Howmore () lies on the island of

South Uist South Uist (, ; ) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the rest of the Hebrides, is one of the ...

to the southwest of Loch Druidibeg. The mountain of Haarsal rises to to the east and immediately south is the smaller settlement of Howbeg. Howmore is also within the parish of South Uist.

Geography

The area is largely flat but dominated by the mountain Beinn Mhòr. A rewarding day's hillwalking can be had on Beinn Mhor and Hecla [] - South Uist's highest hills. Loch Druidibeg Nature Reserve, to the north, is an important site for breeding greylag goose, greylag geese and a sanctuary for the corncrake, now, within Britain, almost unique to the Western Isles. Howmore is situated alongside the A865. The ruins of

Flora MacDonald Flora MacDonald (1722 – 5 March 1790) is best known for helping Charles Edward Stuart evade government troops after the Battle of Culloden in April 1746. Her family had generally backed the government during the 1745 Rising, and MacDonald l ...

's birthplace can be found near Milton, south of Howmore, marked with a commemorative cairn. On the southern slopes of Beinn Mhor is the wooded area of Allt Volagir, one of the few areas of natural woodland left in the Hebrides.

History

According the

oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...

, South Uist was heavily wooded once until the arrival of the

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

s who are traditionally blamed for clear clearing the forests (though this fact is disputed). Howmore ruins

The village is perhaps best known for its remarkable collection of ruined churches and chapels. The most striking remains are of the Teampull Mòr, the "Large Church" or St Mary's, of which only part of the east gable remains. This church probably dates back to the 13th century and it was used as the parish church. The ruins, which are supposed to have also housed a "College of Learning", are also important to the history of

Scottish Gaelic literature Scottish Gaelic literature refers to literary works composed in the Scottish Gaelic language, which is, like Irish and Manx, a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. Gaelic literature was also composed in Gàidhealtachd communities ...

. At least one of the ancestors of Scottish Gaelic

national poet A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbol, to be distinguished ...

Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair (c. 1698–1770), legal name Alexander MacDonald, or, in Gaelic Alasdair MacDhòmhnaill, was a Scottish war poet, satirist, lexicographer, and memoirist. He was born at Dalilea into the Noblesse, Scottish nobili ...

and his first cousin, the famous

, lies buried there. In his later life, local poet Dòmhnall Iain Dhonnchaidh drew upon his imagination and local history, and composed the poems ''Smaointean - Aig Làrach Seann Eaglais Hogh Mòir'' ("Thoughts - at Howmore Temple Ruins") and ''Teampall Hogh Mòir'' ("Howmore Temple"); in which he called for a return to the simpler Medieval religious life once centered around by the ruined monastery Church. ''Chì Mi / I See: Bàrdachd Dhòmhnaill Iain Dhonnchaidh / The Poetry of Donald John MacDonald'', edited by Bill Innes. Acair,

Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...

, 2021. Pages 174-185.

Community

Church

At the time of the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, Howmore turned to

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, though 95% of the population of South Uist remained

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. Howmore Church, built in 1858, is therefore rather unusual; doubly so as it is one of the few churches in Scotland with a central Communion table. The church is white-harled and used as a landmark by fishermen off the west coast.

Leisure

Howmore is home to one of Scotland's largest collections of thatched buildings. The youth hostel is operated by Gatliff Hebridean Hostels Trust. It is located in a white-painted thatched building which has views to the east across ruined churches towards the peak of Hecla.

Images

File:2014 Scotland Inselhopping QP 079.jpg, Howmore - Landscape File:2014 Scotland Inselhopping QP 083.jpg, Howmore - Beach 1 File:2014 Scotland Inselhopping QP 080.jpg, Howmore - Beach 2

References

External links

Canmore - South Uist, Howmore, Old Churches and Chapels site recordCanmore - South Uist, Howmore site record
{{Authority control Villages on South Uist