Ceann Ear is the largest island in the Monach or Heisgeir group off North Uist in north west Scotland. It is 203 hectares (500 acres) in size and connected by sandbanks to Ceann Iar via Sibhinis at low tide.[1][6] It is said that it was at one time possible to walk all the way to Baleshare, and on to North Uist, 5 miles (8 kilometres) away at low tide. In the 16th century, a large tidal wave was said to have washed this away.[4]
Ruin once used by lobster fishermen at Port Ruadh as a bothy
Ceann Ear had been settled for at least a thousand years, before being finally abandoned. Like the other Monach Islands, it was originally abandoned due to overgrazing, and resettled in the wake of the Highland Clearances.[4]
In the 13th century, a chapel was established, which had links to Iona. This monastery was probably at Cladh na Beide in the north east. The monks were responsible for maintaining a light on nearby Shillay to warn ships. Ceann Ear was also known as "Heisgeir nan Cailleach" ("Heisker of the Nuns") due to a nunnery which may have been established in the 13th century.[7] (Cailleach is usually translated as "old woman", but originally meant a nun.)
Unusually, the islanders had their grain drying kilns inside their houses. This is not common at all in the Hebrides, but more a feature of Shetland.
There are still the remains of the village in the south of the island, and the old schoolhouse is upkept as a fisherman's shelter. There was formerly a post office and a school here, but no shops.
Geography
Loch nam Buadh, with the ruins of the village in the distance
A low lying, sandy island, subject to intense coastal erosion. The highest point is Coilleag Mhòr nan Dàmh at Gortinish at the north east of the island.[4]
Gale-force winds blast the Monach Isles on about 160 days of the year. Only certain plants, such as marram grass, can withstand the constant blown sand and salt spray. Farther inland, there are more permanent patches of damp grassland, the wettest having rushes and moss. There are only a few tiny lochs, all rather salty and some only seasonal. The remains of the little village of Ceann Ear are clustered around the largest one (Loch nam Buadh), but the villagers used to get their freshwater from a few wells nearby.[8]
The Outer Hebrides or Western Isles, sometimes known as Na h-Innse Gall or the Long Isle/Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. The islands are geographically coextensive with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. They form part of the archipelago of the Hebrides, separated from the Scottish mainland and from the Inner Hebrides by the waters of the Minch, the Little Minch, and the Sea of the Hebrides. Scottish Gaelic is the predominant spoken language, although in a few areas English speakers form a majority.
Grimsay is a tidal island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
Berneray is an island and community in the Sound of Harris, Scotland. It is one of fifteen inhabited islands in the Outer Hebrides. It is famed for its rich and colourful history which has attracted much tourism. It lies within the South Lewis, Harris and North Uist National Scenic Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development.
Baleshare is a flat tidal island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
Shillay is the westernmost of the Monach Islands (Heisgeir), off North Uist in the Outer Hebrides.
Disambiguation: "Ceann Iar" is a common Scottish placename meaning Western Headland
Hermetray is an uninhabited island off North Uist, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
Stocaigh (Stockay) is one of the Monach Islands. It is a kilometre east of Coilleag Mhòr nan Dàmh in the far north east of Ceann Ear. On its east shore is the Camas Bàn, which is named for its white sand, which consists of finely ground sea shells.
Na h-Eileanan Iasgaich comprise a small uninhabited archipelago in Loch Boisdale, in the south east of the island of South Uist, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The individual islands are separated from one another at high tide, but connected to one another at low tide,. They are around 50 ha in extent and over 20m at their highest point. Their boundaries are ill-defined.
Flodaigh Mòr is an uninhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
Haskeir, also known as Great Haskeir is a remote, exposed and uninhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It lies 13 kilometres west-northwest of North Uist. 1 km southwest lie the skerries of Haskeir Eagach, made up of a colonnade of five rock stacks, and 40 km (25 mi) northwest is St Kilda.
Sibhinis, Siobhanais or Shivinish. is one of the Monach Islands, lying between Ceann Iar and Ceann Ear. It is tidal, and connected at low tide to Ceann Iar by Fadhail Shibhinis, and to Ceann Ear by Faodhail Chinn Ear. It is 16 metres at its highest point. It is said that it was at one time possible to walk all the way to Baleshare, and on to North Uist, five miles (8 km) away at low tide. In the 16th century, a large tidal wave was said to have washed this away.
Ceallasaigh Mòr is a low-lying island in Loch Maddy off North Uist in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. This an area of shallow lagoons filled and drained by the tides each day. Ceallasaigh Beag lies to the south and these two islets are connected by a narrow strip of sand at low tide. Ceallasaigh Mòr may also join mainland North Uist near Bràigh Cheallasaigh at some stages of the tide.
Stromay is a tidal island off North Uist in the Sound of Harris, Scotland.
Ceallasaigh Beag is a low-lying island in Loch Maddy off North Uist in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. This an area of shallow lagoons filled and drained by the tides each day. Ceallasaigh Mòr lies to the south and these two islets are connected by a narrow strip of sand during some low tides.
The Monach Islands, also known as Heisker, are an island group west of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The islands are not to be confused with Hyskeir in the Inner Hebrides, or Haskeir which is also off North Uist and visible from the group.
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