Eriskay
Encyclopedia
Eriskay from the Old Norse
for "Eric's Isle", is an island and community council
area of the Outer Hebrides
in northern Scotland. It lies between South Uist
and Barra
and is connected to South Uist by a causeway
which was opened in 2001. In the same year Eriskay became the ferry terminal for travelling between South Uist and Barra. The Caledonian MacBrayne vehicular ferry travels between Ceann a' Ghàraidh
in Eriskay and Ardmore
in Barra. The crossing takes around 40 minutes.
and the Eriskay jersey
(made without any seams). It is the real Whisky Galore! island: it was just off Eriskay that the SS Politician
ran aground in 1941 with its famous cargo. On August 2, 1745 the small frigate le Du Teillay landed Bonnie Prince Charlie
with his "seven men of Moidart
" on Eriskay to start the 'Forty-Five Jacobite Rising
. An important early documentary film
, Eriskay: A Poem of Remote Lives, made by a German traveller, Werner Kissling
, was set on the island.
There is a well-stocked shop in Eriskay, a community centre and the Politician Lounge Bar (named after the ship which serendipitously ran aground and famously provided the island with a generous supply of free whisky). The Roman Catholic
church of St. Michael
's sits on a hill overlooking the main village on Eriskay. It celebrated its centenary in 2003, having been built by Father Allan MacDonald in 1903. The site of the old church is marked by a memorial garden with a statue of the Virgin Mary, overlooking the Sound of Barra.
film.
In 2009 the excellent natural harbour of Acarsaid Mhòr - a deep sea loch on the east coast, nearly dividing the island in two - the previous primitive quay facilities were greatly extended and modernised, and the vehicular access greatly improved. Some smaller fishing boats continue - at least if the tides and weather are favourable - to use the shelving bay at Haun (from the Viking for 'harbour' - but scarcely with sufficient shelter to constitute a harbour in practice). Acarsaid Mhòr is also used by visiting yachts.
townships - as below - of
The souming (a word originating in the Viking era) for each full share gives the right to put, on the common grazings (the high ground of Beinn Sciathan
and Beinn Stac), 10 sheep, 2 cows and 1 eriskay pony (all plus their 'followers' - young up to 1 year old). Most crofts have one full share, but many have a half share, and a few have 2 shares, and one croft has as many as 3 shares.
The crofts are small (typically five hectares or less) and the land is rocky and exposed to harsh weather. These days, very few crofts are actively worked: there is little economic return in relation to the effort, and although there is a strong cultural attachment to the land, the demands and distractions of modern life leave little time for tending livestock and manual work. Much of the best grazing land - the machair of the north west of the island - is has been compromised by house-building and the increasing opposition to the free-range grazing of cattle and sheep during the winter. Now, the most actively worked crofts are in the township of Bun a' Mhuillin.
' who were a prominent island family at the time of the Kissling film but now number just four members of the extended family dwelling on the island, and active in crofting, shell-fishing, building work, as well contributing to the community.
Many of those who leave for the mainland are young as - in common with remoter rural areas generally - there are few work opportunities and limited access to further/higher education. To move away from home and find a way in the world is in most cases all to the good, but the real problem for Eriskay is the lack of opportunity and means to return to the islands whilst still young enough to make the greatest possible contribution to their native land.
Holiday visitors frequently comment on the fine scenery and the variety of activities that Eriskay offers: yet tourism has been slow to develop. As of 2010 there are no hotels, two or three bed and breakfast establishments, and until recently few self-catering cottages or houses. Since the completion in 2001 of the causeway to South Uist and the inauguration of the vehicle ferry to Barra, a number of properties have been professionally renovated or purpose-built as high quality holiday accommodation, operated by island families or new arrivals. The machair and beaches from Coilleag a' Phrionnsa to Rudha Bàn are increasingly popular with visitors travelling with their motor-homes: the use of these sites is informal but controversial: many perceive motorhomers as unwilling to spend money in the community - bringing all their provisions from supermarkets at home - and paying nothing for the use of the land, which is private land. The majority of islanders are content to tolerate the motorhomers, who are seen as being for the most part responsible and friendly.
, which is not native to the Hebrides
grows on the island. Its presence there is said to stem from the arrival of the "Bonnie Prince", who accidentally dropped the seeds when he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket.
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
for "Eric's Isle", is an island and community council
Community council
A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain.In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies...
area of the Outer Hebrides
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
in northern Scotland. It lies between South Uist
South Uist
South Uist is an island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,818. There is a nature reserve and a number of sites of archaeological interest, including the only location in Great Britain where prehistoric mummies have been found. The...
and Barra
Barra
The island of Barra is a predominantly Gaelic-speaking island, and apart from the adjacent island of Vatersay, to which it is connected by a causeway, is the southernmost inhabited island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland.-Geography:The 2001 census showed that the resident population was 1,078...
and is connected to South Uist by a causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
which was opened in 2001. In the same year Eriskay became the ferry terminal for travelling between South Uist and Barra. The Caledonian MacBrayne vehicular ferry travels between Ceann a' Ghàraidh
Ceann a' Ghàraidh
Ceann a' Ghàraidh is the location of the ferry terminal on the south-western side of Eriskay in the Western Isles of Scotland.-Comhairle nan Eilean Siar ferries:...
in Eriskay and Ardmore
Ardmore, Barra
Ardmhor is a small village in the north east of the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.In 2002 a small ferry port was built in the village to serve a new ferry link between Barra and Eriskay as part of the Sound of Barra Integrated Transport Project. The ferry service started in spring...
in Barra. The crossing takes around 40 minutes.
The island
Although only a small island (about 2.5 x 1.5 miles), Eriskay has many claims to fame that have made the island well-known far beyond the Hebrides. It is associated with the traditional Hebridean song, the Eriskay Love Lilt; with the Eriskay ponyEriskay pony
The Eriskay Pony is a breed of pony from Scotland. It is generally grey in colour, and has a dense, waterproof coat that protects it in harsh weather. The breed developed in ancient times in the Hebrides islands in Scotland, and a small population remained pure and protected from crossbreeding by...
and the Eriskay jersey
Jersey (clothing)
A jersey is an item of knitted clothing, traditionally in wool or cotton, with sleeves, worn as a pullover, as it does not open at the front, unlike a cardigan. It is usually close-fitting and machine knitted in contrast to a guernsey that is more often hand knit with a thicker yarn...
(made without any seams). It is the real Whisky Galore! island: it was just off Eriskay that the SS Politician
SS Politician
The SS Politician was an 8000-ton cargo ship owned by T & J Harrison of Liverpool. It left Liverpool on 3 February 1941, bound for Kingston, Jamaica and New Orleans with a cargo including 28,000 cases of malt whisky. The ship sank near the island of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides, off the west...
ran aground in 1941 with its famous cargo. On August 2, 1745 the small frigate le Du Teillay landed Bonnie Prince Charlie
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
with his "seven men of Moidart
Moidart
Moidart is a district in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland.Moidart lies to the west of Fort William and is very remote. Loch Shiel cuts off the south-east boundary of the district. Moidart includes the townships of Dorlin, Mingarry, Kinlochmoidart and Glenuig. At Dorlin is located the ancient fortress...
" on Eriskay to start the 'Forty-Five Jacobite Rising
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
. An important early documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, Eriskay: A Poem of Remote Lives, made by a German traveller, Werner Kissling
Werner Kissling
Werner Kissling was a German ethnologist. He made one of the earliest existing films of spoken Scottish Gaelic, Eriskay: A poem of remote lives in Eriskay...
, was set on the island.
There is a well-stocked shop in Eriskay, a community centre and the Politician Lounge Bar (named after the ship which serendipitously ran aground and famously provided the island with a generous supply of free whisky). The Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
church of St. Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
's sits on a hill overlooking the main village on Eriskay. It celebrated its centenary in 2003, having been built by Father Allan MacDonald in 1903. The site of the old church is marked by a memorial garden with a statue of the Virgin Mary, overlooking the Sound of Barra.
Traffic
Eriskay is traversed by a number of mountain paths and tracks, and has just a single motor road. The first stretch of that road was built in 1935, funded through proceeds from the first showing in London of the Werner KisslingWerner Kissling
Werner Kissling was a German ethnologist. He made one of the earliest existing films of spoken Scottish Gaelic, Eriskay: A poem of remote lives in Eriskay...
film.
In 2009 the excellent natural harbour of Acarsaid Mhòr - a deep sea loch on the east coast, nearly dividing the island in two - the previous primitive quay facilities were greatly extended and modernised, and the vehicular access greatly improved. Some smaller fishing boats continue - at least if the tides and weather are favourable - to use the shelving bay at Haun (from the Viking for 'harbour' - but scarcely with sufficient shelter to constitute a harbour in practice). Acarsaid Mhòr is also used by visiting yachts.
Crofting
Following the establishment of the first Crofters Commission in the 1880s, the whole of the island - together with the small adjoining Stack Island - were incorporated into the croftingCrofting
Crofting is a form of land tenure and small-scale food production unique to the Scottish Highlands, the Islands of Scotland, and formerly on the Isle of Man....
townships - as below - of
- Acarsaid Mhòr - 14 crofts, 10 shares
- Am Baile (Balla) - 16 crofts, 15 shares
- Bun a' Mhuillinn - 10 crofts, 10 shares
- Coilleag - 10 crofts, 10 shares
- Na Hann (Haun) - 6 crofts, 4 shares
- Na Pàirceannan (Parks) - 4 crofts, 4 shares
- Roisinis (Roshinish) - 4 crofts, 6 shares
- Rudha Bàn - 9 crofts, 5 shares
- Total - 73 crofts, 64 shares
The souming (a word originating in the Viking era) for each full share gives the right to put, on the common grazings (the high ground of Beinn Sciathan
Beinn Sciathan
Beinn Sciathan is the highest point on the Outer Hebridean island of Eriskay.Described as an apparently "uninspiring lump" it nevertheless commands fine views of Barra, South Uist, Skye, Tiree and Coll. The ascent time is between 1.5 and 2.5 hours....
and Beinn Stac), 10 sheep, 2 cows and 1 eriskay pony (all plus their 'followers' - young up to 1 year old). Most crofts have one full share, but many have a half share, and a few have 2 shares, and one croft has as many as 3 shares.
The crofts are small (typically five hectares or less) and the land is rocky and exposed to harsh weather. These days, very few crofts are actively worked: there is little economic return in relation to the effort, and although there is a strong cultural attachment to the land, the demands and distractions of modern life leave little time for tending livestock and manual work. Much of the best grazing land - the machair of the north west of the island - is has been compromised by house-building and the increasing opposition to the free-range grazing of cattle and sheep during the winter. Now, the most actively worked crofts are in the township of Bun a' Mhuillin.
Community buy-out
After a protracted campaign local residents took control of the island on 30 November 2006 in a community buy-out. The previous landowners, a sporting syndicate, sold the assets of the 372 square kilometres (91,923.1 acre) estate including Benbecula, South Uist and Eriskay for £4.5 million to a community-owned organisation known as Stòras Uibhist which was set up to purchase the land and to manage it in perpetuity.Emigration
Many Eriskay families have had to leave the island in recent years in search of work and some historic island families have few or no descendants left on the island. An example of these families is the MacInnesClan MacInnes
Clan MacInnes is a Scottish clan from the highlands. As there is currently no clan chief, it is currently regarded as an Armigerous clan.-Origins of the name:...
' who were a prominent island family at the time of the Kissling film but now number just four members of the extended family dwelling on the island, and active in crofting, shell-fishing, building work, as well contributing to the community.
Tourism
Wildlife
Sea bindweedCalystegia soldanella
The morning glory Calystegia soldanella is a species of bindweed known by the common names seashore false bindweed and beach morning glory...
, which is not native to the Hebrides
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
grows on the island. Its presence there is said to stem from the arrival of the "Bonnie Prince", who accidentally dropped the seeds when he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket.
Famous residents
- Allan MacDonald (poet)Allan MacDonald (poet)Father Allan MacDonald was a Roman Catholic priest, poet, folklore collector, and activist from the Scottish Gàidhealtachd.-Biography:...
(1859–1905), a Roman Catholic priestPriestA priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, Scottish Gaelic poet, and activist in favour of crofters' rights.
External links
- Am Paipear Community Newspaper
- Storas Uibhist - Landed estate including Eriskay, owned by the community.
- "Eriskay, 1934" Video (Werner Kissling)
- Legislation relating to construction of causeway
- National Library of Scotland: SCOTTISH SCREEN ARCHIVE (selection of archive films about Eriskay)