Lochmaddy ( gd, Loch nam Madadh, "Loch of the Hounds") is the administrative centre of
North Uist
North Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Tuath; sco, North Uise) is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
Etymology
In Donald Munro's ''A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland Called Hybrides'' of 1549, North Uist, Benbecula a ...
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 coas ...
, Scotland. ''Na Madaidhean'' (the wolves/hounds) are rocks in the bay after which the loch, and subsequently the village, are named. Lochmaddy is within the parish of North Uist.
Geography
Lochmaddy lies on the sea loch of that name and, due to the rocky nature of the coast, is the only settlement of any size on the east coast. Most of the island's settlements are on the west coast. Lochmaddy is at the eastern end of the
A865 and close to the eastern end of the A867; these are the only two main roads on the island.
History
Virtually the first mention anywhere of Lochmaddy is a complaint of "piracie and murder" in a report dated 1616: "Lochmaldie on the coast of Uist is a rendezvous for pirates" it said. The coves and inlets around the village were ideal hiding places for raiding ships stocked with fine goods bound for the clan chiefs of the time, and contraband activity persisted until the modern era.
Lochmaddy was an important fishing community before the commercial decline of the
herring
Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae.
Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean ...
. During the reign of
King Charles it was the site of a Royal Fishing Station.
Economy
Nowadays, the same good harbour makes Lochmaddy the ferry port for the island, with the
MV ''Hebrides'' plying the route to
Skye
The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...
. The commercial activity of shops and public building has been generated due to the port activity, and today the village has the only bank, courthouse, tourist information office and youth hostel on North Uist. Lochmaddy hospital closed in March 2001. It was replaced by the newly opened
Ospadal Uibhist agus Bharraigh (Uist and Barra Hospital) in Balivanich,
Benbecula
Benbecula (; gd, Beinn nam Fadhla or ) is an island of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2011 census, it had a resident population of 1,283 with a sizable percentage of Roman Catholics. It is in a ...
.
Ferry service
References
External links
Undiscovered Scotland - Lochmaddy
Villages on North Uist
Ports and harbours of Scotland
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