Ardtalla (
[Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2003]
(pdf) Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 23 March 2007.) is a place name and estate in the southeast coastal area of
Islay
Islay ( ; , ) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll and Bute just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's cap ...
, Scotland. The name derives from Gaelic ''Àird'', a "point", and ''talla'', a now obsolete word for ''rock'',
not "high grave" as suggested by some. A well-defined track emanates from the Ardtalla Estate encountering coastal scenery and an
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
fort.
Historical perspective
According to
Roger Redfern,
Saint Columba
Columba () or Colmcille (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Gaelic Ireland, Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is today Scotland at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission. He founded the ...
landed nearby at
Ardmore Point on his historic journey from Ireland around the
Hebrides
The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...
. In Redfern's book, ''Walking in the Hebrides'', he details scenic and historic elements in and around the Ardtalla Estate.
Recorded mention of Ardtalla traces back at least as far as the latter 18th century. As early as during the 18th century, the literature notes that local people on Islay did not consider Ardtalla a remote location, ostensibly due to the level of improvement of the coastal access road connecting Ardtalla to
Port Ellen
Port Ellen () is a small town on the island of Islay, in Argyll, Scotland. The town is named after the wife of its founder, Walter Frederick Campbell. Its previous name, ''Leòdamas'', is derived from Old Norse meaning "Leòd's Harbour".
Port E ...
.
In music
Ardtalla has been the subject of musical compositions, notably including
James MacMillan's composition ''The Road to Ardtalla'' composed for
chamber sextet
A sextet (or hexad) is a formation containing exactly six members. The former term is commonly associated with vocal ensembles (e.g. The King's Singers, Affabre Concinui) or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six ...
in 1983 and premiered at the
Manchester University Concert Hall at the
Manchester University
The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...
on 6 October 1987.
[James MacMillan. 1983]
See also
*
Claggain Bay
*
Kildalton Cross
Line notes
References
* Daniel Campbell and Freda Ramsay. 1991. ''The day book of Daniel Campbell of Shawfield: 1767 : with relevant papers'', 304 pages
* Frank Fraser Darling. 1955. ''West Highland survey: an essay in human ecology'', 438 pages
* Colin MacGilp MacDonald. 1961. ''The county of Argyll'', p. 344 of 396 pages
* James MacMillan. 1983. http://www.boosey.com/cr/music/James-MacMillan-The-Road-to-Ardtalla/242 ''The Road to Ardtalla''
Musical score
* Norman S. Newton. 1995. ''Islay'', page 104 of 112 pages
* Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. 1984. ''Argyll: Islay, Jura, Colonsay & Oronsay'', 373 pages
* John McLean. 1887. ''Translations of the names of places contained in the deeds of entail of the Breadbane Estates''
* Roger Redfern. 1998. ''Walking in the Hebrides'', 192 pages
Villages in Islay
Highland Estates
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