The Outer Hebrides or Western Isles,sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island,is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. The islands 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. The Outer Hebrides are considered to be the traditional heartland of the Gaelic language. The islands form one of the 32 council areas of Scotland,which since 1998 has used only the Gaelic form of its name,including in English language contexts. The council area is called Na h-Eileanan an Iar and its council is Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.
The Isle of Lewis or simply Lewis is the northern part of Lewis and Harris,the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as if they were separate islands. The total area of Lewis is 683 square miles (1,770 km2).
Stornoway is the main town,and by far the largest,of the Outer Hebrides,and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland.
Alasdair Morrison is a Scottish Labour Party politician. He was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Western Isles constituency from 1999 to 2007.
Point,also known as the Eye Peninsula,is a peninsula some 11 km long in the Outer Hebrides,Scotland. The majority of Point is connected to the rest of the Isle of Lewis by a narrow isthmus,one mile in length and at one point barely 100 metres wide. The peninsula is just 6 km east of the regional capital of Stornoway,however the district of Point actually starts at the Parkend estate on Stornoway's outskirts. Point is home to around 2,600 people and is one of the few districts of the Western Isles where the population is increasing. There are about 17 villages and hamlets in Point:Melbost (Mealabost),Branahuie,Aignish (Aiginis),Knock,Swordale (Suardail),Garrabost,Lower Bayble,Eagleton,Upper Bayble,Shulishader,Sheshader (Seisiader),Flesherin (Fleisirin),Cnoc Amhlaigh,Portnaguran,Aird,Broker (Brocair),and Portvoller.
HMY Iolaire was an iron-hulled steam yacht that was launched in Scotland in 1881 as Iolanthe. She was renamed Mione in 1898;Iolanthe in 1900;and Amalthæa in 1907. Between 1881 and 1915 a succession of industrialists and aristocrats had owned the yacht. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1915 as HMY Amalthaea,and renamed HMY Iolaire in 1918. She was wrecked in a storm at the mouth of Stornoway harbour on New Year's Day 1919. The disaster killed more than 200 people,including many of the young men of the isles of Lewis and Harris. UK law now protects her wreck as a war grave.
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is the local authority for Na h-Eileanan an Iar,one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It is based in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.
Na h-Eileanan an Iar,formerly Western Isles,is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom,created in 1918. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Angus Brendan MacNeil is a Scottish politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Na h-Eileanan an Iar from 2005 to 2024.
The Highlands and Islands is an area of Scotland broadly covering the Scottish Highlands,plus Orkney,Shetland,and the Outer Hebrides.
Na h-Eileanan an Iar,formerly the Western Isles,is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering the council area of Na h-Eileanan Siar. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. It is also one of eight constituencies in the Highlands and Islands electoral region,which elects seven additional members,in addition to the eight constituency MSPs,to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.
The Christian Party is a minor Christian political party in Great Britain.
The Nicolson Institute in Stornoway,is the largest school in the Western Isles,Scotland.
Alasdair James Allan is a Scottish politician serving as the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency since 2007. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP),he served in the Scottish Government from 2011 to 2018,first as Minister for Learning,Science and Scotland's Languages and then Minister for International Development and Europe.
The Lewis War Memorial is a war memorial dedicated to the men from the Lewis area who lost their lives in World War I and those who survived the war only to drown while returning home during the 1919 sinking of HMY Iolaire. Completed in 1924,the memorial is situated at the highest point of the town of Stornoway.
Elections toComhairle nan Eilean Siar were held on 4 May 2017,the same day as the 31 other Scottish local government elections. As with other Scottish council elections,it was held using single transferable vote (STV) –a form of proportional representation –in which multiple candidates are elected in each ward and voters rank candidates in order of preference.
Sgìre an Rubha is one of the 11 wards of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Created in 2007,the ward elects two councillors using the single transferable vote electoral system. Originally a three-member ward,the number of members elected in Sgìre an Rubha was reduced following a boundary review and it has elected two councillors since the 2022 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar election.
Steòrnabhagh a Deas is one of the 11 wards of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Created in 2007,the ward elects four councillors using the single transferable vote electoral system and covers an area with a population of 4,013 people.
Steòrnabhagh a Tuath is one of the 11 wards of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Created in 2007,the ward elects four councillors using the single transferable vote electoral system and covers an area with a population of 3,748 people.
Elections toComhairle nan Eilean Siar took place on 5 May 2022 on the same day as the 31 other Scottish local government elections. As with other Scottish council elections,it was held using the single transferable vote (STV) system –a form of proportional representation –in which multiple candidates are elected in each ward,and voters rank candidates in order of preference.
