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Barra (; gd, Barraigh or ; sco, Barra) is an island in the
Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...
, Scotland, and the second southernmost inhabited island there, after the adjacent island of
Vatersay The island of Vatersay (; gd, Bhatarsaigh) is the southernmost and westernmost inhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, and the settlement of Caolas on the north coast of the island is the westernmost permanently inhabited place in ...
to which it is connected by a short
causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...
. The island is named after Saint
Finbarr of Cork Finbar is an Irish given name that may also be spelled Finbarr, Finbarre, or Finnbar. It is derived from ''Fionnbharr'', an old Irish word meaning "fair-headed one". The anglicised, shortened translation of Finbar is Barry. Finbar may refer to: P ...
. In 2011, the population was 1,174. Gaelic is widely spoken, and at the 2011 Census, there were 761 Gaelic speakers (62% of the population).


Geology

In common with the rest of the Western Isles, Barra is formed from the oldest rocks in Britain, the
Lewisian gneiss The Lewisian complex or Lewisian gneiss is a suite of Precambrian metamorphic rocks that outcrop in the northwestern part of Scotland, forming part of the Hebridean Terrane and the North Atlantic Craton. These rocks are of Archaean and Paleoprote ...
, which dates from the Archaean eon. Some of the gneiss in the east of the island is noted as being
pyroxene The pyroxenes (commonly abbreviated to ''Px'') are a group of important rock-forming inosilicate minerals found in many igneous and metamorphic rocks. Pyroxenes have the general formula , where X represents calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), iron (Fe II) ...
-bearing. Layered textures or foliation in this metamorphic rock is typically around 30° to the east or northeast. Palaeoproterozoic age metadiorites and metatonalites forming a part of the East Barra Meta-igneous Complex occur around
Castlebay Castlebay ( gd, Bàgh a' Chaisteil) is the main village and a community council area on the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The village is located on the south coast of the island, and overlooks a bay in the Atlantic Ocean domi ...
as they do on the neighbouring islands of
Vatersay The island of Vatersay (; gd, Bhatarsaigh) is the southernmost and westernmost inhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, and the settlement of Caolas on the north coast of the island is the westernmost permanently inhabited place in ...
and
Flodday There are many small islands in Scotland called Flodday (Scottish Gaelic language, Scots Gaelic: Flodaigh) or similar and this list provides a guide to their location. The derivation of the name is from the Old Norse ''floti'' meaning "raft" or "fl ...
. A few metabasic dykes intrude the gneiss in the east. The island is traversed by a handful of normal faults running WNW-ESE and by west-facing thrust faults bringing nappes of gneiss from the east.
Blown sand Blow commonly refers to: *Cocaine *Exhalation *Strike (attack) Blow, Blew, Blowing, or Blown may also refer to: People * Blew (surname) * Blow (surname) Arts and entertainment Music *The Blow, an American electro-pop band Albums * ''Blow' ...
masks the bedrock around Borve and Allisdale as it does west of Barra airport. Peat deposits are mapped across Beinn Chliaid and Beinn Sgurabhal in the north of the island.


Geography

The Isle of Barra is roughly in area, long and wide. A single-track road, the A888, runs around the coast of the southern part of the island following the flattest land and serving the many coastal settlements. The interior of the island here is hilly and uninhabited. The west and north of the island has white sandy beaches consisting of sand created from marine shells adjoining the grassed , while the southeast side has numerous rocky inlets. To the north a sandy peninsula runs to the beach airport and Eoligarry.


History


Early history

During the construction of a road in the 1990s, the discovery of a near-complete pottery beaker dating from 2500 BC established that there has been a human presence on Barra since the neolithic era. As well as pottery, a number of stone remains were found, including a neolithic "work platform", which complement the several
standing stone A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright rock (geology), stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. T ...
s scattered around the island. In the hills to the north of Borve, there is a large
chambered cairn A chambered cairn is a burial monument, usually constructed during the Neolithic, consisting of a sizeable (usually stone) chamber around and over which a cairn of stones was constructed. Some chambered cairns are also passage-graves. They are fo ...
, sited in a prominent position. Beyond the main island, a Bronze Age cemetery is located on Vatersay, as well as an Iron Age
broch A broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure found in Scotland. Brochs belong to the classification "complex Atlantic roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s. Their origin is a matter of some controversy. Origin ...
; the remains of a similarly aged broch is located on the east of Barra itself. Remains of Bronze Age burials and Iron Age roundhouses were also discovered in sand dunes, near the hamlet of
Allasdale Allasdale ( gd, Athalasdal, ) is a settlement on Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The settlement is also within the parish of Barra, and is situated on the A888 which is the island's circular main road. History In May 2007 Channel 4's a ...
, following storms in 2007. Occupation of Barra continued during the later Iron Age, as evidenced by the discovery of a wheelhouse from the end of the period, which was later re-occupied between the 3rd and 4th centuries, and again in the 7th and 8th centuries. These occupations were followed in the 9th century by viking settlers, who gave the island at least part of its name. The latter is derived from two elements: ''Barr'' and Old Norse ' ("island"). ''Barr'' may represent the Gaelic personal name '. Or it could represent the Old Norse elements ' or ' ("bare" or "rough"), or perhaps the
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...
element *''barr'' ("top" or "peak"). According to the ancient Grettis saga, the first viking to arrive was named ''Omund the Wooden-Leg''. File:Vatersay Fae037.jpg, Neolithic "work platform", near Vatersay File:Borve Standing Stones.JPG, Standing stone at Borve File:Vatersay Fae028.jpg, Iron Age wheelhouse near Vatersay File:Bruernish broch 01.jpg, Broch at Bruernish


Kingdom of the Isles

The Vikings established the Kingdom of the Isles throughout the Hebrides, including Barra. Following Norwegian unification, the Kingdom of the Isles became a crown dependency of the Norwegian king; to the Norwegians, it was ''Suðreyjar'' (meaning ''southern isles''). Malcolm III of Scotland acknowledged in writing that they were not Scottish, and King
Edgar Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, rev ...
quitclaimed any residual doubts. In the north of Barra, from this period survived a gravestone, on which a
Celtic cross The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...
is present on one side, and runic inscriptions on the other. In the mid 12th century, Somerled, a Norse-Gael of uncertain origin, launched a coup, which made Suðreyjar entirely independent. Following his death, Norwegian authority was nominally restored, but in practice, the kingdom was divided between Somerled's heirs (), and the dynasty that Somerled had deposed (the
Crovan dynasty The Crovan dynasty, from the late 11th century to the mid 13th century, was the ruling family of an insular kingdom known variously in secondary sources as the Kingdom of Mann, the Kingdom of the Isles, and the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles. The ...
). , a branch of Somerled's heirs, ruled Barra, as well as Uist, Eigg,
Rùm Rùm (), a Scottish Gaelic name often anglicised to Rum (), is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, in the district of Lochaber, Scotland. For much of the 20th century the name became Rhum, a spelling invented by the former owner, Sir ...
, the Rough Bounds,
Bute Bute or BUTE may refer to: People * Marquess of Bute, a title in the Peerage of Great Britain; includes lists of baronets, earls and marquesses of Bute * Lord of Bute, a title in medieval Scotland, including a list of lords * Lucian Bute (born ...
, Arran, and northern Jura. In the 13th century, despite Edgar's quitclaim, Scottish forces attempted to conquer parts of Suðreyjar, culminating in the indecisive
Battle of Largs The Battle of Largs (2 October 1263) was a battle between the kingdoms of Norway and Scotland, on the Firth of Clyde near Largs, Scotland. Through it, Scotland achieved the end of 500 years of Norse Viking depredations and invasions despite bei ...
. In 1266, the matter was settled by the Treaty of Perth, which transferred the whole of Suðreyjar to Scotland, in exchange for a very large sum of money. The Treaty expressly preserved the status of the rulers of Suðreyjar; the Clann Ruaidhri lands, excepting Bute, Arran, and Jura, became the ''Lordship of Garmoran'', a quasi-independent crown dependency, rather than an intrinsic part of Scotland.


Lordship of Garmoran

In 1293, king John Balliol established the
Sheriffdom of Skye The Sheriff of Skye was historically the royal official responsible for enforcing law and order in Skye, Scotland and bringing criminals to justice. The sheriffdom was created in 1293 by King John of Scotland in an effort to maintain peace in the ...
, which included the Outer Hebrides. Following his usurpation, the sheriffdom ceased to be mentioned, and the Garmoran lordship (including Barra) was confirmed to , the head of Clann Ruaidhri. In 1343, King David II issued a further charter to Ruaidhrí's son, Raghnall, but Raghnall's assassination, just three years later, left Garmoran in the hands of Amy of Garmoran. The southern parts of the Kingdom of the Isles had become the ''
Lordship of the Isles The Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles ( gd, Triath nan Eilean or ) is a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title w ...
'', ruled by the MacDonalds (another group of Somerled's descendants). Amy married the MacDonald leader,
John of Islay :''This article refers to John I, Lord of the Isles; for John II, see John of Islay, Earl of Ross'' John of Islay (or John MacDonald) ( gd, Eòin Mac Dòmhnuill or gd, Iain mac Aonghais Mac Dhòmhnuill) (died 1386) was the Lord of the Isles (1 ...
, but a decade later he divorced her, and married the king's niece instead (in return for a substantial dowry). As part of the divorce, John deprived his eldest son,
Ranald Ranald is an English Hanks; Hodges 2006 pp. 407–408; Hanks; Hodges 2003; Hanks; Hodges 1997 pp. 204, 205. and Scots masculine given name. It is an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic name '' Raghnall''. A short form of ''Ranald'' is ' ...
, of the ability to inherit the Lordship of the Isles, in favour of a son by his new wife. As compensation, John granted Lordship of the Uists to Ranald's younger brother Godfrey and made Ranald Lord of the remainder of Garmoran. On Ranald's death, disputes between Godfrey and his nephews led to an enormous amount of violence. In 1427, frustrated with the level of violence generally in the highlands, King James I demanded that highland leaders should attend a meeting at
Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
. On arrival, many of the leaders were seized and imprisoned; Alexander MacGorrie, son of Godfrey, was considered to be one of the two most reprehensible, and after a quick
showtrial A show trial is a public trial in which the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt or innocence of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal the presentation of both the accusation and the verdict to the public so th ...
, was immediately executed., p. 65 As Alexander had by now inherited Godfrey's de facto position as Lord of Garmoran, and in view of Ranald's heirs being no less responsible for the violence, King James declared the Lordship of Garmoran forfeit.


Lairds and pirates

Following the forfeiture, and in that same year, the Lord of the Isles granted Lairdship of Barra (and half of South Uist) to Giolla Adhamhnáin Mac Néill,
Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...
of Clan MacNeil. Headquartering themselves at Kisimul Castle and making use of Birlinns, the MacNeils became famed for piracy after attacking English ships during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. They were summoned by
King James VI James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...
– King of Scotland – to answer for their behaviour. The Chief, Roderick MacNeil ("Rory the Turbulent"), argued that he thought King James would be pleased, since Queen Elizabeth had beheaded his mother Mary, Queen of Scots. Pleased, King James released him. The mainly Catholic population of the island was under serious threat during the Jacobite Uprising of 1745. According to Bishop John Geddes, "Early in the spring of
1746 Events January–March * January 8 – The Young Pretender Charles Edward Stuart occupies Stirling, Scotland. * January 17 – Battle of Falkirk Muir: British Government forces are defeated by Jacobite forces. * February 1 ...
, some ships of war came to the coast of the isle of Barra and landed some men, who threatened they would lay desolate the whole island if the priest was not delivered up to them. Father
James Grant James Grant may refer to: Politics and law *Sir James Grant, 1st Baronet (died 1695), Scottish lawyer *Sir James Grant, 6th Baronet (1679–1747), Scottish Whig politician *Sir James Grant, 8th Baronet (1738–1811), Scottish member of parliament * ...
, who was missionary then, and afterward Bishop, being informed of the threats in a safe retreat in which he was in a little island, surrendered himself, and was carried prisoner to
Mingarry Castle Mingary Castle ( gd, Caisteal Mhìogharraidh), also known as Mingarry Castle, is a castle situated southeast of the small village of Kilchoan in Lochaber, Scotland. Nestled on ridge of rock overlooking the sea, it was considered a strategically ...
on the Western coast (i.e. Ardnamurchan) where he was detained for some weeks." After long imprisonment at
Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
and in a prison hulk in the Thames River, Father Grant was deported to the Netherlands and warned never to return to the British Isles. Like the other priests imprisoned with him, Father Grant did so almost immediately. The descendants of the Clan Chiefs held on to Barra until 1838, when the island was sold to Colonel John Gordon of Cluny (for the sum of £38,050). Roderick MacNeil, Chief of the MacNeils, had already abandoned Kisimul Castle, and built a mansion in the north of Barra; the ensuing debt was one of the reasons he sold the island. In common with many of the new
Anglo-Scottish Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people o ...
landlords, Colonel Gordon evicted most of the islanders to make way for sheep farming. Some of the displaced islanders variously went to the Scottish mainland. Others joined the Scottish diaspora in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, New Zealand, the United States, and Canada. Gaelic folk singer and Barra native Flora MacNeil later recalled one the best sources of the Gaelic songs she learned at local ceilidhs was her mother's cousin, Mary Johnstone. Johnstone's parents had moved to Mingulay after being evicted by Colonel Gordon's Factors and she returned to her ancestral island after Mingulay was abandoned in 1912. In later years, Johnstone would regularly visit the MacNeil family's croft near
Castlebay Castlebay ( gd, Bàgh a' Chaisteil) is the main village and a community council area on the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The village is located on the south coast of the island, and overlooks a bay in the Atlantic Ocean domi ...
and sing at the ceilidhs. By far the worst mass evictions took place, according to Barra '' seanchaidh'' (historian) John "The Coddy" MacPherson, during the Highland Potato Famine of the
1840s The 1840s (pronounced "eighteen-forties") was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1, 1840, and ended on December 31, 1849. The decade was noted in Europe for featuring the largely unsuccessful Revolutions of 1848, also know ...
. Many residents of Barra were unwillingly rounded up and forced by Colonel Gordon's Factors to board the ''Admiral'', an immigrant ship anchored at Lochboisdale, South Uist, and which then set sail for Canada. MacPherson later said of those who were evicted, "Now they were aboard, and they sailed away and it took them six months, I think, to get across from Lochboisdale to Quebec - or the
St. Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman ...
somewhere anyway. After that, there was nothing for them but trees and poverty, and those wretched fellows had to back it for life. Going through the hardships of the emigrants who went across the Atlantic in the ''Admiral'', not many people would credit them today."John Lorne Campbell (1992), ''Tales from Barra: Told by The Coddy'', Birlinn. Page 69. The MacNeil Chiefs were also among the migrants, settling at first in Canada, but moving to the United States by the 20th century. Barra was restored to MacNeil ownership in 1937 when the Barra estate, which encompassed most of the island, was bought by Robert Lister Macneil, an American. In 2000, his heir,
Ian Roderick Macneil Ian Roderick Macneil of Barra (20 June 1929 - 16 February 2010), The Macneil of Barra, Chief of Clan MacNeil, also known as Clan Niall and 26th of Barra, also Baron of Barra) was a Scottish American legal scholar. Early life and education Mac ...
(another American), let Kisimul Castle to Historic Scotland, on a 1000-year lease (for a rental of £1 and a bottle of whisky, per annum). In 2003, he transferred ownership of the Barra Estate to the Scottish Government;. Under Scottish law, the inhabitants have the right to take possession of the estate themselves, if they so wish. Having been flown unofficially for at least a decade, the island's flag received official recognition from the Lyon Court and the Flag Institute in November 2017. The design is a white Nordic cross on a green background.


Places of interest

The main village is Castlebay (') in a sheltered bay, where Kisimul Castle sits on a small islet not far from shore; giving the village its name. This is the main harbour. A smaller medieval tower house, , is in the middle of Loch St Clare on the west side of the island at Tangasdale. The highest elevation on the island is Heaval, near the top of which is a prominent white marble statue of the Madonna and Child, called "Our Lady of the Sea", which was erected during the Marian year of 1954. The predominant faith on the island is Catholicism and the Catholic church dedicated to Our Lady of the Sea is apparent to those arriving at Castlebay. Other places of interest on the island include a ruined church and museum at , a number of Iron Age
broch A broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure found in Scotland. Brochs belong to the classification "complex Atlantic roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s. Their origin is a matter of some controversy. Origin ...
s such as those at and , and a range of other Iron Age and later structures which have recently been excavated and recorded. Barra is connected by a modern causeway to the smaller island of
Vatersay The island of Vatersay (; gd, Bhatarsaigh) is the southernmost and westernmost inhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, and the settlement of Caolas on the north coast of the island is the westernmost permanently inhabited place in ...
, population 90. File:Barra Satellite Photo.png, Satellite photo of Barra,
Vatersay The island of Vatersay (; gd, Bhatarsaigh) is the southernmost and westernmost inhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, and the settlement of Caolas on the north coast of the island is the westernmost permanently inhabited place in ...
and surrounding islands File:View from heaval.jpg, View from Heaval of Castlebay, looking south to Vatersay File:Easary Barra Scotland.jpg, Easary, showing the more rocky east coast of the island.


Economy

Tourism provides the main income for the majority of islanders; the high season lasts from May to September. Thousands of people visit the island every year, the busiest times being during & BarraFest in July. The Heritage and Cultural Centre is located in Castlebay, next to Castlebay Community School. It has various exhibitions each year and is open throughout the year. In April 2020, Condé Nast Traveller summed up Barra as "a delightful little island with its own castle and beach airport" and recommended visiting the "high cliffs in the east and lovely beaches and bays in the west". The Outer Hebrides Web site particularly recommended visits to sites "the iconic Kisimul Castle at Castlebay" and stopping to see the Barra seals at Seal Bay. The Explore Scotland tourism Web site also discusses the Barra Golf Club, Kisimul Castle, Barra Heritage and Cultural Centre, Heaval for exceptional views, Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea and Cille Bharra, the ancient graveyard. According to the Scottish Government, "tourism is by far and away the mainstay industry" of the Outer Hebrides, "generating £65m in economic value for the islands, sustaining around 1000 jobs" The report adds that the "islands receive 219,000 visitors per year". The Outer Hebrides tourism bureau states that 10-15% of economic activity on the islands was made up of tourism in 2017. The agency states that the "exact split between islands is not possible" when calculating the number of visits, but "the approximate split is Lewis (45%), Uist (25%), Harris (20%), Barra (10%)". Castlebay is the primary base for tourists, with a few hotels, a supermarket, bank and petrol station. Explore Scotland stated in 2020 that the island was "also an ideal starting point for visiting and exploring the Uists and Benbecula". In 2010, camping on the machair at the airport was banned due to erosion; this prompted crofters to provide areas on their crofts for visiting tourists. Boat trips to the neighbouring island of Mingulay are available during the summer season, and island-hopping plane trips are also available. The Barratlantic factory, in
Northbay Northbay ( gd, Am Bàgh a Tuath) is a township and community in the north of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. Northbay is within the parish of Barra. There was a long history of settlement in the area - the neolith ...
is a fish and shellfish processing company. As of 2020, its main products were king scallops and langoustines but it was selling most types of white fish from the quayside. Their Web site indicated that the stock included "cod; haddock; skate; witches; megrims; turbot; Dover sole and monkfish which you can buy direct from the factory". The Hebridean Toffee Factory in Castlebay is one of the few manufacturers on Barra and it makes the products locally. According to Visit Scotland, the toffee can be ordered from anywhere in the world; "it is made to order and is usually shipped within 24 hours". Isle of Barra Distillers was founded by Michael and Katie Morrison in 2016; their Barra Atlantic Gin was first sold in August 2017 and the company has expanded since then. As of early 2021, the distillery continued marketing gin, with great success. The plan for whisky was stated on its Web site as: "It is our goal to open the Islands first Single Malt Whisky Distillery within the next 2-3 years". The Isle of Barra distillery was founded in 2003 as Uisge Beatha nan Eilean Ltd and became a Community Benefit Society in 2018 under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. In December 2012, four 6 kW wind turbines made by Proven (Proven were bought by Kingspan Group in 2011) were erected next to the reservoir Loch Uisge, which originally supplied the mains water to Castlebay. It is proposed that as much as possible of the raw materials, supply chain and labor to produce the whisky should remain as local as possible to minimise imports and maximise the benefit to the island's economy.


Media

The island has featured in a variety of media.


Film and TV

Besides being regularly featured in various television programmes on the Scottish Gaelic channel
BBC Alba BBC Alba is a Scottish Gaelic-language free-to-air public broadcast television channel jointly owned by the BBC and MG Alba. The channel was launched on 19 September 2008 and is on-air for up to seven hours a day with BBC Radio nan Gàidheal s ...
since it began broadcasting in 2008, Barra has also been part of: The 1949 Ealing Studios comedy '' Whisky Galore!'' was filmed on Barra. The film is based on the novel '' Whisky Galore'' by Sir Compton Mackenzie, itself a fictionalised telling of the story of the SS ''Politician'', which ran aground with a cargo of some 50,000 cases of whisky on board in 1941. Mackenzie, who lived near the airport and died in 1972, is buried in a grave marked by a simple cross at cemetery, which is situated a little way up the hillside overlooking Eoligarry jetty. The sequel '' Rockets Galore!'' was also filmed in and around the island. The sitcom '' Dad's Army'', broadcast from 1968 to 1977, Private Frazer claims to be from Barra, which he often describes as "a wild and lonely place". Barra was featured on Time Team, in which archeologists excavated several Iron Age sites. Barra was also featured in the 2006 Channel 5 documentary ''Extraordinary people: The Boy Who Lived Before'', where a young boy named Cameron, who lived in Glasgow, claimed to have memories of past life on the island. The island was the location for the fifth (2011) and sixth series (2012) of the
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
documentary '' An Island Parish'' documenting the arrival and subsequent experiences of a new Catholic priest on the island – Father John Paul.


Books

The Franciscan priest, specialist in
mystical theology Mystical theology is the branch of theology in the Christian tradition ...
and author
Rayner Torkington Rayner is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Amy Rayner (born 1977), English football referee * Angela Rayner, British Labour Party politician, trade unionist, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashton-under-Lyne since 2015, Deputy ...
wrote a book describing how he was influenced after a chance encounter on Barra by meeting a hermit called Peter Calvay who had lived on the island of
Hellisay Hellisay (Scottish Gaelic: ''Theiliseigh'') is a currently uninhabited island It is one of ten islands in the Sound of Barra, a Site of Community Importance for conservation in the southern Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The narrow Sound of Gighay l ...
for a number of years in the first half of the twentieth century. The book titled ‘Peter Calvay, hermit: A personal rediscovery of prayer’ was first published in 1977 and has had at least eleven reprintings. Torkington's book ‘Wisdom from the Western Isles: the making of a mystic’, published in 2008, also describes the author's meetings with Peter Calvay whilst he was staying on Barra.


Other

In 2008 the Barra
RNLI The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...
Life Boat, ''Edna Windsor'' was featured on a series of stamps. The first class stamp shows the Severn class lifeboat in action in the Sound of Berneray southwest of Barra in swell with of wind.


Sports

Barra hosts an annual half-marathon called the
Barrathon The Barrathon is an annual half marathon which takes place on the Isle of Barra, which is the southernmost inhabited isle of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. The Barrathon was initially a single event to mark the millennium, and a chance to rais ...
, which is part of the Western Isles Half Marathon series. This is accompanied by a shorter fun-run for families and younger children. A number of fund-raising events are held around this, including ceilidhs and dances. There is also an annual hill race, in which participants run up Heaval (383 m) before returning to Castlebay Square. The fastest recorded time, set in 1987, is 26.25 minutes. The Barra community holds an annual
games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...
on the island. The island golf club, ', has a 9-hole course that is claimed to be the furthest west in the United Kingdom. However, this title may be held by one of the courses near Enniskillen in Northern Ireland. Tourists can also go sea kayaking or
power kiting A power kite or traction kite is a large kite designed to provide significant pull to the user. Types The two most common forms are the foil kite, foil, and the leading edge inflatable kite, leading edge inflatable. There are also other less c ...
and fishing. Pony trekking available on the rare, native Eriskay Ponies.


Transport


Air

Barra's airport, near
Northbay Northbay ( gd, Am Bàgh a Tuath) is a township and community in the north of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. Northbay is within the parish of Barra. There was a long history of settlement in the area - the neolith ...
, uses the cockle shell beach of Traigh Mhor, (Scottish Gaelic: "The Great Beach") as a runway. Planes can land and take off only at low tide, so the timetable varies. Voted the world's most scenic landing location using a scheduled flight, Barra's airport is claimed to be the only airport in the world to have regular scheduled flights landing on a beach. As of 2019 Loganair advertises flights to Barra in the
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restarted ...
, aircraft travelling to and from Glasgow. There are usually flights every day of the week in the summer.


Sea

A large Ro-Ro
Ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
runs between the island and
Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...
from the ferry terminal at Castlebay, and takes about 5 hours. A smaller vehicle ferry links the island to South Uist and travels between Ardmore (') at the north of the island and in Eriskay ('). This crossing takes around 40 minutes. Both are run by Caledonian MacBrayne.


Internal road

There are local buses, which use the circular A888 and the road to the northern ferry terminal to Eriskay and the airport, and usually coincide with flight times and ferry times.


(Barra and Vatersay Community) Ltd is a community-owned company whose aim is to support community development on Barra and Vatersay. The company is managed by a volunteer board of directors drawn from the membership. Membership is open to residents of the two islands whose names appear on the voting register. The company's latest project is a 900 kW Enercon E-44 wind turbine installed at , at the most northwesterly point of the island. At the time of construction, it was anticipated that the wind resource would make this one of the most productive 900 kW turbines in Western Europe.


Climate

Barra has an
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
, with mild temperatures year-round.


People from Barra

* Angus MacNeil (b. 1970), Member of Parliament for ,
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
– * Flora MacNeil (1928—2015) Scottish Gaelic singer and Barra native * Mick MacNeil (b. 1958) Simple Minds keyboardist 1978–1990


Further reading

*''The Book of Barra, Being accounts of the Island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides written by various authors at various times, together with unpublished letters and other matter relating to the Island''. Edited by
John Lorne Campbell Dr John Lorne Campbell FRSE LLD OBE ( gd, Iain Latharna Caimbeul) (1906–1996) was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklorist, and recognized scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature. Early life According to his biographer, Ray ...
. Published by G. Routledge and Sons Ltd. and printed by the Edinburgh Press in 1936. Republished by Acair in 1998 () * ''Air Mo Chuairt/My Journey, Memories of an Island School Teacher'', by Ealasaid Chaimbeul, 1982 ()


See also

* List of islands of Scotland * List of places in the Western Isles *


Notes


References


External links

*
Explore the Isle of Barra

Isle of Barra community website

National Library of Scotland: Scottish Screen Archive
(1950s archive film about the island of Barra) {{Coord, 56, 59, N, 7, 28, W, type:isle, display=title Clan MacNeil Islands of the Outer Hebrides