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Easdale () is one of the Slate Islands, in the Firth of Lorn,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. 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' inhabited islands and is "home to traditional white-washed cottages, a small pub and disused slate quarries". One of the latter, filled with water, is used for swimming.Things to do
/ref> A
ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...
sails from Easdale to Ellenabeich ( Gaelic: ''Eilean nam Beathach'') on the nearby island of
Seil Seil (; , ) is one of the Slate Islands, Scotland, 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 isl ...
(Gaelic: ''Saoil''), which is separated from Easdale by only a narrow channel. Confusingly, Ellenabeich is sometimes known as ''Easdale'' as a result of its traditional connections with the island.


Etymology

In 1549, Donald Monro, " Dean of the Isles" wrote, in brief reference to Easdale, of an island "namit in the Erische Leid Ellan Eisdcalfe" However the derivation of "Eisdcalfe" and this word's etymological relationship to "Easdale" is not clear. Haswell Smith (2004) notes that ''eas'' is Gaelic for "waterfall" and ''dal'' is Norse for "valley".Haswell Smith (2004) p. 78 Nonetheless, it is not clear why either description should apply to the island which is low lying and has no waterfalls. The Gaelic name, ''Èisdeal'' () or ''Eilean Èisdeal'' has a long vowel and local folk legend attributes this to a derivation from ''èist thall'' "listen to that yonder". Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland states that the first element is obscure, the second Norse ''dalr''. It is not clear if this ''Èisdeal'' shares its derivation with Gleann Èisdeal (Glen Ashdale) (Glen of Ash trees) on the
Isle of Arran The Isle of Arran (; ) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Counties of Scotland, Historically part of Buteshire, it is in the ...
. Ellenbeich is usually analysed as ''Eilean nam Beathach'' () "island of the animals" but this may be a reflex of an earlier and homophonous form ''Eilean nam Beitheach'' "island of the birch trees".


History

Once a centre of the British slate industry, Easdale had a community of more than 500 working as many as seven quarries, some of which extended to below sea level. Easdale slate helped to build major cities of the
British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
and can still be seen on rooftops as far afield as
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,
Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...
and
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
. The great storm of 1850 flooded the majority of the quarries and, as the islanders were unable to extract the floodwater, most were abandoned."Slate Islands - The Islands that Roofed the World"
southernhebrides.com. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
The last slate was cut in the 1950s and the once active quarries are little more than still pools which provide a safe haven for a wide variety of flora and bird life. Nearby the former island Eilean-a-beithich once stood in the Easdale Sound between Easdale and Seil; however, it was quarried to a depth of below sea level leaving only the outer rim of the island. This was eventually swept away by the sea and little visible sign of the island now remains. By the early 1960s, the population had dwindled to only four people and the island appeared doomed. The island now has a population of around sixty people and is the smallest permanently inhabited island of the Inner Hebrides. The Scottish plant collector Clara Winsome Muirhead surveyed the plant life of the island and published ''The Flora of Easdale and the Garvellachs'' in 1962. British indie rock band Florence and the Machine filmed their double-feature music video for their singles "Queen of Peace" and "Long & Lost" on the island, with the videos using the villagers as the cast.


Current ownership

The island is owned by Jonathan Feigenbaum, who operates the Easdale Island Company; he succeeded his late father Clive Feigenbaum (the former chairman of
Stanley Gibbons The Stanley Gibbons Group plc is a company quoted on the London Stock Exchange specialising in the retailing of collectable postage stamps and similar products. The group is incorporated in London. The company is a major stamp dealer and phila ...
). Clive created local issues of stamps, and Jonathan has continued doing this.


Facilities and activities

The island is home to a folk museum owned and operated by the Eilean Eisdeal, a development trust, as well as a bar/restaurant called "The Puffer". Eilean Eisdeal spearheaded the renovation of the Easdale Island Community Hall, which provides a venue for a wide variety of events. According to Mike Scott of the Waterboys: "The Hall itself is magical. From the first sighting of its pyramid roof and arced frontispiece across the water to stepping off its stage at the end of the concert, it cast a spell on us." In 2005 the local authority,
Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute (; , ) is one of 32 unitary authority, unitary council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod ...
Council, discussed plans to build a bridge between the island and Seil, linking the island to the mainland by road, despite there being no roads on Easdale. A company who operate high speed boat trips to view wild life and other local places of interest in the area have their base on Easdale. The World Stone Skimming Championship has taken place annually in September on Easdale since 1997. In 2012 the event came under threat after Jonathan Feigenbaum requested £1,000 for using the slate quarry the championship uses. The competition only went ahead after the '' Press and Journal'' newspaper offered to pay the fee. A community buyout of the island by residents is now under consideration. Mike Russell, MSP for
Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute (; , ) is one of 32 unitary authority, unitary council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod ...
, said: "Not every community will achieve it and not every community should achieve it. But it is a live issue and becomes even more live in circumstances such as these."McKenzie, Steve
"What motivates communities to buy land they live on?"
(20 September 2012). BBC News. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
The island gets some tourists and has some facilities, activities for visitors, B&Bs and two restaurants.


Images of the island

Image:Easdale Pier.jpg, The decaying pier of Easdale quarry which was used to load the slate from the nearby quarries Image:Easdale Entry - geograph.org.uk - 1038229.jpg, Easdale ferry terminal Image:Easdale.jpg, A sea filled former quarry facing Ellenabeich


See also

* List of islands of Scotland


Footnotes


References

* Gillies, Patrick Hunter (1909) ''Netherlorn, Argyllshire, and its neighbourhood''. Virtue. * *


External links


Eilean Eisdeal

Easdale museum

archive
of easdalepeople.org.uk {{Authority control Car-free islands of Europe Slate Islands Islands of Argyll and Bute