15. inhabited islands. The Seaforths ..., besides establishing orderly Government in the island.. had done a great deal to rescue the people from the slough of ignorance and incivility in which they found themselves immersed. [10] Of Loch Sgadabhagh on North Uist it has been said that "there is probably no other loch in Britain which approaches Loch Scadavay in irregularity and complexity of outline. [54] The gneiss's delicate pink colours are exposed throughout the islands and it is sometimes referred to by geologists as "The Old Boy". [45] On Barra Head, for example, Historic Scotland have identified eighty-three archaeological sites on the island, the majority being of a pre-medieval date. The Outer Hebrides programmes ensure that the benefits and participation of the local community is fundamental to the LEADER and EMFF ethos of networking, co-operation, transferring knowledge and integrating activities through enabling the delivery of the objectives of the Local Development Strategy which was developed for and by local communities. At the end of the 17th century, the picture we have of Lewis that of a people pursuing their avocation in peace, but not in plenty. ... population. There are about 100 islands, which covers a total area of 1,181 square miles. The sandstone at Broad Bay was once thought to be Torridonian or Old Red Sandstone. [64][65][66][67] Cladh Hallan on South Uist, the only site in the UK where prehistoric mummies have been found, and the impressive ruins of Dun Carloway broch on Lewis both date from the Iron Age. These princelings nominally owed allegiance to the Norwegian crown, although in practice the latter's control was fairly limited. The Outer Hebrides have a unique Gaelic culture and many traditions while religion plays a very important role in daily life. (19 January 2007). On 4 May 1746, the "Young Pretender" Charles Edward Stuart hid on Eilean Liubhaird with some of his men for four days whilst Royal Navy vessels patrolled the Minch. From Barra Head to the Butt of Lewis is roughly 210 kilometres (130 mi). [34] During the same period Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702. The islands' total population was 26,502 at the 2001 census, and the 2011 figure was 27,684. [84][85] In the Western Isles Ketill Flatnose was 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. The remaining population is scattered throughout over 280 townships. The median age in the islands was estimated to be 49.5 years (Scottish average 42 yrs) in June 2019. It is not clear from the text which of MacKenzie's five books quoted in the bibliography spanning the years 1903â52 the quote is taken from. Stornoway is the only settlement, which can really be described as having any 'urban' characteristics. Harris (Scottish Gaelic: Na Hearadh, pronounced [nÉ ËhÉɾÉÉ£] ()) is the southern and more mountainous part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.Although not an island itself, Harris is often referred to as the Isle of Harris, which is the former postal county and the current post town for Royal Mail postcodes starting HS3 or HS5; see HS postcode area. [110] Nonetheless emigration and military service became the choice of many[111] and the archipelago's populations continued to dwindle throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries. Both the 1901 and 1921 census reported that all parishes were over 75% Gaelic speaking, including areas of high population density such as Stornoway. [53] These rocks are largely igneous in origin, mixed with metamorphosed marble, quartzite and mica schist and intruded by later basaltic dykes and granite magma. [130][131], Most areas were between 60-74% Gaelic speaking and the areas with the highest density of over 80% are Scalpay near Harris, Newtonferry and Kildonan, whilst Daliburgh, Linshader, Eriskay, Brue, Boisdale, West Harris, Ardveenish, Soval, Ness, and Bragar all have more than 75%. This idea is often repeated but no firm evidence of this derivation has emerged. Harris has fewer large bodies of water but has innumerable small lochans. However, the Education (Scotland) Act 1872 mandated English-only education, and is now recognised as having dealt a major blow to the language. In 2003 Scottish Natural Heritage undertook culls of hedgehogs in the area, but these were halted in 2007; trapped animals are now relocated to the mainland. [119][122], From the passing of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 to 1975 Lewis formed part of the county of Ross and Cromarty and the rest of the archipelago, including Harris, was part of Inverness-shire. Most of Harris is mountainous, with large areas of exposed rock and Clisham, the archipelago's only Corbett, reaches 799 m (2,621 ft) in height. Moray is run by a Conservative/Independent coalition.[127][128]. [12][41][42] This means that all the inhabited islands are now connected to at least one other island by a land transport route. This shows a decrease of 0.4% (110 persons) from mid 2018 to mid 2019. Figure 1: Estimated Population in Outer Hebrides 2009-2019. For example, hundreds left North Uist for Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. & Ralston, Ian B.M. The most recent mid-year population estimates (2019) for the Outer Hebrides gives a population of 26,720. The average annual rainfall in Lewis is 1,100 millimetres (43 in) and sunshine hours range from 1,100 to 1,200 per year. 152â158, See for example Maclean (1977) Chapter 10: "Arcady Despoiled" pp. 30 Fascinating Facts from the Scottish Hebrides 1) Dunaad is the site of the Kings of Dal Riata â regarded as the first Scottish kings. [139], Annie Jane, a three-masted immigrant ship out of Liverpool bound for Montreal, Canada, struck rocks off the West Beach of Vatersay during a storm on Tuesday 28 September 1853. According to the writer W. H. Murray if a visitor asks an islander for a weather forecast "he will not, like a mainlander answer dry, wet or sunny, but quote you a figure from the Beaufort Scale. [90] Although their contribution to the islands can still be found in personal and placenames, the archaeological record of the Norse period is very limited. [71][72] Breeze also suggests that Dumna might be Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Outer Hebrides although he conflates this single island with the name "Long Island". [72] Pliny probably took his information from Pytheas of Massilia who visited Britain sometime between 322 and 285 BC. Overall, the area is relatively reliant on primary industries and the public sector, and fishing and fish farming in particular are vulnerable to environmental impacts, changing market pressures, and European legislation. In the 18th century, the population was over fifty, but the last native islanders had left by 1931. [130], In the 2001 census, each island overall was over 50% Gaelic speaking â South Uist (71%), Harris (69%), Barra (68%), North Uist (67%), Lewis (56%) and Benbecula (56%). Christianity has deep roots in the Western Isles, but owing mainly to the different allegiances of the clans in the past, the people in the northern islands (Lewis, Harris, North Uist) have historically been predominantly Presbyterian, and those of the southern islands (Benbecula, South Uist, Barra) predominantly Roman Catholic. During the same period Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702. The "Mingulay Boat Song", although evocative of island life, was written after the abandonment of the island in 1938[47] and Taransay hosted the BBC television series Castaway 2000. [126] The Comhairle is one of only three Councils in Scotland with a majority of elected members who are independents. [145][146], Gaelic music is popular in the islands and the Lewis and Harris Traditional Music Society plays an active role in promoting the genre. Thousands of northern gannets nest here, and by special arrangement some of their young, known as gugas are harvested annually by the men of Ness. Education: The Outer Hebrides has a close knit community of schools, with many being amongst the most remote in all of the UK. The Roman presence in Scotland was little more than a series of brief interludes within a longer continuum of indigenous development. Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis is the administrative capital of the Western Isles. Calvay in the Sound of Barra provided the inspiration for Compton Mackenzie's novel Whisky Galore after the SS Politician ran aground there with a cargo of single malt in 1941. The Hebridean Challenge is an adventure race run in five daily stages, which takes place along the length of the islands and includes hill and road running, road and mountain biking, short sea swims and demanding sea kayaking sections. [32] The St Kilda wren is a subspecies of wren whose range is confined to the islands whose name it bears. "The ancient geography of Scotland" in Smith and Banks (2002) pp. Traditional Harris Tweed has become just one example of how the industry of the Outer Hebrides has impacted well beyond their shores. The scenic qualities of the islands are reflected in the fact that three of Scotland's forty national scenic areas (NSAs) are located here. The Outer Hebrides, often called the Western Isles, make up an island chain off the west coast of Scotland.It is also a parliamentary constituency. Figure 3: Outer Hebrides Population recorded by the Census (1901-2011) Demographically, the population of the Outer Hebrides is ageing. [123], The Outer Hebrides became a unitary council area in 1975, although in most of the rest of Scotland similar unitary councils were not established until 1996. There are four main sports centres: Ionad Spors Leodhais in Stornoway, which has a 25 m swimming pool; Harris Sports Centre; Lionacleit Sports Centre on Benbecula; and Castlebay Sports Centre on Barra. Lady Gordon Cathcart took legal action against the "raiders" but the visiting judge took the view that she had neglected her duties as a landowner and that "long indifference to the necessities of the cottars had gone far to drive them to exasperation". The average temperature for the year is 6 °C (44 °F) in January and 14 °C (57 °F) in summer. [117] See also the "Innse Gall area plan 2010"[118] and the Comhairle's "Factfile â Economy". Western Isles Council is responsible for four secondary schools across the islands: the Nicolson Institute in Stornoway (around 1,000 students), Sir E Scott School in Tarbert ( approx. 3: The Outer Hebrides offers attractive opportunities that improve the quality of life, wellbeing and health for all our people By capturing the islands Magnus imposed a more direct royal control, although at a price. [9] North and South Uist and Lewis, in particular, have landscapes with a high percentage of fresh water and a maze and complexity of loch shapes. Looking back further from 1901 to 2011 the population of the Outer Hebrides has declined by 40% (46,000 in 1901). The population change from 1901 to 2011 is illustrated in figure 3 below. [61], The Hebrides were originally settled in the Mesolithic era and have a diversity of important prehistoric sites. [81], The later Iron Age inhabitants of the northern and western Hebrides were probably Pictish, although the historical record is sparse. 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