 29 Alternatives are the Norse haerri meaning hills and Gaelic na h airdibh meaning the heights 28 Lewis Limnu Pre Celtic marshy Lewis Leodhas Ptolemy s Limnu is literally marshy The Norse Ljodhus may mean song house see above 15 29 North Uist English Pre Celtic 15 Ywst Uibhist a Tuath Uist may possibly be corn island 30 or west 28 Scalpay Skalproy Norse scallop island 28 Scalpay of Harray Sgalpaigh na HearadhSouth Uist English Pre Celtic Uibhist a Deas See North UistVatersay Norse water island 31 Wattersay Bhatarsaigh fathers island priest island glove island wavy island 28 Inner Hebrides Edit There are various examples of earlier names for Inner Hebridean islands that were Gaelic but these names have since been completely replaced For example Adomnan records Sainea Elena Ommon and Oideacha in the Inner Hebrides These names presumably passed out of usage in the Norse era and the locations of the islands they refer to are not clear 32 As an example of the complexity Rona may originally have had a Celtic name then later a similar sounding Norse name and then still later a name that was essentially Gaelic again but with a Norse oy or ey ending 33 See Rona below Island Derivation Language Meaning Munro 1549 Modern Gaelic name Alternative DerivationsCanna Cana Gaelic porpoise island 34 Kannay Eilean Chanaigh Possibly from Old Irish cana meaning wolf whelp or Norse kneoy knee island 34 Coll Colosus Pre Celtic Colla Possibly from Gaelic coll a hazel 35 Colonsay Pre Celtic 36 Colnansay Colbhasa Norse for Columba s island 37 Danna Norse Unknown 38 DannaEasdale Eisdcalfe Eilean Eisdeal Eas is waterfall in Gaelic and dale is the Norse for valley 39 However the combination seems inappropriate for this small island Also known as Ellenabeich island of the birches 40 Eigg Eag Gaelic a notch 41 Egga Eige Also called Eilean Nimban More island of the powerful women until the 16th century 42 Eilean Ban Gaelic white isle Naban Eilean BanEilean da Mheinn GaelicEilean Donan Gaelic island of Donnan Eilean DonnainEilean Shona Norse sea island 43 Eilean Seona Adomnan records the pre Norse Gaelic name of Airthrago the foreshore isle 44 Eilean Tioram Gaelic dry islandEriska Norse Erik s island 26 UruisgErraid Possibly Arthraigh Gaelic foreshore island 43 Erray Eilean EarraidGigha Gudey 45 Norse good island or God island 46 Gigay Giogha Various including the Norse Gjaey island of the geo or cleft or Gydha s isle 47 Gometra Godrmadrey 48 Norse The good man s island or God man s island 48 Gomastra Godmund s island 49 Isle of Ewe Eubh Gaelic echo Ellan Ew Eilean Iubh Old Irish eo yew 50 Iona Hi Gaelic Possibly yew place Colmkill I Chaluim Chille Numerous Adomnan uses Ioua insula which became Iona through misreading 51 Islay Pre Celtic Ila Ile Various see aboveJura Dyroy Norse deer island 52 Duray Diura Norse Juroy udder island 52 Kerrera Kjarbaroy Norse Kjarbar s island 53 Cearrara Norse ciarroy brushwood island 53 or copse island 54 Lismore Gaelic big garden 55 Lismoir Lios MorLuing Gaelic ship island 56 Lunge An t Eilean Luinn Norse lyng heather island 56 or pre Celtic 57 Lunga Langroy Norse longship isle 58 Lungay Lunga Gaelic long is also ship 58 Muck Eilean nam Muc Gaelic isle of pigs 59 Swynes Ile Eilean nam Muc Eilean nam Muc mhara whale island John of Fordun recorded it as Helantmok isle of swine 59 Mull Malaios Pre Celtic 15 Mull Muile Recorded by Ptolemy as Malaios 13 possibly meaning lofty isle 11 In Norse times it became Myl 15 Oronsay Norse ebb island 60 Ornansay Orasaigh Norse Oran s island 37 Raasay Raasoy Norse roe deer island 61 Raarsay Ratharsair Rossoy horse island 61 Rona Hraunoy or Ronoy Norse or Gaelic Norse rough island or seal island Ronay RonaighRum Pre Celtic 62 Ronin Rum Various including Norse rom oy for wide island or Gaelic i dhruim isle of the ridge 63 Sanday sandoy Norse sandy island 34 SandaighScalpay Skalproy Norse scallop island 64 Scalpay Sgalpaigh Norse ship island 65 Seil Possibly Sal Probably pre Celtic 66 stream 40 Seill Saoil Gaelic sealg hunting island 40 Shuna Unknown Norse Possibly sea island 43 Seunay Siuna Gaelic sidhean fairy 67 Skye Scitis 68 Pre Celtic Possibly winged isle 69 Skye An t Eilean Sgitheanach Numerous see aboveSoay So oy Norse sheep island Soa Urettil SodhaighTanera Mor Hawnaroy Norse island of the haven 70 Hawrarymoir Tannara Mor Brythonic Thanaros the thunder god 70 Tiree Eth Ethica Possibly pre Celtic Unknown 17 Tiriodh Norse Tirvist of unknown meaning and numerous Gaelic versions some with a possible meaning of land of corn 17 Ulva Ulvoy Norse wolf island 71 Ulbha Ulfr s island 71 Uninhabited islands Edit Dhu Heartach Lighthouse During Construction by Sam Bough 1822 1878 The names of uninhabited islands follow the same general patterns as the inhabited islands See the list below of the ten largest islands in the Hebrides and their outliers The etymology of the name St Kilda a small archipelago west of the Outer Hebrides and the name of its main island Hirta is very complex No saint is known by the name of Kilda so various other theories have been proposed for the word s origin which dates from the late 16th century 72 Haswell Smith 2004 notes that the full name St Kilda first appears on a Dutch map dated 1666 and that it may derive from the Norse phrase sunt kelda sweet wellwater or from a mistaken Dutch assumption that the spring Tobar Childa was dedicated to a saint Tobar Childa is a tautological placename consisting of the Gaelic and Norse words for well i e well well 73 Similarly unclear is the origin of the Gaelic for Hirta Hiort Hirt or Irt 74 a name for the island that long pre dates the name St Kilda Watson 1926 suggests that it may derive from the Old Irish word hirt death possibly a reference to the often lethally dangerous surrounding sea 75 Maclean 1977 notes that an Icelandic saga about an early 13th century voyage to Ireland refers to the islands of Hirtir which means stags in Norse and suggests that the outline of the island of Hirta resembles the shape of a stag speculating that therefore the name Hirta may be a reference to the island s shape 76 The etymology of the names of small islands may be no less complex and elusive In relation to Dubh Artach Robert Louis Stevenson believed that black and dismal was one translation of the name noting that as usual in Gaelic it is not the only one 77 Island Derivation Language Meaning Munro 1549 AlternativesTaransay Norse Taran s island 78 TarandsayScarba Norse cormorant island 66 SkarbayScarp Skarpoe 79 Norse barren 66 or stony ScarpePabbay Norse priest island 80 PabayHirta Hirt Possibly Old Irish death Hirta Numerous see aboveMingulay Mikilay Norse big island 81 Megaly Main hill island 82 Murray 1973 states that the name appropriately means Bird Island 83 Ronay Norse rough island 84 Sandray Sandray 85 Norse sand island 65 SanderayWiay Norse Possibly house island 86 Ceann Ear Ceann Ear Gaelic east headlandHistory EditMain articles Inner Hebrides Outer Hebrides and History of the Outer Hebrides Prehistory Edit Callanish stone circle The Hebrides were settled during the Mesolithic era around 6500 BC or earlier after the climatic conditions improved enough to sustain human settlement Occupation at a site on Rum is dated to 8590 95 uncorrected radiocarbon years BP which is amongst the oldest evidence of occupation in Scotland 87 88 There are many examples of structures from the Neolithic period the finest example being the standing stones at Callanish dating to the 3rd millennium BC 89 Cladh Hallan a Bronze Age settlement on South Uist is the only site in the UK where prehistoric mummies have been found 90 91 Celtic era Edit Main article Dal Riata In 55 BC the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus wrote that there was an island called Hyperborea which means beyond the North Wind where a round temple stood from which the moon appeared only a little distance above the earth every 19 years This may have been a reference to the stone circle at Callanish 92 A traveller called Demetrius of Tarsus related to Plutarch the tale of an expedition to the west coast of Scotland in or shortly before 83 AD He stated it was a gloomy journey amongst uninhabited islands but he had visited one which was the retreat of holy men He mentioned neither the druids nor the name of the island 93 The first written records of native life begin in the 6th century AD when the founding of the kingdom of Dal Riata took place 94 This encompassed roughly what is now Argyll and Bute and Lochaber in Scotland and County Antrim in Ireland 95 The figure of Columba looms large in any history of Dal Riata and his founding of a monastery on Iona ensured that the kingdom would be of great importance in the spread of Christianity in northern Britain However Iona was far from unique Lismore in the territory of the Cenel Loairn was sufficiently important for the death of its abbots to be recorded with some frequency and many smaller sites such as on Eigg Hinba and Tiree are known from the annals 96 North of Dal Riata the Inner and Outer Hebrides were nominally under Pictish control although the historical record is sparse Hunter 2000 states that in relation to King Bridei I of the Picts in the sixth century As for Shetland Orkney Skye and the Western Isles their inhabitants most of whom appear to have been Pictish in culture and speech at this time are likely to have regarded Bridei as a fairly distant presence 97 Norwegian control Edit The Kingdom of the Isles about the year 1100 Main article Kingdom of the Isles Viking raids began on Scottish shores towards the end of the 8th century and the Hebrides came under Norse control and settlement during the ensuing decades especially following the success of Harald Fairhair at the Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872 98 99 In the Western Isles Ketill Flatnose may have been the dominant figure of the mid 9th century by which time he had amassed a substantial island realm and made a variety of alliances with other Norse leaders These princelings nominally owed allegiance to the Norwegian crown although in practice the latter s control was fairly limited 100 Norse control of the Hebrides was formalised in 1098 when Edgar of Scotland formally signed the islands over to Magnus III of Norway 101 The Scottish acceptance of Magnus III as King of the Isles came after the Norwegian king had conquered Orkney the Hebrides and the Isle of Man in a swift campaign earlier the same year directed against the local Norwegian leaders of the various island petty kingdoms By capturing the islands Magnus imposed a more direct royal control although at a price His skald Bjorn Cripplehand recorded that in Lewis fire played high in the heaven as flame spouted from the houses and that in the Uists the king dyed his sword red in blood 101 Note 5 The Hebrides were now part of the Kingdom of the Isles whose rulers were themselves vassals of the Kings of Norway This situation lasted until the partitioning of the Western Isles in 1156 at which time the Outer Hebrides remained under Norwegian control while the Inner Hebrides broke out under Somerled the Norse Gael kinsman of the Manx royal house 103 Following the ill fated 1263 expedition of Haakon IV of Norway the Outer Hebrides and the Isle of Man were yielded to the Kingdom of Scotland as a result of the 1266 Treaty of Perth 104 Although their contribution to the islands can still be found in personal and place names the archaeological record of the Norse period is very limited The best known find is the Lewis chessmen which date from the mid 12th century 105 Scottish control Edit Kisimul Castle the ancient seat of Clan MacNeil Castlebay Barra As the Norse era drew to a close the Norse speaking princes were gradually replaced by Gaelic speaking clan chiefs including the MacLeods of Lewis and Harris Clan Donald and MacNeil of Barra 106 107 Note 6 This transition did little to relieve the islands of internecine strife although by the early 14th century the MacDonald Lords of the Isles based on Islay were in theory these chiefs feudal superiors and managed to exert some control 111 The Lords of the Isles ruled the Inner Hebrides as well as part of the Western Highlands as subjects of the King of Scots until John MacDonald fourth Lord of the Isles squandered the family s powerful position A rebellion by his nephew Alexander of Lochalsh provoked an exasperated James IV to forfeit the family s lands in 1493 112 In 1598 King James VI authorised some Gentleman Adventurers from Fife to civilise the most barbarous Isle of Lewis 113 Initially successful the colonists were driven out by local forces commanded by Murdoch and Neil MacLeod who based their forces on Bearasaigh in Loch Rog The colonists tried again in 1605 with the same result but a third attempt in 1607 was more successful and in due course Stornoway became a Burgh of Barony 113 114 By this time Lewis was held by the Mackenzies of Kintail later the Earls of Seaforth who pursued a more enlightened approach investing in fishing in particular The Seaforths royalist inclinations led to Lewis becoming garrisoned during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms by Cromwell s troops who destroyed the old castle in Stornoway 115 Early British era Edit Clachan Bridge between the mainland of Great Britain and Seil also known as the Bridge across the Atlantic was built in 1792 116 With the implementation of the Treaty of Union in 1707 the Hebrides became part of the new Kingdom of Great Britain but the clans loyalties to a distant monarch were not strong A considerable number of islesmen came out in support of the Jacobite Earl of Mar in the 1715 and again in the 1745 rising including Macleod of Dunvegan and MacLea of Lismore 117 118 The aftermath of the decisive Battle of Culloden which effectively ended Jacobite hopes of a Stuart restoration was widely felt 119 The British government s strategy was to estrange the clan chiefs from their kinsmen and turn their descendants into English speaking landlords whose main concern was the revenues their estates brought rather than the welfare of those who lived on them 120 This may have brought peace to the islands but in the following century it came at a terrible price In the wake of the rebellion the clan system was broken up and islands of the Hebrides became a series of landed estates 120 121 The early 19th century was a time of improvement and population growth Roads and quays were built the slate industry became a significant employer on Easdale and surrounding islands and the construction of the Crinan and Caledonian canals and other engineering works such as Clachan Bridge improved transport and access 122 However in the mid 19th century the inhabitants of many parts of the Hebrides were devastated by the Clearances which destroyed communities throughout the Highlands and Islands as the human populations were evicted and replaced with sheep farms 123 The position was exacerbated by the failure of the islands kelp industry that thrived from the 18th century until the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 124 125 and large scale emigration became endemic 126 As Iain Mac Fhearchair a Gaelic poet from South Uist wrote for his countrymen who were obliged to leave the Hebrides in the late 18th century emigration was the only alternative to sinking into slavery as the Gaels had been unfairly dispossessed by rapacious landlords 127 In the 1880s the Battle of the Braes involved a demonstration against unfair land regulation and eviction stimulating the calling of the Napier Commission Disturbances continued until the passing of the 1886 Crofters Act 128 Language Edit Geographic distribution of Gaelic speakers in Scotland 2011 The residents of the Hebrides have spoken a variety of different languages during the long period of human occupation It is assumed that Pictish must once have predominated in the northern Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides 97 129 The Scottish Gaelic language arrived from Ireland due to the growing influence of the kingdom of Dal Riata from the 6th century AD onwards and became the dominant language of the southern Hebrides at that time 130 131 For a few centuries the military might of the Gall Ghaidheil meant that Old Norse was prevalent in the Hebrides North of Ardnamurchan the place names that existed prior to the 9th century have been all but obliterated 131 The Old Norse name for the Hebrides during the Viking occupation was Sudreyjar which means Southern Isles in contrast to the Nordreyjar or Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland 132 South of Ardnamurchan Gaelic place names are more common 131 and after the 13th century Gaelic became the main language of the entire Hebridean archipelago Due to Scots and English being favoured in government and the educational system the Hebrides have been in a state of diglossia since at least the 17th century The Highland Clearances of the 19th century accelerated the language shift away from Scottish Gaelic as did increased migration and the continuing lower status of Gaelic speakers 133 Nevertheless as late as the end of the 19th century there were significant populations of monolingual Gaelic speakers and the Hebrides still contain the highest percentages of Gaelic speakers in Scotland This is especially true of the Outer Hebrides where a slim majority speak the language 133 134 The Scottish Gaelic college Sabhal Mor Ostaig is based on Skye and Islay 135 Ironically given the status of the Western Isles as the last Gaelic speaking stronghold in Scotland the Gaelic language name for the islands Innse Gall means isles of the foreigners from the time when they were under Norse colonisation 136 Modern economy Edit Sea filled slate quarries on Seil foreground and Easdale in the Slate Islands For those who remained new economic opportunities emerged through the export of cattle commercial fishing and tourism 137 Nonetheless emigration and military service became the choice of many 138 and the archipelago s populations continued to dwindle throughout the late 19th century and for much of the 20th century 139 140 Lengthy periods of continuous occupation notwithstanding many of the smaller islands were abandoned 141 There were however continuing gradual economic improvements among the most visible of which was the replacement of the traditional thatched blackhouse with accommodation of a more modern design 142 and with the assistance of Highlands and Islands Enterprise many of the islands populations have begun to increase after decades of decline 1 The discovery of substantial deposits of North Sea oil in 1965 and the renewables sector have contributed to a degree of economic stability in recent decades For example the Arnish yard has had a chequered history but has been a significant employer in both the oil and renewables industries 143 The widespread immigration of mainlanders particularly non Gaelic speakers has been a subject of controversy 144 145 Agriculture practised by crofters remained popular in the 21st century in the Hebrides crofters own a small property but often share a large common grazing area Various types of funding are available to crofters to help supplement their incomes including the Basic Payment Scheme the suckler beef support scheme the upland sheep support scheme and the Less Favoured Area support scheme One reliable source discussed the Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme CAGS in March 2020 146 the scheme pays up to 25 000 per claim in any two year period covering 80 of investment costs for those who are under 41 and have had their croft less than five years Older more established crofters can get 60 grants Media and the arts EditMusic Edit Entrance to Fingal s Cave Staffa Many contemporary Gaelic musicians have roots in the Hebrides including Julie Fowlis North Uist 147 Catherine Ann MacPhee Barra Kathleen MacInnes South Uist and Ishbel MacAskill Lewis All of these singers have repertoire based on the Hebridean tradition such as puirt a beul and orain luaidh waulking songs This tradition includes many songs composed by little known or anonymous poets before 1800 such as Fear a bhata Ailein duinn and Alasdair mhic Cholla Ghasda Several of Runrig s songs are inspired by the archipelago Calum and Ruaraidh Domhnallach were raised on North Uist 148 and Donnie Munro on Skye 149 Literature Edit The Gaelic poet Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair spent much of his life in the Hebrides and often referred to them in his poetry including in An Airce and Birlinn Chlann Raghnaill 150 The best known Gaelic poet of her era Mairi Mhor nan Oran Mary MacPherson 1821 98 embodied the spirit of the land agitation of the 1870s and 1880s This and her powerful evocation of the Hebrides she was from Skye has made her among the most enduring Gaelic poets 151 Allan MacDonald 1859 1905 who spent his adult life on Eriskay and South Uist composed hymns and verse in honour of the Blessed Virgin the Christ Child and the Eucharist In his secular poetry MacDonald praised the beauty of Eriskay and its people In his verse drama Parlamaid nan Cailleach The Old Wives Parliament he lampooned the gossiping of his female parishioners and local marriage customs 152 In the 20th century Murdo Macfarlane of Lewis wrote Canan nan Gaidheal a well known poem about the Gaelic revival in the Outer Hebrides 153 Sorley MacLean the most respected 20th century Gaelic writer was born and raised on Raasay where he set his best known poem Hallaig about the devastating effect of the Highland Clearances 154 Aonghas Phadraig Caimbeul raised on South Uist and described by MacLean as one of the few really significant living poets in Scotland writing in any language West Highland Free Press October 1992 155 wrote the Scottish Gaelic language novel An Oidhche Mus do Sheol Sinn which was voted in the Top Ten of the 100 Best Ever Books from Scotland Film Edit The area around the Inaccessible Pinnacle of Sgurr Dearg of Skye provided the setting for the Scottish Gaelic feature film Seachd The Inaccessible Pinnacle 2006 156 The script was written by the actor novelist and poet Aonghas Phadraig Chaimbeul who also starred in the movie 155 An Drochaid an hour long documentary in Scottish Gaelic was made for BBC Alba documenting the battle to remove tolls from the Skye bridge 157 158 The 1973 film The Wicker Man is set on the fictional Hebridean island of Summerisle The filming itself took place in Galloway and Skye 159 160 Video games Edit The 2012 exploration adventure game Dear Esther by developer The Chinese Room is set on an unnamed island in the Hebrides Influence on visitors Edit J M Barrie s Marie Rose contains references to Harris inspired by a holiday visit to Amhuinnsuidhe Castle and he wrote a screenplay for the 1924 film adaptation of Peter Pan whilst on Eilean Shona 161 162 163 164 The Hebrides also known as Fingal s Cave is a famous overture composed by Felix Mendelssohn while residing on these islands while Granville Bantock composed the Hebridean Symphony Enya s song Ebudae from Shepherd Moons is named after the Hebrides see below 165 The 1973 British horror film The Wicker Man is set on the fictional Hebridean island of Summerisle 166 The 2011 British romantic comedy The Decoy Bride is set on the fictional Hebrides island of Hegg 167 Natural history EditIn some respects the Hebrides lack biodiversity in comparison to mainland Britain for example there are only half as many mammalian species 168 However these islands provide breeding grounds for many important seabird species including the world s largest colony of northern gannets 169 Avian life includes the corncrake red throated diver rock dove kittiwake tystie Atlantic puffin goldeneye golden eagle and white tailed sea eagle 170 171 The latter was re introduced to Rum in 1975 and has successfully spread to various neighbouring islands including Mull 172 There is a small population of red billed chough concentrated on the islands of Islay and Colonsay 173 Red deer are common on the hills and the grey seal and common seal are present around the coasts of Scotland Colonies of seals are found on Oronsay and the Treshnish Isles 174 175 The rich freshwater streams contain brown trout Atlantic salmon and water shrew 176 177 Offshore minke whales orcas basking sharks porpoises and dolphins are among the sealife that can be seen 178 179 The open landscapes of Benbecula Heather moor containing ling bell heather cross leaved heath bog myrtle and fescues is abundant and there is a diversity of Arctic and alpine plants including Alpine pearlwort and mossy cyphal 180 Loch Druidibeg on South Uist is a national nature reserve owned and managed by Scottish Natural Heritage The reserve covers 1 677 hectares across the whole range of local habitats 181 Over 200 species of flowering plants have been recorded on the reserve some of which are nationally scarce 182 South Uist is considered the best place in the UK for the aquatic plant slender naiad which is a European Protected Species 183 184 Hedgehogs are not native to the Outer Hebrides they were introduced in the 1970s to reduce garden pests and their spread poses a threat to the eggs of ground nesting wading birds In 2003 Scottish Natural Heritage undertook culls of hedgehogs in the area although these were halted in 2007 due to protests Trapped animals were relocated to the mainland 185 186 See also Edit Scottish Islands portal Scotland portal Islands portalList of islands of Scotland Scottish island names Geology of Scotland Timeline of prehistoric Scotland Fauna of Scotland New Hebrides Languages of Scotland Goidelic substrate hypothesis Insular Celtic languages Canadian Boat Song The Lewis Awakening Religious Revival References and footnotes EditNotes Edit Rollinson 1997 states that the oldest rocks in Europe have been found near Gruinard Bay on the Scottish mainland Gillen 2003 p 44 indicates the oldest rocks in Europe are found in the Northwest Highlands and Outer Hebrides McKirdy Alan Gordon John amp Crofts Roger 2007 Land of Mountain and Flood The Geology and Landforms of Scotland Edinburgh Birlinn p 93 state of the Lewisian gneiss bedrock of much of the Outer Hebrides that these rocks are amongst the oldest to be found anywhere on the planet Other non geologist sources sometimes claim that the rocks of Lewis and Harris are the oldest in Britain meaning that they are the oldest deposits of large bedrock As Rollinson makes clear Lewis and Harris is not the location of the oldest small outcrop Murray 1973 notes that Western Isles has tended to mean Outer Hebrides since the creation of the Na h Eileanan an Iar or Western Isles parliamentary constituency in 1918 Murray also notes that Gneiss Islands a reference to the underlying geology is another name used to refer to the Outer Hebrides but that its use is confined to books 7 There are two inhabited islands called Grimsay or Griomasaigh that are joined to Benbecula by a road causeway one to the north at grid reference NF855572 and one to the south east at grid reference NF831473 See above note Thompson 1968 provides a more literal translation Fire played in the fig trees of Liodhus it mounted up to heaven Far and wide the people were driven to flight The fire gushed out of the houses 102 The transitional relationships between Norse and Gaelic speaking rulers are complex The Gall Ghaidhels who dominated much of the Irish Sea region and western Scotland at this time were of joint Gaelic and Scandinavian origin When Somerled wrested the southern Inner Hebrides from Godred the Black in 1156 this was the beginnings of a break with nominal Norse rule in the Hebrides Godred remained the ruler of Mann and the Outer Hebrides but two years later Somerled s invasion of the former caused him to flee to Norway Norse control was further weakened in the ensuring century but the Hebrides were not formally ceded by Norway until 1266 108 109 The transitions from one language to another are also complex For example many Scandinavian sources from this period of time typically refer to individuals as having a Scandinavian first name and a Gaelic by name 110 Citations Edit a b General Register Office for Scotland 28 November 2003 Occasional Paper No 10 Statistics for Inhabited Islands pdf Retrieved 22 January 2011 Archived 22 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine Rollinson Hugh September 1997 Britain s oldest rocks Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Geology Today 13 no 5 pp 185 190 Gillen Con 2003 Geology and landscapes of Scotland Harpenden Terra Publishing Pages 44 and 142 Dawson Alastair G Dawson Sue Cooper J Andrew G Gemmell Alastair Bates Richard 2013 A Pliocene age and origin for the strandflat of the Western Isles of Scotland a speculative hypothesis Geological Magazine 150 2 360 366 Bibcode 2013GeoM 150 360D doi 10 1017 S0016756812000568 S2CID 130965005 Keay amp Keay 1994 p 507 Encyclopaedia Britannica 1978 states Hebrides group of islands of the west coast of Scotland extending in an arc between 55 35 and 58 30 N and 5 26 and 8 40 W These coordinates include Gigha St Kilda and everything up to Cape Wrath although not North Rona Murray 1973 p 32 Thompson 1968 pp 24 26 Breeze David J The ancient geography of Scotland in Smith and Banks 2002 pp 11 13 Watson 1994 pp 40 41 a b c d e Watson 1994 p 38 Louis Deroy amp Marianne Mulon 1992 Dictionnaire de noms de lieux Paris Le Robert article Hebrides a b Watson 1994 p 37 Watson 1994 p 45 a b c d e f g h Gammeltoft Peder Scandinavian Naming Systems in the Hebrides A Way of Understanding how the Scandinavians were in Contact with Gaels and Picts in Ballin Smith et al 2007 p 487 Woolf Alex 2012 Ancient Kindred Dal Riata and the Cruthin Archived 2 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine Academia edu Retrieved 21 January 2015 a b c Watson 1994 p 85 86 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 80 Haswell Smith 2004 p 262 Thompson 1968 p 13 a b The Roman Map of Britain Maiona Erimon 7 Lougis Erimon Isles of Harris and Lewis Outer Hebrides Archived 27 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine romanmap com Retrieved 1 February 2011 Megaw J V S and SIMPSON D A 1960 A short cist burial on North Uist and some notes on the prehistory of the Outer Isles in the second millennium BC Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine pdf p 72 Proc Soc Antiq Scot archaeologydataservice ac uk Retrieved 13 February 2011 a b c d e f g Haswell Smith 2004 p 236 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 17 a b Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 19 a b Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 46 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 50 a b c d e f Haswell Smith 2004 p 218 a b Mac an Tailleir 2003 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 116 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 117 Watson 1994 p 93 Gammeltoft 2010 pp 482 486 a b c Haswell Smith 2004 p 143 Haswell Smith 2004 p 118 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 31 a b Haswell Smith 2004 p 52 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 38 Etymology of British place names Archived 9 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine Pbenyon Retrieved 13 February 2011 a b c Haswell Smith 2004 p 76 Watson 1994 p 85 Haswell Smith 2004 p 134 a b c Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 105 Watson 1994 p 77 Hakonar saga Hakonarsonar 328 line 8 Retrieved 2 February 2011 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 72 Haswell Smith 2004 p 32 a b Gillies 1906 p 129 Gometra from N is gottr madr ey Mac an Tailleir 2003 pp 58 59 Haswell Smith 2004 p 185 Watson 1926 p 87 a b Haswell Smith 2004 p 47 a b Haswell Smith 2004 p 84 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 69 Haswell Smith 2004 p 109 a b Haswell Smith 2004 p 70 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 83 a b Haswell Smith 2004 p 65 a b Haswell Smith 2004 p 132 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 93 a b Haswell Smith 2004 p 161 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 102 Haswell Smith 2004 p 138 Haswell Smith 2004 p 153 a b Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 103 a b c Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 104 Haswell Smith 2004 p 63 Group 34 islands in the Irish Sea and the Western Isles 1 Archived 8 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine kmatthews org uk Retrieved 1 March 2008 Munro D 1818 Description of the Western Isles of Scotland called Hybrides by Mr Donald Munro High Dean of the Isles who travelled through most of them in the year 1549 Miscellanea Scotica 2 Quoted in Murray 1966 p 146 a b Haswell Smith 2004 p 195 a b Haswell Smith 2004 p 102 Buchanan 1983 Pages 2 6 Haswell Smith 2004 pp 314 25 Newton Michael Steven The Naughty Little Book of Gaelic All the Scottish Gaelic You Need to Curse Swear Drink Smoke and Fool around Sydney Nova Scotia Cape Breton UP 2014 Watson 1994 p 97 Maclean 1977 page 33 Stevenson 1872 p 10 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 111 Haswell Smith 2004 p 285 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 94 Buxton 1995 p 33 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 87 Murray 1973 p 41 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 101 Buxton 1995 p 158 Mac an Tailleir 2003 p 118 Edwards Kevin J and Whittington Graeme Vegetation Change in Edwards amp Ralston 2003 p 70 Edwards Kevin J and Mithen Steven Feb 1995 The Colonization of the Hebridean Islands of Western Scotland Evidence from the Palynological and Archaeological Records Archived 22 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine World Archaeology 26 No 3 p 348 Retrieved 20 April 2008 Li Martin 2005 Adventure Guide to Scotland Archived 22 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Hunter Publishing p 509 Mummification in Bronze Age Britain Archived 28 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine BBC History Retrieved 11 February 2008 The Prehistoric Village at Cladh Hallan Archived 25 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine University of Sheffield Retrieved 21 February 2008 See for example Haycock David Boyd Much Greater Than Commonly Imagined Archived 26 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine The Newton Project Retrieved 14 March 2008 Moffat Alistair 2005 Before Scotland The Story of Scotland Before History London Thames amp Hudson pp 239 40 Nieke Margaret R Secular Society from the Iron Age to Dal Riata and the Kingdom of Scots in Omand 2006 p 60 Lynch 2007 pp 161 162 Clancy Thomas Owen Church institutions early medieval in Lynch 2001 a b Hunter 2000 pp 44 49 Hunter 2000 p 74 Rotary Club 1995 p 12 Hunter 2000 p 78 a b Hunter 2000 p 102 Thompson 1968 p 39 The Kingdom of Mann and the Isles Archived 17 December 2012 at archive today The Viking World Retrieved 6 July 2010 Hunter 2000 pp 109 111 Thompson 1968 p 37 Thompson 1968 p 39 Rotary Club 1995 pp 27 30 Gregory 1881 pp 13 15 20 21 Downham 2007 pp 174 75 Gammeltoft Peder Scandinavian Naming Systems in the Hebrides A Way of Understanding how the Scandinavians were in Contact with Gaels and Picts in Ballin Smith et al 2007 p 480 Hunter 2000 pp 127 166 Oram Richard The Lordship of the Isles 1336 1545 in Omand 2006 pp 135 38 a b Rotary Club 1995 pp 12 13 Haswell Smith 2004 p 312 Thompson 1968 pp 41 42 Murray 1977 p 121 Dunvegan Archived 4 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine castlescotland net Retrieved 17 January 2011 Incidents of the Jacobite Risings Donald Livingstone Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine clanmclea co uk Retrieved 17 January 2011 The Battle of Culloden Archived 8 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine BBC Retrieved 16 January 2011 a b Hunter 2000 pp 195 96 204 06 Hunter 2000 pp 207 08 Duncan P J The Industries of Argyll Tradition and Improvement in Omand 2006 pp 152 53 Hunter 2000 p 212 Hunter 2000 pp 247 262 Duncan P J The Industries of Argyll Tradition and Improvement in Omand 2006 pp 157 58 Hunter 2000 p 280 Newton Michael Highland Clearances Part 3 The Virtual Gael Archived from the original on 29 December 2016 Retrieved 7 January 2017 Hunter 2000 pp 308 23 Watson 1994 p 65 Armit Ian The Iron Age in Omand 2006 p 57 a b c Woolf Alex The Age of the Sea Kings 900 1300 in Omand 2006 p 95 Brown James 1892 Place names of Scotland Archived 10 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine p 4 ebooksread com Retrieved 13 February 2011 a b Duwe Kurt C 17 May 2005 Gaidhlig Scottish Gaelic Local Studies Linguae Celticae Mac an Tailleir Iain 2004 1901 2001 Gaelic in the Census Archived 7 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine PowerPoint Linguae Celticae Retrieved 1 June 2008 A Cholaiste UHI Retrieved 30 May 2011 Hunter 2000 p 104 Hunter 2000 p 292 Hunter 2000 p 343 Duncan P J The Industries of Argyll Tradition and Improvement in Omand 2006 p 169 Haswell Smith 2004 pp 47 87 Haswell Smith 2004 pp 57 99 Blackhouses Archived 19 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine isle of lewis com Retrieved 17 January 2011 Yard wins biggest wind tower job BBC News Online 10 December 2007 Retrieved 6 January 2011 McEwan Fujita Emily 2010 Ideology Affect and Socialization in Language Shift and Revitalization The Experiences of Adults Learning Gaelic in the Western Isles of Scotland Language in Society 39 1 27 64 doi 10 1017 S0047404509990649 JSTOR 20622703 S2CID 145694600 Charles Jedrej Mark Nuttall 1996 White Settlers Impact Cultural p 117 ISBN 9781134368501 Retrieved 25 January 2017 How small scale crofters in the Hebrides survive the challenges 27 March 2020 Julie Fowlis Thistle and Shamrock NPR 22 May 2013 Retrieved 10 June 2013 Hebrides at IMDb Retrieved 15 April 2017 Donnie Munro Biography Archived 30 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine donniemunro co uk Retrieved 5 April 2007 John Lorne Campbell Canna The Story of a Hebridean Island Oxford University Press 1984 pages 104 105 J MacDonald Gaelic literature in M Lynch ed The Oxford Companion to Scottish History Oxford Oxford University Press 2001 ISBN 0 19 211696 7 pp 255 7 School of Scottish Studies 1967 University of Edinburgh 11 12 p 109 Larach nam Bard BBC Alba MacLean Sorley 1954 Hallaig Archived 30 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine Gairm magazine Translation by Seamus Heaney 2002 Guardian co uk Retrieved 27 May 2011 a b Angus Peter Campbell Aonghas Phadraig Caimbeul Fiosrachadh Biog Angus Peter Campbell Archived from the original on 2 January 2017 Retrieved 15 April 2017 Seachd The Inaccessible Pinnacle 2007 at IMDb An Drochaid The Bridge Rising Media Co op January 2013 Archived from the original on 2 February 2017 Retrieved 25 January 2017 An Drochaid BBC Alba Retrieved 25 January 2017 How The Wicker Man changed the face of horror The Independent 15 September 2020 Retrieved 11 November 2022 The Wicker Man The Various Versions of The Wicker Man www steve p org Retrieved 11 November 2022 Famous Visitors to the Islands Luchd tadhail Ainmeil Archived 17 October 2002 at the Wayback Machine Culture Hebrides Retrieved 26 July 2008 Thomson Gordon 28 May 2009 The house where Big Brother was born Archived 31 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine New Statesman Retrieved 11 July 2011 Bold Alan 29 December 1983 The Making of Orwell s 1984 Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine The Glasgow Herald Haswell Smith 2004 p 130 Translations for Shepherd Moons Archived 13 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine pathname com Retrieved 20 May 2011 The various versions of The Wicker Man Archived 12 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine Steve Philips Retrieved 18 June 2013 The Decoy Bride at IMDb Murray 1973 p 72 Seabirds Archived 3 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine National Trust for Scotland Retrieved 20 July 2013 Fraser Darling 1969 p 79 Trotternish Wildlife Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Duntulm Castle Retrieved 25 October 2009 Watson Jeremy 12 October 2006 Sea eagle spreads its wings Scotland on Sunday Edinburgh Benvie 2004 p 118 Protected mammals Seals Archived 20 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine Scottish Natural Heritage Retrieved 6 March 2011 Murray 1973 pp 96 98 Fraser Darling 1969 p 286 Trout Fishing in Scotland Skye Archived 29 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine Trout amp Salmon Fishing Retrieved 29 March 2008 Trends The Sea PDF Scottish Natural Heritage Archived from the original PDF on 25 February 2012 Retrieved 1 January 2007 Species List Archived 2 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine www whalewatchingtrips co uk Retrieved 28 December 2010 Slack Alf Flora in Slesser 1970 pp 45 58 Loch Druidibeg National Nature Reserve Where Opposites Meet Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine pdf SNH Retrieved 29 July 2007 South Uist and Eriskay attractions Archived 14 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine isle of south uist co uk Retrieved 5 July 2010 Higher plant species 1833 Slender naiad Archived 13 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine JNCC Retrieved 29 July 2007 Statutory Instrument 1994 No 2716 Archived 18 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine Office of Public Sector Information Retrieved 5 July 2010 Campaign to stop the slaughter of over 5000 Hedgehogs on the Island of Uist Epping Forest Hedgehog Rescue Archived from the original on 27 August 2006 Retrieved 1 January 2007 Ross John 21 February 2007 Hedgehogs saved from the syringe as controversial Uist cull called off The Scotsman Edinburgh General references Edit Ballin Smith B and Banks I eds 2002 In the Shadow of the Brochs the Iron Age in Scotland Stroud Tempus ISBN 0 7524 2517 X Ballin Smith Beverley Taylor Simon and Williams Gareth 2007 West over Sea Studies in Scandinavian Sea Borne Expansion and Settlement Before 1300 Leiden Brill Benvie Neil 2004 Scotland s Wildlife London Aurum Press ISBN 1 85410 978 2 Buchanan Margaret 1983 St Kilda a Photographic Album W Blackwood ISBN 0 85158 162 5 Buxton Ben 1995 Mingulay An Island and Its People Edinburgh Birlinn ISBN 1 874744 24 6 Downham Clare England and the Irish Sea Zone in the Eleventh Century in Gillingham John ed 2004 Anglo Norman Studies XXVI Proceedings of the Battle Conference 2003 Woodbridge Boydell Press ISBN 1 84383 072 8 Fraser Darling Frank Boyd J Morton 1969 The Highlands and Islands The New Naturalist London Collins First published in 1947 under title Natural history in the Highlands amp Islands by F Fraser Darling First published under the present title 1964 Gammeltoft Peder 2010 Shetland and Orkney Island Names A Dynamic Group Archived 23 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Northern Lights Northern Words Selected Papers from the FRLSU Conference Kirkwall 2009 edited by Robert McColl Millar Occasional Paper No 10 Statistics for Inhabited Islands 28 November 2003 General Register Office for Scotland Edinburgh Retrieved 22 January 2011 Gillies Hugh Cameron 1906 The Place Names of Argyll London David Nutt Gregory Donald 1881 The History of the Western Highlands and Isles of Scotland 1493 1625 Edinburgh Birlinn 2008 reprint originally published by Thomas D Morrison ISBN 1 904607 57 8 Haswell Smith Hamish 2004 The Scottish Islands Edinburgh Canongate ISBN 978 1 84195 454 7 Hunter James 2000 Last of the Free A History of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland Edinburgh Mainstream ISBN 1 84018 376 4 Keay J amp Keay J 1994 Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland London HarperCollins Lynch Michael ed 2007 Oxford Companion to Scottish History Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 923482 0 Mac an Tailleir Iain 2003 Ainmean aite Placenames pdf Parlamaid na h Alba Retrieved 26 August 2012 Maclean Charles 1977 Island on the Edge of the World the Story of St Kilda Edinburgh Canongate ISBN 0 903937 41 7 Monro Sir Donald 1549 A Description Of The Western Isles of Scotland Appin Regiment Appin Historical Society Retrieved 3 March 2007 First published in 1774 Murray W H 1966 The Hebrides London Heinemann Murray W H 1973 The Islands of Western Scotland London Eyre Methuen ISBN 0 413 30380 2 Omand Donald ed 2006 The Argyll Book Edinburgh Birlinn ISBN 1 84158 480 0 Ordnance Survey 2009 Get a map Retrieved 1 15 August 2009 Rotary Club of Stornoway 1995 The Outer Hebrides Handbook and Guide Machynlleth Kittiwake ISBN 0 9511003 5 1 Slesser Malcolm 1970 The Island of Skye Edinburgh Scottish Mountaineering Club Steel Tom 1988 The Life and Death of St Kilda London Fontana ISBN 0 00 637340 2 Stevenson Robert Louis 1995 The New Lighthouse on the Dhu Heartach Rock Argyllshire California Silverado Museum Based on an 1872 manuscript and edited by Swearingen R G Thompson Francis 1968 Harris and Lewis Outer Hebrides Newton Abbot David amp Charles ISBN 0 7153 4260 6 Watson W J 1994 The Celtic Place Names of Scotland Edinburgh Birlinn ISBN 1 84158 323 5 First published 1926 Woolf Alex 2007 From Pictland to Alba 789 1070 The New Edinburgh History of Scotland Edinburgh Edinburgh University Press ISBN 978 0 7486 1234 5 External links Edit Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Hebrides Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hebrides Hebrides Western Isles Guide National Library of Scotland SCOTTISH SCREEN ARCHIVE selection of archive films about the Hebrides Hebrides The Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th ed 1911 Coordinates 57 00 N 07 00 W 57 000 N 7 000 W 57 000 7 000 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hebrides amp oldid 1150236975, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.