Eorsa

Eorsa

Meaning of name	uncertain Jorulof-øy - Jorulf's island or from àrsaidh - ancient
Eorsa from the north/northwest with Mull in the foreground and background
Location
Eorsa Eorsa shown within Argyll and Bute
OS grid reference	NM481378
Coordinates	56°28′N6°05′W / 56.47°N 6.08°W / 56.47; -6.08
Physical geography
Island group	Mull
Area	122 ha (1⁄2 sq mi)
Area rank	136=  [1]
Highest elevation	98 m (322 ft)
Administration
Council area	Argyll and Bute
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Demographics
Population	0
References	[2] [3] [4]

Eorsa is an uninhabited island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.

Geography

Loch na Keal – Eorsa can be seen in the middle of the loch, and Ulva in the background

Eorsa lies in Loch na Keal on the west coast of the Isle of Mull, to the east of Ulva. It is part of the Loch Na Keal National Scenic Area, one of 40 in Scotland. ^[5]

History

Many of the nearby islands, including Inch Kenneth, have early ecclesiastical connections. Eorsa may have done too. It once belonged to the Abbey of Iona, and became the property of the Duke of Argyll. ^[6]

During World War I, the island was used as a British naval anchorage. ^[7]

Cultural references

The island is the setting of Nigel Tranter's 1952 novel Bridal Path , which was made into the film of the same name in 1959. As the comic novel takes the perils of island inbreeding as its theme, Tranter may have chosen an unpopulated island to avoid giving offence.^{[ citation needed ]}

Wildlife

Eorsa is separated from Mull by nearly a mile of water at the closest point so there are very few land animals.^{[ citation needed ]}

See also

• Scottish islands portal

• List of islands of Scotland

References

1. Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent. 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census and 101 such islands in 2022.
2. 2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland
3. Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN   978-1-84195-454-7.
4. Ordnance Survey
5. "National Scenic Areas" Archived 2017-03-11 at the Wayback Machine . SNH. Retrieved 30 Mar 2011.
6. "Historical perspective for Eorsa". Gazetteer for Scotland . Retrieved 15 December 2007.
7. "Overview of Eorsa". Gazetteer for Scotland . Retrieved 15 December 2007.

56°28′N6°5.3′W / 56.467°N 6.0883°W / 56.467; -6.0883