Mingulay

Mingulay
Scottish Gaelic nameMiughalaigh
Pronunciation[ˈmjuː.əl̪ˠaj]
Old Norse nameMikil-ay
Meaning of nameOld Norse for 'Big island'.
Location
Mingulay is located in Outer Hebrides
Mingulay
Mingulay
Mingulay shown within the Outer Hebrides
OS grid referenceNL560830
Coordinates56°48′41″N 7°38′15″W / 56.8115°N 7.6375°W / 56.8115; -7.6375
Physical geography
Island groupUists and Barra
Area640 ha (2+12 sq mi)[1]
Area rank67 out of 162 [3]
Highest elevationCàrnan, 273 m (896 ft)[2]
Administration
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryScotland
Council areaNa h-Eileanan Siar
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited since 1912
Largest settlementThe abandoned 'Village'.
Lymphad
References[4]

Mingulay (Scottish Gaelic: Miughalaigh)[5] is the second largest of the Bishop's Isles in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Located 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres) south of Barra, it is known for an extensive Gaelic oral tradition incorporating folklore, song and stories[6] and its important seabird populations, including puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and razorbills, which nest in the sea-cliffs,[7] amongst the highest in the British Isles.[8]

There are Iron Age remains, and the culture of the island was influenced by early Christianity and the Vikings. Between the 15th and 19th centuries Mingulay was part of the lands of Clan MacNeil of Barra, but subsequently suffered at the hands of absentee landlords.

After two thousand years or more of continuous habitation, the island was abandoned by its Gaelic-speaking residents in 1912 and has remained uninhabited since. It is no longer used for grazing sheep. The island is also associated with the "Mingulay Boat Song", although that was composed in 1938. The National Trust for Scotland has owned Mingulay since 2000.[4][9]

  1. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 209–212.
  2. ^ Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger: Second Series (1994) Sheet 31.
  3. ^ Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
  4. ^ a b Buxton (1995) Mingulay: An Island and Its People.
  5. ^ Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2003) Ainmean-àite/Placenames. (pdf) Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  6. ^ Storey, Liza (2008) p. 7.
  7. ^ Murray (1973) p. 102.
  8. ^ Buxton (1995) p. 11.
  9. ^ National Trust for Scotland steps in to buy the stunning Barrahead Isles for #450,000 Heaven on earth is saved