74-572: Lowland Scots can refer to: people of Lowland Scotland Scots language Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Lowland Scots . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lowland_Scots&oldid=1103764970 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
148-526: A Brittonic or Pictish tribal name. In the 7th century Adomnán referred to the island as Ilea , and the name occurs in early Irish records as Ile and as Íl in Old Norse . The root is not Gaelic and is of unknown origin. In 17th-century maps, the spelling appears as "Yla" or "Ila", a form still used in the name of the whisky Caol Ila . In poetic language, Islay is known as Banrìgh Innse Gall , or Banrìgh nan Eilean usually translated as "Queen of
222-520: A standing stone at Carragh Bhan near Kintra marks Godred Crovan's grave. A genuine 11th-century Norse grave-slab was found at Dóid Mhàiri in 1838, although it was not associated with a burial. The slab is decorated with foliage in the style of Ringerike Viking art and an Irish-style cross, the former being unique in Scandinavian Scotland . Following Godred's death, the local population resisted Norway's choice of replacement, causing Magnus,
296-464: A brother of the legendary founder of Dál Riata, king Fergus Mór , but the existence of the Cenél Conchride seems to have been brief and the 430 households of the island are later said to have been comprised from the families of just three great-grandsons of the eponymous founder of Cenél nÓengus: Lugaid, Connal and Galán. The ninth-century arrival of Scandinavian settlers on the western seaboard of
370-460: A continuation of the beds that underlie Jura. The geomorphology of these last two zones is dominated by a fold known as the Islay Anticline. To the south is a "shattered coastline" formed from mica schist and hornblende . The older Bowmore Group sandstones in the west centre of the island are rich in feldspar and may be of Dalradian origin. Loch Indaal was formed along a branch of
444-467: A new harbour was constructed at Port Askaig. Initially, a sense of optimism in the fishing and cattle trades prevailed and the population expanded, partly as a result of the 18th-century kelp boom and the introduction of the potato as a staple. The population of the island had been estimated at 5,344 in 1755 and grew to over 15,000 by 1841. Islay remained with the Campbells of Shawfield until 1853 when it
518-655: A particular kin group; according to the Senchus fer n-Alban ("The History of the Men of Scotland"), it was the Cenél nÓengusa for Islay and Jura. In 627, the son of a king of the Irish Uí Chóelbad , a branch of the Dál nAraidi kingdom of Ulster (not to be confused with Dál Riata), was killed on Islay at the unidentified location of Ard-Corann by a warrior in an army led by King Connad Cerr of
592-556: A record of lands granted to an Islay resident in 1408, Brian Vicar MacKay, by Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles , is one of the earliest records of Gaelic in public use, and is a significant historical document. In 1437, the Lordship was substantially expanded when Alexander, the Lord of the Isles , inherited the rule of Ross maternally; this included Skye. The expansion of MacDonald control caused
666-633: A spoken language in the southern Hebrides throughout the Norse period, but the place name evidence suggests it had a lowly status, possibly indicating an enslaved population. Consolidating their gains, the Norse settlers established the Kingdom of the Isles , which became part of the crown of Norway following Norwegian unification. To Norway, the islands became known as Suðreyjar (Old Norse, traditionally anglicised as Sodor , or Sudreys ), meaning southern isles . For
740-466: Is a cultural and historical region of Scotland . The region is characterised by its relatively flat or gently rolling terrain as opposed to the mountainous landscapes of the Scottish Highlands . This area includes cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow and is known for its fertile farmland, historic sites, and urban centres. It is the more populous and industrialised part of Scotland compared to
814-458: Is a growing interest in renewable energy in the form of wave power . Islay is home to many bird species such as the wintering populations of Greenland white-fronted and barnacle goose , and is a popular destination throughout the year for birdwatchers. The climate is mild and ameliorated by the Gulf Stream . Islay was probably recorded by Ptolemy as Epidion , the use of the "p" suggesting
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#1732837438867888-418: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Language and nationality disambiguation pages Lowland Scotland The Lowlands ( Scots : Lallans or Lawlands , pronounced [ˈlɑːlən(d)z, ˈlo̜ːl-] ; Scottish Gaelic : a' Ghalldachd , lit. 'place of the foreigners', pronounced [ə ˈɣauɫ̪t̪əxk] )
962-466: Is rugged and mountainous, rising steeply from the Sound of Islay , the highest peak being Beinn Bheigier , which is a Marilyn at 1,612 feet (491 m). The western peninsulas are separated from the main bulk of the island by the waters of Loch Indaal to the south and Loch Gruinart to the north. The fertile and windswept southwestern arm is called The Rinns , and Ardnave Point is a conspicuous promontory on
1036-611: Is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides ", it lies in Argyll and Bute just south west of Jura and around 40 kilometres (22 nautical miles) north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's capital is Bowmore where the distinctive round Kilarrow Parish Church and a distillery are located. Port Ellen is the main port. Islay is
1110-513: The Corcu Réti (the collective term for the Cenél nGabráin and Cenél Comgaill , before they split), based at Dunadd . The Senchus also lists what is believed to be the oldest reference to a naval battle in the British Isles —a brief record of an engagement between rival Dál Riatan groups in 719. There is evidence of another kin group on Islay – the Cenél Conchride, supposedly descended from
1184-498: The County of Argyll . During World War I two troop ships foundered off Islay within a few months of each other in 1918. The SS Tuscania , a converted British liner carrying American Doughboys to France, was torpedoed by SM UB-77 on 5 February with the loss of over 160 lives and now lies in deep water 6.4 km (4 mi) west of the Mull of Oa. On 6 October HMS Otranto
1258-689: The Great Glen Fault called the Loch Gruinart Fault; its main line passes just to the north of Colonsay . This separates the limestone, igneous intrusions and Bowmore sandstones from the Colonsay Group rocks of the Rhinns. The result is occasional minor earth tremors. There is a tillite bed near Port Askaig that provides evidence of an ice age in the Precambrian . In comparatively recent times
1332-478: The Gulf Stream keeps the climate mild compared to mainland Scotland. Snow is rarely seen at sea level and frosts are light and short-lived. However, wind speeds average 19 to 28 kilometres per hour (10 to 15 knots) annually and winter gales sweep in off the Atlantic , gusting up to 185 km/h (115 mph). This can make travelling and living on the island during the winter difficult, while ferry and air links to
1406-700: The Highlands (or Gàidhealtachd ). The boundary is usually considered to be a line between Stonehaven and Helensburgh (on the Firth of Clyde ). The Lowlands lie south and east of the line. Some parts of the Lowlands (such as the Southern Uplands ) are not physically "low", Merrick for example reaching 2,766 feet (843 m), while some areas indisputably in the Highlands (such as Islay ) are low-lying. For other purposes,
1480-466: The Neolithic , settlements had become more permanent, allowing for the construction of several communal monuments. The most spectacular prehistoric structure on the island is Dun Nosebridge . This 375-square-metre (4,040 sq ft) Iron Age fort occupies a prominent crag and has commanding views of the surrounding landscape. The name's origin is probably a mixture of Gaelic and Old Norse: Dun in
1554-526: The Scottish reformation , this led the Scottish-English crown to mount an expedition to subdue them. In 1614 the crown handed Islay to Sir John Campbell of Cawdor , in return for an undertaking to pacify it; this the Campbells eventually achieved. Under Campbell influence, shrieval authority was established under the sheriff of Argyll . With inherited Campbell control of the sheriffdom, comital authority
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#17328374388671628-559: The Sound of Islay . On account of the Corryvreckan whirlpool to the north of Jura, the Sound was the main safe sea route between the mainland and the rest of the Hebrides; Claig Castle essentially gave Somerled control of sea traffic. Following Somerled's 1164 death, the realm was divided between Godred's heirs, and Somerled's sons, whose descendants continued to describe themselves as King of
1702-709: The " heart of the Lordship " to move to the twin castles of Aros and Ardtornish , in the Sound of Mull . In 1462, the last and most ambitious of the Lords, John MacDonald II , struck an alliance with Edward IV of England under terms of the Treaty of Ardtornish-Westminster with the goal of conquering Scotland. The onset of the Wars of the Roses prevented the treaty from being discovered by Scottish agents, and Edward from fulfilling his obligations as an ally. A decade later, in 1475, it had come to
1776-644: The "Midland Valley". This area mainly encompasses the basins of the Rivers Forth and Clyde , and houses approximately 80 percent of Scotland's population (3.5 million in the Central Belt ). Historically, the Midland Valley has been Scotland's most agriculturally productive region. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, it experienced significant industrialisation and urbanisation, driven by coal deposits. While coal mining and heavy industry have declined ever since,
1850-532: The Campbell's control of the sheriffdom; thereafter they could now only assert their influence in their role as Landlords. A defining aspect of 19th-century Argyll was the gradual improvement of transport infrastructure. Roads were built, the Crinan canal shortened the sea distance to Glasgow and the numerous traditional ferry crossings were augmented by new quays. Rubble piers were built at several locations on Islay and
1924-535: The Hebrides" and Eilean uaine Ìle – the "green isle of Islay" A native of Islay is called an Ìleach , pronounced [ˈiːləx] . The obliteration of pre-Norse names is almost total, and placenames on the island are a mixture of Norse and later Gaelic and English influences. Port Askaig is from the Norse ask-vík , meaning "ash tree bay" and the common suffix -bus is from the Norse bólstaðr , meaning "farm". Gaelic names, or their anglicised versions such as Ardnave Point, from Àird an Naoimh "height of
1998-657: The Highlands (although historically also in the lowlands until the 15th century and 18th century in Galloway), to the Scottish history and to the Scottish clan system, as well as in family history and genealogy . Military units associated with the region at various times include the Lowland Brigade , the Royal Scots and the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division . Islay Islay ( / ˈ aɪ l ə / EYE -lə ; Scottish Gaelic : Ìle , Scots : Ila )
2072-570: The Isles at the time, spurring Somerled into action. The two fought the Battle of Epiphany in the seas off Islay in January 1156. The result was a bloody stalemate , and the island kingdom was temporarily divided, with Somerled taking control of the southern Hebrides. Two years later Somerled completely ousted Godred Olafsson and re-united the kingdom. Somerled built the sea fortress of Claig Castle on an island between Islay and Jura, to establish control of
2146-543: The Isles there, upon an ancient seven-foot-square coronation stone bearing footprint impressions in which the new ruler stood barefoot and was anointed by the Bishop of Argyll and seven priests. The Lord's advisory " Council of the Isles " met on Eilean na Comhairle ( Council Island ), in Loch Finlaggan on Islay, within a timber framed crannog that had originally been constructed in the first century BC. The Islay Charter ,
2220-809: The Lowlands. Many ancestors of the Scotch-Irish , as they are known in the United States, or Ulster-Scots , originated from the lowlands and borders region before migrating to the Ulster Plantation in the 17th century and later the American frontier , many prior to the American Revolution . The term Scottish Lowlands is used with reference to the Scots language in contrast to the Scottish Gaelic spoken in
2294-673: The MacDonalds, and in 1493 had thus been seen as the natural replacement for them, leading to a branch of the MacLeans being granted Dunyvaig Castle by king James, and expanding into Islay. Naturally, the restoration of the MacDonalds created some hostility with the MacLeans; in 1549, after observing that Islay was fertile, fruitful, and full of natural pastures, with good hunting and plentiful salmon and seals, Dean Monro describes Dunyvaig, and Loch Gorm Castle " now usurped be M’Gillayne of Doward ". . The dispute continued for decades, and in 1578
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2368-517: The MacDougall lands forfeit, and distributed them between the MacDonalds and Macruari (the latter already owning much of Lorne , Uist , parts of Lochaber , and Garmoran ). The Macruari territories were eventually inherited by Amy of Garmoran ., who married her MacDonald cousin John of Islay in the 1330s; having succeeded Aonghus Óg as head of the MacDonalds, he now controlled significant stretches of
2442-676: The Macleans were expelled from Loch Gorm by force, and in 1598 their branch was finally defeated at the Battle of Traigh Ghruinneart . However, when Sorley Boy MacDonnell (of the Islay MacDonalds) had a clash with the Irish branch of the Macleans, and the unpopularity of the MacDonalds in Edinburgh (where their use of Gaelic was regarded as barbaric), weakened their grip on their southern Hebridean possessions. In 1608, Coupled with MacDonald hostility to
2516-562: The Midland Valley's economic importance endures. Today, it remains a central hub of the Scottish economy, with a focus on electronics, computer manufacturing, and service sectors like telecommunications, computer software, and finance. The southernmost counties of Scotland, nearest the Anglo-Scottish border , are also known as the Borders . They are sometimes considered separately from the rest of
2590-523: The Norse Kingdom of the Isles . The later medieval period marked a "cultural high point" with the transfer of the Hebrides to the Kingdom of Scotland and the emergence of the Clan Donald Lordship of the Isles , originally centred at Finlaggan . During the 17th century the power of Clan Donald waned, but improvements to agriculture and transport led to a rising population, which peaked in
2664-515: The Norwegian king died. In 1266, his more peaceable successor ceded his nominal authority over Suðreyjar to the Scottish king ( Alexander III ) by the Treaty of Perth , in return for a very large sum of money. Alexander generally acknowledged the semi-independent authority of Somerled's heirs; the former Suðreyjar had become a Scottish crown dependency, rather than part of Scotland. By this point, Somerled's descendants had formed into three families –
2738-413: The Norwegian king , to launch a military campaign to assert his authority. In 1098, under pressure from Magnus, the king of Scotland quitclaimed to Magnus all sovereign authority over the isles. In the mid 12th century, a granddaughter of Godred Crovan's married the ambitious Somerled , a Norse-Gaelic Argyle nobleman. Godred Olafsson , grandson of Godred Crovan, was an increasingly unpopular King of
2812-558: The Scots that no one who built a ship or boat dared use more than three iron bolts". Godred also became King of Dublin at an unknown date, although in 1094 he was driven out of the city by Muircheartach Ua Briain , later known as High King of Ireland , according to the Annals of the Four Masters . He died on Islay " of pestilence ", during the following year. A local tradition suggests that
2886-458: The Sudreys until the 13th century. Somerled's grandson, Donald received Islay, along with Claig Castle, and the adjacent part of Jura as far north as Loch Tarbert . Nominal Norwegian authority had been re-established after Somerled's death, but by the mid 13th century, increased tension between Norway and Scotland led to a series of battles, culminating in the Battle of Largs , shortly after which
2960-412: The attention of the Scottish court, but calls for forfeiture of the Lordship were calmed when John quitclaimed his mainland territories, and Skye. However, ambition wasn't given up so easily, and John's nephew launched a severe raid on Ross , but it ultimately failed. Within 2 years of the raid, in 1493, MacDonald was compelled to forfeit his estates and titles to James IV of Scotland ; by this forfeiture,
3034-467: The bedrock at the northern end of the Rinns. It is a quartz -rich metamorphic marine sandstone that may be unique to Scotland and which is nearly 5,000 m (16,400 ft) thick. South of Rubh' a' Mhail there are outcrops of quartzite , and a strip of mica schist and limestone cuts across the centre of the island from The Oa to Port Askaig. Further south is a band of metamorphic quartzite and granites,
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3108-455: The boundary varies; but if the Boundary Fault is used, then the traditional Scottish counties entirely in the Lowlands are Ayrshire , Berwickshire , Clackmannanshire , Dumfriesshire , East Lothian , Fife , Kinross-shire , Kirkcudbrightshire , Lanarkshire , Midlothian , Peeblesshire , Renfrewshire , Roxburghshire , Selkirkshire , West Lothian , and Wigtownshire . Prior to 1921,
3182-485: The counties of East Lothian, Midlothian, and West Lothian were known as Haddingtonshire, Edinburghshire, and Linlithgowshire. Traditional Scottish counties which straddle the Boundary fault include Angus , Dunbartonshire , Stirlingshire , Perthshire , Kincardineshire , Aberdeenshire , Banffshire , and Moray . The term "Lowlands" is sometimes used to refer specifically to the " Central Lowlands ", an area also known as
3256-590: The fifth-largest Scottish island and the eighth-largest island of the British Isles , with a total area of almost 620 square kilometres (240 sq mi). There is ample evidence of the prehistoric settlement of Islay and the first written reference may have come in the first century AD. The island had become part of the Gaelic Kingdom of Dál Riata during the Early Middle Ages before being absorbed into
3330-406: The former language means "fort" and knaus-borg in the latter means "fort on the crag". There is no evidence that Islay was ever subject to Roman military control although small numbers of finds such as a coin and a brooch from the third century AD suggest links of some kind with the intermittent Roman presence on the mainland. The ruins of a broch at Dùn Bhoraraic south east of Ballygrant and
3404-754: The heirs of Donald (the MacDonalds , led by Aonghas Óg MacDonald ), those of Donald's brother (the Macruari , led by Ruaidhri mac Ailein), and those of Donald's uncle (the MacDougalls , led by Alexander MacDougall ). At the end of the 13th century, when king John Balliol was challenged for the throne by Robert the Bruce , the MacDougalls backed Balliol, while the Macruari and MacDonalds backed Robert. When Robert won, he declared
3478-505: The island was ice-covered during the Pleistocene glaciations save for Beinn Tart a' Mhill on the Rinns, which was a nunatak on the edge of the ice sheet. The complex changes of sea level due to melting ice caps and isostasy since then have left a series of raised beaches around the coast. Throughout much of late prehistory the low-lying land between the Rinns and the rest of the island was flooded, creating two islands. The influence of
3552-614: The island was recorded at over 6,600 cows and 2,200 horses in a 1722 rental listing. In 1726 Islay was purchased by John Campbell of Mamore using compensation from Glasgow Town Council (£9000) for damages during the Malt tax riots . When he died in 1729 the island passed to his son, Daniel Campbell of Shawfield . Following the Jacobite insurrections of 1745–6, the Heritable Jurisdictions Act 1746 abolished comital authority, and
3626-537: The king. A charter was soon sent from the Scottish King confirming this state of affairs; it declares that Skye and the Outer Hebrides are to be considered independent from the rest of the former Lordship, leaving only Islay and Jura remaining in the comital unit. James V sent gunners to garrison forts in Islay in 1540. Initially dispossessed in the wake of royal opposition to the Lordship, Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg 's holdings in Islay were restored in 1545. The MacLean family had been granted land in Jura in 1390, by
3700-412: The land their predecessors had farmed for centuries. In 1891 the census recorded only 7,375 citizens, with many evictees making new homes in Canada, the United States and elsewhere. The population continued to decline for much of the 20th century and today is about 3,500. In 1899, counties were formally created, on shrieval boundaries, by a Scottish Local Government Act ; Islay therefore became part of
3774-471: The lands became part of Scotland, rather than a crown dependency. James ordered Finlaggan demolished, its buildings razed, and the coronation stone destroyed, to discourage any attempts at restoration of the Lordship. When Martin Martin visited Islay in the late 17th century he recorded a description of the coronations Finlaggan had once seen. . John was exiled from his former lands, and his former subjects now considered themselves to have no superior except
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#17328374388673848-457: The latter two. The northeast plain is also "low-land", both geographically and culturally, but in some contexts may be grouped together with the Highlands. The Lowlands is not an official geographical or administrative area of the country. There are two main topographic regions: the Lowlands and the Southern Uplands . The term "Lowlands" mainly refers to the Central Lowlands . However, in normal usage it refers to those parts of Scotland not in
3922-441: The mainland can suffer delays. The driest months are April to July and the warmest are May to September, which as a result are the busiest times for tourism. Sunshine hours are typically highest around the coasts, especially to the west. The earliest settlers on Islay were nomadic hunter-gatherers who may have first arrived during the Mesolithic period after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice caps. A flint arrowhead , which
3996-421: The mainland had a long-lasting effect, beginning with the destruction of Dál Riata. As is the case in the Northern Isles , the derivation of place names suggests a complete break from the past. Jennings and Kruse conclude that although there were settlements prior to the Norse arrival " there is no evidence from the onomasticon that the inhabitants of these settlements ever existed ". Gaelic continued to exist as
4070-444: The mid-19th century. This was followed by substantial forced displacements and declining resident numbers. Today, Islay has over 3,000 inhabitants, and the main commercial activities are agriculture, malt whisky distillation and tourism. The island has a long history of religious observance, and Scottish Gaelic is spoken by about a quarter of the population. Its landscapes have been celebrated through various art forms, and there
4144-413: The name "river" despite their small size. The most significant of these are the River Laggan which discharges into the sea at the north end of Laggan Bay, and the River Sorn which, draining Loch Finlaggan, enters the head of Loch Indaal at Bridgend. There are numerous small uninhabited islands around the coasts, the largest of which are Eilean Mhic Coinnich and Orsay off the Rinns, Nave Island on
4218-444: The nearby mainland and adjacent islands, lay within the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata with strong links to Ireland. The widely accepted opinion is that Dál Riata was established by Gaelic migrants from Ulster, displacing a native Brythonic culture (such as the Picts ), but some scholars claim that the Gaels in this part of Scotland were indigenous to the area. Dál Riata was divided into a small number of regions, each controlled by
4292-471: The next four centuries and more this Kingdom was under the control of rulers of mostly Norse origin. Godred Crovan was one of the most significant of the rulers of this sea kingdom . Though his origins are obscure, it is known that Godred was a Norse-Gael , with a connection to Islay. The Chronicles of Mann call Godred the son of Harald the Black of Ysland, (his place or origin variously interpreted as Islay, Ireland or Iceland ) and state he "so tamed
4366-454: The northwest coast, Am Fraoch Eilean in the Sound of Islay, and Texa off the south coast. The underlying geology of Islay is intricate for such a small area. The deformed Palaeoproterozoic igneous rock of the Rhinns complex is dominated by a coarse-grained gneiss cut by large intrusions of deformed gabbro . Once thought to be part of the Lewisian complex , it lies beneath the Colonsay Group of metasedimentary rocks that forms
4440-429: The northwest coast. The south coast is sheltered from the prevailing winds and, as a result, relatively wooded. The fractal coast has numerous bays and sea lochs, including Loch an t-Sailein , Aros Bay and Claggain Bay . In the far southwest is a rocky and now largely uninhabited peninsula called The Oa , the closest point in the Hebrides to Ireland. The island's population is concentrated mainly in and around
4514-501: The population of Argyll was to be found dispersed in small clachans of farming families and only two villages of any size, Killarow near Bridgend and Lagavulin, existed on Islay at the time. (Killarow had a church and tolbooth and houses for merchants and craft workers but was razed in the 1760s to "improve" the grounds of Islay House.) The agricultural economy was dependent on arable farming including staples such as barley and oats supplemented with stock-rearing. The carrying capacity of
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#17328374388674588-424: The remains of numerous Atlantic roundhouses indicate the influences of northern Scotland, where these forms of building originate. There are also various crannogs on Islay, including sites in Loch Ardnave, Loch Ballygrant and Loch Allallaidh in the south east where a stone causeway leading out to two adjacent islands is visible beneath the surface of the water. By the sixth century AD Islay, along with much of
4662-404: The royalist garrison at Dunnyvaig, laying waste to the island. It was not until 1677 that the Campbells felt sufficiently at ease to construct Islay House at Bridgend to be their principal, and unfortified, island residence. Martin Martin recorded that Sir Hugh Campbell of Caddell was the king's steward of Islay in the late seventeenth century. At the beginning of the 18th century much of
4736-481: The saint" ,are very common. Several of the villages were developed in the 18th or 19th centuries, and English is a stronger influence in their names as a result. Port Charlotte for example, was named after Lady Charlotte Campbell , daughter of 5th Duke of Argyll and wife of the island's then-owner, Colonel John Campbell (1770–1809) of Shawfield and Islay. Islay is 40 kilometres (25 mi) long from north to south and 24 kilometres (15 mi) broad. The east coast
4810-424: The sparsely populated Highlands. Culturally, the Lowlands and the Highlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period , when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands. Geographically, Scotland is divided into three distinct areas: the Highlands , the Central plain ( Central Belt , in the Central Lowlands ), and the Southern Uplands . The Lowlands cover roughly
4884-416: The villages of Bowmore and Port Ellen . Other smaller villages include Bridgend , Ballygrant , Port Charlotte , Portnahaven and Port Askaig . The rest of the island is sparsely populated and mainly agricultural. There are several small freshwater lochs in the interior including Loch Finlaggan , Loch Ballygrant, Loch Lossit and Loch Gorm, and numerous burns throughout the island, many of which bear
4958-405: The western seaboard of Scotland from Morvern to Loch Hourn , and the whole of the Hebrides save for Skye (which Robert had given to Hugh of Ross instead). From 1336 onwards John began to style himself Dominus Insularum —" Lord of the Isles ", a title that implied a connection to the earlier Kings of the Isles and by extension a degree of independence from the Scottish crown; this honorific
5032-508: Was also an RAF Coastal Command flying boat base at Bowmore from 13 March 1941 using Loch Indaal. In 1944 an RCAF 422 Squadron Sunderland flying boat's crew were rescued after their aircraft landed off Bowmore but broke from her moorings in a gale and sank. There was an RAF Chain Home radar station at Saligo Bay and RAF Chain Home Low station at Kilchiaran. The mainstays of the modern Islay economy are agriculture, fishing, distilling , and tourism. Much of Islay remains owned by
5106-409: Was claimed by his heirs for several generations. The MacDonalds had thus achieved command of a strong semi-independent maritime realm, and considered themselves equals of the kings of Scotland, Norway, and England. Initially, their power base was on the shores of Loch Finlaggan in northeastern Islay, near the present-day village of Caol Ila . Successive chiefs of Clan Donald were proclaimed Lord of
5180-426: Was erected on the coast of The Oa by the American Red Cross to commemorate the sinking of these two ships. A military cemetery was created at Kilchoman where the dead from both nations in the latter disaster were buried (all but one of the American bodies were later exhumed and returned home). During World War II , the RAF built an airfield at Glenegedale which later became the civil airport for Islay. There
5254-485: Was found in a field near Bridgend in 1993 and dates from 10,800 BC, is amongst the earliest evidence of a human presence found so far in Scotland. Stone implements of the Ahrensburgian culture found at Rubha Port an t-Seilich near Port Askaig by foraging pigs in 2015 probably came from a summer camp used by hunters travelling round the coast in boats. Mesolithic finds have been dated to 7000 BC using radiocarbon dating of shells and debris from kitchen middens . By
5328-482: Was involved in a collision with HMS Kashmir in heavy seas while similarly transporting American Doughboys from New York Harbor . Otranto lost steering and drifted towards the west coast of the Rinns. Answering her SOS the destroyer HMS Mounsey attempted to come alongside and managed to rescue over 350 men. Nonetheless, the Otranto was wrecked on the shore near Machir Bay with a total loss of 431 lives. A monument
5402-506: Was relatively superfluous, and the provincial identity ( medieval Latin : provincia ) of Islay-Jura faded away. The situation was soon complicated by the Civil War , when Archibald , the head of the most powerful branch of the Campbells, was the de facto head of Covenanter government, while other branches (and even Archibald's son ) were committed Royalists . A Covenanter army under Sir David Leslie arrived on Islay in 1647, and besieged
5476-534: Was sold to James Morrison of Berkshire , ancestor of the third Baron Margadale , who still owns a substantial portion of the island. The sundering of the relationship between the landowners and the island's residents proved consequential. When the estate owners realised they could make more money from sheep farming than from the indigenous small farmers, wholesale Clearances became commonplace. Four hundred people emigrated from Islay in 1863 alone, some for purely economic reasons, but many others having been forced off
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