Ellenabeich (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...

: ''Eilean nam Beitheach'', meaning "island of the birchwoods.") is a small village on the isle of

Seil Seil (; gd, Saoil, ) is one of the Slate Islands, located on the east side of the Firth of Lorn, southwest of Oban, in Scotland. Seil has been linked to the mainland by bridge since the late 18th century. The origins of the island's name are ...

(Scottish Gaelic: ''Saoil'') – an island on the east side of the

Firth of Lorn The Firth of Lorn or Lorne ( gd, An Linne Latharnach) is the inlet of the sea between the south-east coast of the Isle of Mull and the mainland of Scotland. It includes a number of islands, and is noted for the variety of wildlife habitats that ...

, 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Oban, in Scotland. It is a former slate-mining village and is where parts of ''

Ring of Bright Water ''Ring of Bright Water'' is a book by Gavin Maxwell about his life in a remote house in coastal Scotland where he kept several wild otters as pets. First published in 1960, it became a best seller and is considered a literary masterpiece, event ...

'' were filmed.Scotland The Movie
/ref> Seil is one of the

Slate Islands The Slate Islands are an island group in the Inner Hebrides, lying immediately off the west coast of Scotland, north of Jura and southwest of Oban. The main islands are Seil, Easdale, Luing, Shuna, Torsa and Belnahua. Scarba and Kerrera, ...

. The village gets its name from the former slate island within proximity of the village, called Eilean nam Beitheach. The island was mined out of existence and its name is now the current Scottish Gaelic name of the village. The village is sometimes called "

Easdale Easdale ( gd, Eilean Èisdeal) is one of the Slate Islands, in the Firth of Lorn, Scotland. Once the centre of the Scottish slate industry, there has been some recent island regeneration by the owners. This is the smallest of the Inner Hebrides' i ...

" because of its proximity to the island of that name. In the village can be found: * The Ellenabeich Heritage Centre which was opened in 2000 and is run by the

Scottish Slate Islands Heritage Trust The Slate Islands Heritage Trust is a charity formed in 1999 with the objective of advancing the education of the public on matters relating to the life and times of the people of the Scottish Slate Islands. It states its objectives are " ....to ...

. The centre has been created in a former slate quarry-worker's cottage and has 19th century life displays, matters relating to the local dominate industry of slate quarrying as well information relating to the local flora, fauna and the area's geology. * Highland Arts exhibited the works of the late C. John Taylor, a poet, artist, and composer; it closed in November 2017. The local slate contains

pyrites The mineral pyrite (), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Fe S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue ...

or "fool's gold". The former slate works' manager's house was a hotel for a number of years, trading as the Easdale Inn; this has now been converted back into a private residence. A small ferry runs from Ellenabeich to Easdale.

References

Villages on Seil {{Scotland-geo-stub

See also

References