Southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland
This article is about the island in Scotland. For other uses, see Islay (disambiguation).
Islay
Scottish Gaelic name
Ìle
Pronunciation
[ˈiːlə]ⓘ
Scots name
Ila[1]
Old Norse name
Íl[2]
Meaning of name
Unknown
Port Ellen
Location
Islay
Islay shown within Argyll and Bute
OS grid reference
NR370598
Coordinates
55°46′N6°09′W / 55.77°N 6.15°W / 55.77; -6.15
Physical geography
Island group
Islay
Area
61,956 ha (239+1⁄4 sq mi)[3]
Area rank
5 [5]
Highest elevation
Beinn Bheigeir, 491 m (1,611 ft)[4]
Administration
Sovereign state
United Kingdom
Country
Scotland
Council area
Argyll and Bute
Demographics
Population
3,228[6]
Population rank
7[6][5]
Population density
5.2/km2 (13/sq mi)[3][6]
Largest settlement
Port Ellen[7]
Islay (/ˈaɪlə/ⓘEYE-lə; Scottish Gaelic: Ìle, Scots: Ila) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides",[8] it lies in Argyll just south west of Jura and around 40 kilometres (22 nautical miles) north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's capital is Bowmore where the distinctive round Kilarrow Parish Church and a distillery are located.[9] Port Ellen is the main port.[10]
Islay is the fifth-largest Scottish island and the eighth-largest island of the British Isles, with a total area of almost 620 square kilometres (240 sq mi).[Note 1] There is ample evidence of the prehistoric settlement of Islay and the first written reference may have come in the first century AD. The island had become part of the Gaelic Kingdom of Dál Riata during the Early Middle Ages before being absorbed into the Norse Kingdom of the Isles.
The later medieval period marked a "cultural high point" with the transfer of the Hebrides to the Kingdom of Scotland and the emergence of the Clan Donald Lordship of the Isles, originally centred at Finlaggan.[13] During the 17th century the power of Clan Donald waned, but improvements to agriculture and transport led to a rising population, which peaked in the mid-19th century.[3] This was followed by substantial forced displacements and declining resident numbers.
Today, Islay has over 3,000 inhabitants, and the main commercial activities are agriculture, malt whisky distillation and tourism. The island has a long history of religious observance, and Scottish Gaelic is spoken by about a quarter of the population.[14] Its landscapes have been celebrated through various art forms, and there is a growing interest in renewable energy in the form of wave power. Islay is home to many bird species such as the wintering populations of Greenland white-fronted and barnacle goose, and is a popular destination throughout the year for birdwatchers. The climate is mild and ameliorated by the Gulf Stream.
^"Map of Scotland in Scots - Guide and gazetteer" (PDF).
^Gammeltoft 2007, p. 487
^ abcHaswell-Smith 2004, p. 41
^Haswell-Smith 2004, p. 42
^ abArea and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
^ abcNational Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
^National Records of Scotland. "Table KS101SC – Usual Resident Population, all people; Settlement/Locality 2010; Port Ellen". Scotland's Census 2011. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. From the main page select Results, Standard Outputs, year 2011, table KS101SC,area type locality 2010. On the map click Bowmore and Port Ellen for comparison.
^Newton 1995, p. 11
^Newton 1995, p. 20
^Newton 1995, p. 31
^Haswell-Smith 2004, p. 502
^Rick Livingstone’s Tables of the Islands of Scotland (pdf) Argyll Yacht Charters. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
^Caldwell 2011, p. 58
^Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2004) 1901–2001 Gaelic in the Census Archived 7 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine (PowerPoint) Linguae Celticae. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
Cite error: There are <ref group=Note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=Note}} template (see the help page).
Islay (/ˈaɪlə/ EYE-lə; Scottish Gaelic: Ìle, Scots: Ila) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides"...
Islay single malts are the single malt Scotch whiskies made on Islay (/ˈaɪlə/ EYE-lə) or Ìle in Gaelic, one of the southernmost of the Inner Hebridean...
Islay Airport (IATA: ILY, ICAO: EGPI) (also known as Glenegedale Airport) (Scottish Gaelic: Port-adhair Ìle) is located 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 kilometres;...
MV Isle of Islay is a roll-on/roll-off vehicle and passenger ferry being constructed for use by Caledonian MacBrayne on routes on the west coast of Scotland...
Islay Hill is a volcanic cone, and is the southernmost of the nine volcanic mountains and hills that make up the Nine Sisters, located in the San Luis...
Islay House is a Category A listed country house near Bridgend, Islay in the county of Argyll, in western Scotland on the shores of Loch Indaal. Originally...
Lord of Islay was a thirteenth- and fourteenth-century title borne by the chiefs of Clann Domhnaill before they assumed the title "Lord of the Isles"...
remember hardihood in the time of battle). A later poem made to John of Islay (1434–1503), last of the MacDonald Lords of the Isles, proclaims "Ceannas...
Islay Province is the smallest of eight provinces in the Arequipa Region of Peru. The province is divided into six districts which are: Cocachacra (Cocachacra)...
Alfred Islay Walden (1847 - 1884) was an American poet, teacher, and minister. He was born in Randolph County, North Carolina and enslaved. He was freed...
Campbell of Islay may refer to: Walter Frederick Campbell FRSE (1798–1855), Scottish politician John Francis Campbell (1821–1885), Scottish author and...
The Botanist is a dry gin made by the Bruichladdich Distillery in Islay, Scotland. It is one of two gins made on the island and is known for its hand-foraged...
around the perimeter of Scotland (the Island single malts), except for Islay (see Islay whisky). Incongruously, the area also includes certain lowland areas...
Islay Diane Marsden is a New Zealand academic marine biologist and toxicologist, and is a professor emerita at the University of Canterbury. Marsden's...
Islay LIMPET was the world's first commercial wave power device and was connected to the United Kingdom's National Grid. Islay LIMPET (Land Installed Marine...
Rinns of Islay (Scottish Gaelic: Na Roinn Ìleach; alternative English spelling Rhinns of Islay) is an area on the west of the island of Islay in the Inner...
Laphroaig distillery (/ləˈfrɔɪɡ/ lə-FROYG) is an Islay single malt Scotch whisky distillery. It is named after the area of land at the head of Loch Laphroaig...
MV Sound of Islay was the first ro-ro ferry on the west coast of Scotland. Built for Western Ferries in 1968, she served Islay and later Campbeltown –...
Gaelic: Iain Frangan Caimbeul; Islay, 29 December 1821 – Cannes, 17 February 1885), also known as Young John of Islay (Scottish Gaelic: Iain Òg Ìle) was...
routes linking Islay with Kennacraig on the mainland. She is named for the sea loch of Loch Indaal, which lies on the west coast of Islay. The loch is well...
016052°W / -17.019836; -72.016052 (Islay) The Battle of Islay (Spanish: Batalla de Islay or Combate Naval de Islay) occurred on January 12 and 13, 1838...
209/1200s (Pijao class) in 1975. Peru commissioned two Type 209/1100s (Islay class) in 1975 and four Type 209/1200s (Angamos class) between 1980 and...
centuries. Their territory included much of Argyll, the Isles of Arran, Bute, Islay, the Isle of Man, Hebrides (Skye and Ross from 1438), Knoydart, Ardnamurchan...
Global Information
