Shillay, Monach Islands
| Scottish Gaelic name | Siolaigh |
|---|---|
| Old Norse name | selrey |
| Meaning of name | Seal Island or "Herring island", from Norse Sileigh |
| Location | |
| OS grid reference | NF593628 |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Monach Islands |
| Area rank | <40 ha [1] |
| Highest elevation | 10 m |
| Administration | |
| Council area | Comhairle nan Eilean Siar |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
 | |
| References | [2][3][4][5] |
Shillay (Gaelic: Siolaigh from the Norse selrey, meaning Seal island) is the western-most of the Monach Islands (Heisgeir), off North Uist in the Outer Hebrides.
Geology and geography
Like most of the other Monach Islands, Shillay has a thin, sandy soil, which has been much troubled by erosion, and which was badly eroded by a huge wave in the 16th century.
Despite Ceann Iar's name, meaning "western headland", Shillay is the westernmost island of the group.
There are several small islets around Shillay, including Eilean Siorraidh, Odarum (to the north) and Raisgeir.
Lighthouse
Shillay is most notable for being the location of a disused lighthouse. This was originally a fire, which was maintained by the monks who lived at Clach na Bleide on Ceann Ear. The red brick lighthouse was built in 1864 by David & Thomas Stevenson, and was in use until 1942.[6] A newer light was installed in 1997.[7]
A stone from the lighthouse has been removed into the church wall at Paible; a keeper had carved into it "Eternity Oh Eternity".[3] Interestingly, just to the south of Shillay, there is an Eilean Siorraidh ("Island of Eternity"; formerly Eilean Siorruidh) - whether this carving is a reference to this or the solitude of the island is unrecorded.
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ 2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland
- ^ a b Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh. Canongate.
- ^ Ordnance Survey
- ^ Iain Mac an Tailleir. "Placenames" (PDF). Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
- ^ Keay, J. & Keay, J. (1994) Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland. London. HarperCollins.
- ^ "Monach Light". Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
57°31′39″N 7°41′34″W / 57.52750°N 7.69278°W
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