Eday (, ) is one of the islands of

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

, which are located to the north of the Scottish mainland. One of the North Isles, Eday is about from the

Orkney Mainland The Mainland, also known as Pomona, is the main island of Orkney, Scotland. Both of Orkney's burghs, Kirkwall and Stromness, lie on the island, which is also the heart of Orkney's ferry and air connections. Seventy-five per cent of Orkney's popu ...

. With an area of , it is the ninth-largest island of the archipelago. The bedrock of the island is

Old Red Sandstone Old Red Sandstone, abbreviated ORS, is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the eastern seaboard of North America. It ...

, which is exposed along the sea-cliffs. There are various well-preserved

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

tombs, as well as evidence of

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

settlement and the remains of a Norse-era castle. During the period of Scottish rule the substantial property of Carrick House was developed at Calfsound, which became a

burgh A burgh ( ) is an Autonomy, autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots language, Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I of Scotland, King David I created ...

for a short period. During the British era many agricultural improvements were introduced, although there has been a substantial decline in the population since the mid-nineteenth century. In the twenty-first century the Eday Partnership has had success in promoting the island's economy. Local placenames reflect the diverse linguistic heritage and the landscapes of the island and its surrounding seas attract abundant wildlife.

Etymology

"Eday" is a name derived from the

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

''eið'' and means "

isthmus An isthmus (; : isthmuses or isthmi) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea count ...

island".Waugh (2010) p. 550 This is a name specifically associated with economic activity used only where the isthmus has been a "route for the movement of goods and/or boats from one coast to another". There are numerous other ''eið'' names in the islands of the North Atlantic and those in Orkney include Hoxa (''Haugeið'') on

South Ronaldsay South Ronaldsay (, also , ) is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland. It is linked to the Orkney Mainland by the Churchill Barriers, running via Burray, Glimps Holm and Lamb Holm. Name Along with North Ronaldsay, the islan ...

, Aith (found on Walls, Stronsay and the west Mainland) and Scapa in St Ola which is derived from the Norse ''Skálpeið''. Bay of Doomy, near the central isthmus on Eday, may also have a name derived from ''dómr-eið'', meaning "isthmus of the courthouse", indicating it could have been an important meeting place during the Norse period of Scottish history. In the 17th century Eday was also known as "Heth Øy". In common with elsewhere in the Orkney islands, place names are generally a mixture of Norse, Scots and English influences. Any Pictish names that existed before the arrival of Scandinavian settlers on Eday appear to have been obliterated. The common suffix -quoy is from the Old Norse ''kví-ló'' and signifies an enclosure in a marshy area. Skaill on the east coast is from the Norse ''skáli'' and suggests an important farm on good fertile land that was associated with several smaller tunships. The Bay of London also has Norse origins, ''lund-inn'' meaning "woodland", although this is no longer an apt description for this largely treeless landscape. Old Norse ''lundi'' means "

puffin Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...

", which creatures may once have nested in sandy land at the back of the bay. Orkney was Christianised before the arrival of Viking settlers, and there are various local " Papa" names that reflect the activities of the pre-Norse

papar The ''Papar'' (; from Latin , via Old Irish, meaning "father" or "pope") were Irish monks who took eremitic residence in parts of Iceland before that island's habitation by the Norsemen of Scandinavia. Their existence is attested by the early ...

monks there. The farm of Papleyhouse near Linkataing may indicate such a link to the past, although the connection is by no means certain. The name " geo", which occurs frequently around the rocky coast, is from the Norse ''gjá'' and means a narrow and deep cleft in the face of a cliff.

Geography and geology

Eday is long from north to south but only just over 500 metres wide at the narrow neck of land between the Sands of Doomy and Bay of London and has been described as being "nipped at the waist".Hewitson, Jim "The North Isles" in Omand (2003) p. 185 The centre of the island is largely

moorland Moorland or moor is a type of Habitat (ecology), habitat found in upland (geology), upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and the biomes of montane grasslands and shrublands, characterised by low-growing vegetation on So ...

covered with heather, and cultivation is confined to the coasts.Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 387 The highest points are Flaughton Hill at the island's centre, Fersness Hill at West Side, Vinquoy Hill to the north and Ward Hill to the south, which reaches . In Orkney this last name, which derives from the Norse ''varði'', is a common one for the highest point on an island as in the past they were used for lighting warning beacons. The largest body of water is the sea southeast of Vinquoy Hill. Loch of Doomy lies on the western side of the narrow "waist" and the smaller Loch Carrick on the north coast. The population is dispersed along the coastal farmsteads and nowhere on the island has the status of a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

. Calfsound is the most populous of the settled areas, with other concentrations at Millbounds on the east coast, which has a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

and a community facility in a converted chapel, and Backaland in the south where the ferry from the Mainland docks. Red Head on Eday lives up to its name

Eday is surrounded by other small islands that make up the "seemingly impossible green and russet jigsaw of Orkney's North Isles". Calf of Eday lies north of the settlement of Calfsound. Further east is Sanday across the Eday Sound. Stronsay and Linga Holm are to the south east and Muckle Green Holm to the south west beyond the straits known as the Fall of Warness.

Egilsay Egilsay (, ) is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, lying east of Rousay. The anglicized name of Eagleshay was used in past centuries. The island is largely farmland and is known for St Magnus Church, Egilsay, St Magnus Church, dedicated or r ...

lies some due west. Rusk Holm, Faray and Holm of Faray lie beyond the Sound of Faray to the northwest, and beyond them is the larger island of Westray. In common with its neighbouring isles, Eday is largely formed from Middle

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a period (geology), geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era during the Phanerozoic eon (geology), eon, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the preceding Silurian per ...

deposited in the Orcadian Basin. The Eday Group is the name for a substantial sequence of sandstones that is found at many locations in Orkney, for which Eday and the area around Eday Sound are the type area. In places it is up to thick, and is largely composed of yellow and red sandstones with intervening grey flagstones and

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, Clay minerals, clays, and silt. When Lithification, hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. M ...

s. The rock is easily quarried and some of the yellow sandstones from Fersness were used in the construction of St Magnus Cathedral in

Kirkwall Kirkwall (, , or ; ) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. First mentioned in the ''Orkneyinga saga'', it is today the location of the headquarters of the Orkney Islands Council and a transport hub wi ...

.Tait (2005) p. 474 The Devonian sequence is deformed into a major fold, the north–south trending Eday Syncline, with the youngest part of the sequence, the Upper Eday Sandstone outcropping in the north of the island from Bay of Cusby to Red Head. The oldest part of the sequence, the Rousay Flagstones are found on the eastern side of the island at Bight of Milldale and from Kirk Taing to War Ness, and to the west from Sealskerry Bay to Fersness. Veness is formed of Upper Eday Sandstone downfaulted against the flagstones.Mykura, W. (with contributions by Flinn, D, & May, F.) 1976. British Regional Geology: Orkney and Shetland, Institute of Geological Sciences, Natural Environment Council, 149pp.

History

Prehistory

The very limited

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

record provides scant evidence of

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Ancient Greek language, Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic i ...

life in Orkney, but the later assemblage of houses and monumental

structures in the archipelago is without parallel in the United Kingdom. Vinquoy chambered cairn, located in a commanding position overlooking the Calf Sound, is in diameter and high. The narrow entrance passage of this Maeshowe-type tomb leads to a central chamber with four side-cells. Other sites of interest on Eday include the Stone of Setter

standing stone A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright rock (geology), stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the Eur ...

that dominates the col north of Mill Loch, and which at high is one of the tallest monoliths in Orkney. There are two more chambered cairns at Braeside and Huntersquoy and another on the Calf of Eday. Rectangular in shape, it was excavated in 1936–37 and contains a small chamber with two compartments and a larger one with four stalls that has a separate entrance and was probably added at a later date. Although there are several

sites on the island, they provide less dramatic remains. At Warness in the south west there is a burnt mound from this period and there are the ruins of two houses of a similar age on Holm of Faray near the Point of Dogs Bones. The Fold of Setter is an Bronze Age enclosure located to the north of Mill Loch.Tait (2005) p. 476 There is the site of a large

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 ...

roundhouse containing a saddle quern at Linkataing in north west Eday. Latterly, Orkney was settled by the

Picts The Picts were a group of peoples in what is now Scotland north of the Firth of Forth, in the Scotland in the early Middle Ages, Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and details of their culture can be gleaned from early medieval texts and Pic ...

although the archaeological evidence is sparse.

Norse colonisation

It is not known "when and how the Vikings conquered and occupied the Isles", and although Norse contacts with Scotland certainly predate the first written records in the 8th century, their nature and frequency are unknown. The place name evidence of a Norse presence on Eday is conclusive and very little is known about the specifics of life on the island at this time. The Norse-era ruins of the Castle of Stackel Brae, which dates from the 12th or 13th century, lie under a green mound to the east of the Bay of Greentoft. The castle may have been the most important building on Eday at this time.

Scottish rule

In 1468 Orkney became part of the

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a Anglo-Sc ...

and an influx of Scottish entrepreneurs helped to create a diverse and independent community that included farmers, fishermen and merchants that called themselves ''comunitatis Orcadie'' and who proved themselves increasingly able to defend their rights against their feudal overlords. Nonetheless, the actions of the aristocracy continue to provide much of the information known about affairs on Eday at the time. In 1561, during 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 ...

, Edward Sinclair was granted the feu of Eday by Adam Bothwell,

Bishop of Orkney The Bishop of Orkney was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Orkney, one of thirteen medieval bishoprics of Scotland. It included both Orkney and Shetland. It was based for almost all of its history at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. The ...

. These were turbulent times—Sinclair's duties included to defend the reforming Bishop "against whatsoever invaders"Thomson (2008) p. 258—and later that year he was one of the ringleaders of an anti-Catholic riot in Kirkwall. His son William took over the running of the Eday estate in due course, but it became burdened with debt. In 1601 when Edward was "an auld decrepit man ... aged 100 or thereby" William attempted to sell the family interest to George Sinclair the

Earl of Caithness Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and it has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to hav ...

.Thomson (2008) pp. 288–90 The new proprietor sent half a dozen boatloads of "vagabondis, broken Highland men of Caithness" to Eday, much to the alarm of the notorious Earl Patrick of Orkney. Earl Patrick was able to use the poor relationship between the elderly father Edward and his son, (the former claiming William fired muskets at him and grabbed him by the neck like a dog) to take action. Acting, so he alleged, on behalf of Edward, Earl Patrick evicted William, took the Eday the rents for himself and profited from the extraction of building stone from Towback quarry. John Stewart, Earl of Carrick, the brother of Earl Patrick, was granted Eday in 1632"Eday, Carrick House"
Canmore. Retrieved 3 Mar 2012. and he constructed Carrick House at Calfsound shortly thereafter. He used

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

to manufacture salt from salt pans at both Carrick and on the Calf of Eday. The product was described as "quite fine" in the 17th century when it was undertaken on a substantial scaleStewart, Walter (mid-1640s) "New Choreographic Description of the Orkneys" in Irvine (2006) p. 24 although of "indifferent quality"Neill (1806) p. 38 in the early 19th century when it was being conducted as a

cottage industry The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work, like a tailor. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the p ...

.Neill (1806) p. 39 Peat extraction was also an important industry in the past as Sanday and North Ronaldsay obtained most of their fuel from Eday and this material was also exported to

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...

distilleries on mainland Scotland. Stewart's ambitions for Calfsound were considerable. Described as the "town and port" of Carrick it became a

(the only other one in Orkney being Kirkwall) with the right to appoint baillies and hold markets but it was never likely to flourish in such a location.

British era

From the first decade of the 18th century Orkney became part of the new

Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain, also known as the Kingdom of Great Britain, was a sovereign state in Western Europe from 1707 to the end of 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of Union 1707, which united the Kingd ...

. This was a time of great interest in agricultural improvement although the changes this brought about were not of significance in Orkney until the mid-nineteenth century. For example, no potatoes were grown on Eday until around 1780. By comparison to these gradual changes, Carrick House saw drama in 1725. The property was now owned by James Fea who had been a school friend of a "Mr Smith", a trader of Stromness. When Smith was unmasked as the notorious pirate John Gow he sought to escape the attentions of the authorities by making for Eday via a raid on Hall of Clestrain, in Orphir. When Gow's ship ''Revenge'' ran aground on the Calf of Eday, Fea's men took him prisoner and held him at Carrick House, for which Fea was given a £1,700 reward. The bell from the ''Revenge'' is still in Carrick House.Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 388 In the early nineteenth century the

kelp Kelps are large brown algae or seaweeds that make up the order (biology), order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genus, genera. Despite its appearance and use of photosynthesis in chloroplasts, kelp is technically not a plant but a str ...

industry provided significant employment on some of the Orkney islands, but when the market collapsed between 1830 and 1832 it caused considerable hardship. North Ronaldsay was especially hard-hit and several families were allowed to resettle from there to develop land at Westside on Eday. Rising populations meant increasing land values, especially for small tenancies. In 1843 crofts were valued at on Eday, nearly three times the price for larger farms. However, the 20th century saw decline. Immigration even from mainland Scotland was essentially unknown even in the late 1950s and the population in 2001 was about an eighth of the total 160 years earlier. In the census of 2011, it was found that 50% of the residents of the island were born in England, the most of all Scotland's islands.

Transport and economy

Eday can be reached by both sea and air from the Orkney Mainland. Orkney Ferries provide daily ferry crossings to Backaland on Eday from

. The Orkney inter-island air service, operated by

Loganair Loganair is a Scottish regional airline headquartered at Glasgow Airport in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The airline primarily operates domestic flights within the United Kingdom. It is the largest regional airline in Scotland by passenger ...

, connects Kirkwall Airport with Eday London Airport. In 2014 the Orkney Islands Council began

consultation Consultation or consultative may refer to: * Public consultation, a process by which the public's input on matters affecting them is sought * Consultation (Texas), the 1835 Texas meeting of colonists on a proposed rebellion against the Republic of ...

to build a number of fixed crossings between seven of the Orkney Islands. This includes the possibility of a 2.6 mile bridge between Eday and Papa Westray. Farming and

crofting Crofting (Scottish Gaelic: ') is a form of land tenure and small-scale food production peculiar to the Scottish Highlands, the islands of Scotland, and formerly on the Isle of Man. Within the 19th-century townships, individual crofts were est ...

are mainstays of the local economy, especially livestock husbandry. Flocks of sheep are also kept on Faray. The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) based at Stromness is a

Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...

-backed research facility. They have installed a wave testing system at Billia Croo on the Orkney mainland and a

tidal power Tidal power or tidal energy is harnessed by converting energy from tides into useful forms of power, mainly electricity using various methods. Although not yet widely used, tidal energy has the potential for future electricity generation. T ...

testing station, overlooking the Fall of Warness, on Eday. The test site was chosen because of the marine currents that reach almost at

spring tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

s. There are seven offshore testing berths connected to the 33KV North Isles section of the national grid, via an underground cable. Eday Partnership, the local

development trust Development trusts are organisations operating in the United Kingdom that are: *community based, owned and led *engaged in the economic, environmental and social regeneration of a defined area or community *independent but seek to work in partners ...

is active in promoting the island's economy and has instigated numerous projects, including Eday Heritage Centre, and the purchase of a new diesel tank for the island. Eday's various community projects contributed £380,000 to the island's economy from 2005 to 2007 and a 900 kW community-owned wind turbine is planned. The income that this asset will generate is expected to reduce fuel poverty on the island, support new community enterprises and create affordable housing. In July 2008, the island celebrated the opening of the Eday Heritage and Visitor Centre in the restored former Baptist Church. There is a heritage display area, a permanent archive, a café and a tourist information point. The Eday Oral History Project records life on the island in the past and is also housed within the centre, which has its own 6 kW wind turbine. The island's population was 160 as recorded by the 2011 census an increase of over 30% since 2001 when there were 121 usual residents. During the same period Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702.

Natural history

In the early 19th century Patrick Neill wrote of the local flora that "Eda is a mossy island; a great part of it consisting of barren marshy heaths. ''Juncus uliginosus'' here covers whole acres; and the pretty little plant ''Radiola millegran'', or all-seed, is everywhere strewed." Over 120 species of wild plants have been recorded on the island, including bog myrtle found nowhere else in Orkney. In the mid-17th century, Eday was described as being "absolutely full of moorland birds", and today there are red-throated divers on Mill Loch, Arctic skuas and bonxies on the moors and

black guillemot The black guillemot or tystie (''Cepphus grylle'') is a medium-sized seabird of the Alcidae family, native throughout northern Atlantic coasts and eastern North American coasts. It is resident in much of its range, but large populations from the ...

offshore. Shore birds include meadow pipit, rock pipit and

ringed plover The common ringed plover or ringed plover (''Charadrius hiaticula'') is a species of bird in the family Charadriidae. It breeds across much of northern Eurasia, as well as Greenland. Taxonomy The common ringed plover was Species description, f ...

. The woodland at Carrick House attracts a variety of migrants, and

otters Otters are carnivorous mammals in the Rank (zoology), subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic animal, aquatic, or Marine ecology, marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae Family (biology), family, whi ...

can be seen around the coasts. There are colonies of

harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...

and grey seals on Muckle Green Holm, Little Green Holm, Faray and Holm of Faray, and white-beaked dolphin,

minke whale The minke whale (), or lesser rorqual, is a species complex of baleen whale. The two species of minke whale are the common (or northern) minke whale and the Antarctic (or southern) minke whale. The minke whale was first described by the Danish na ...

and

killer whale The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopolit ...

are occasional visitors to the area. A ranger provides guided walks throughout the year.

Prominent natives

* Australian pioneer union leader and

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...

politician William Spence was born on Eday in 1846. * John Flaws Reid, who represented Mackenzie in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

, was born on Eday in 1860. Retrieved 16 Mar 2012. *Rev Norman Miller Johnson

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...

(1887–1949) was minister of Eday and died there.

References

;Notes ;Footnotes ;General references * Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) ''Orkneyinga Saga''. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). * Graham-Campbell, James and Batey, Colleen E. (1998) ''Vikings in Scotland: An Archaeological Survey''. Edinburgh University Press. * * Irvine, James M. (ed.) (2006) ''The Orkneys and Schetland in Blaeu's Atlas Novus of 1654''. Ashtead. James M. Irvine. * Neill, Patrick (1806) ''A Tour Through Some Of The Islands of Orkney and Shetland, with a view chiefly to objects of natural history, but including also occasional remarks on the state of the inhabitants, their husbandry and fisheries''. Edinburgh. Constable and Company. * Tait, Charles "North Isles - Eday" in ''The Orkney Guide'' (2005) Charles Tait Photography. pp. 474–80. * Noble, Gordon (2006) ''Neolithic Scotland: Timber, Stone, Earth and Fire.'' Edinburgh University Press. * Omand, Donald (ed.) (2003) ''The Orkney Book''. Edinburgh. Birlinn. * Ó Corráin, Donnchadh (1998) ''Vikings in Ireland and Scotland in the Ninth Century''. CELT. * Thomson, William P. L. (2008) ''The New History of Orkney''. Edinburgh. Birlinn. * Waugh, Doreen, "On ''eið''-names in Orkney and other North Atlantic islands" in Sheehan, John and Ó Corráin, Donnchadh (2010) ''The Viking Age: Ireland and the West''. Proceedings of the Fifteenth Viking Congress. Dublin. Four Courts Press. * Wickham-Jones, Caroline (2007) ''Orkney: A Historical Guide''. Edinburgh. Birlinn.

External links

Visit Eday

Eday Partnership

RCAHMS
aerial photograph of central Eday, showing the narrow isthmus between Sands of Doomy and Bay of London
Northern Lighthouse Board
{{Good article Islands of the Orkney Islands Geological type localities of Scotland