Egilsay (, ) is one of the
Orkney Islands
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 The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated.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 ...
in
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 ...
, 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, dedicated or re-dedicated to
Saint Magnus, who was killed on the island in 1117 by an axe blow to the head. For hundreds of years the story of St Magnus, part of the
Orkneyinga saga
The ''Orkneyinga saga'' (Old Norse: ; ; also called the ''History of the Earls of Orkney'' and ''Jarls' Saga'') is a narrative of the history of the Orkney and Shetland islands and their relationship with other local polities, particularly No ...
, was considered just a legend until a skull with a large crack in it, such as it had been stricken by an axe, was found in the walls of
St Magnus Cathedral
St Magnus Cathedral dominates the skyline of Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. Originally Roman Catholic, it is the oldest cathedral in Scotland and the most northerly cathedral in the ...
in Kirkwall.
Etymology
Unusually for the
Northern Isles
The Northern Isles (; ; ) are a chain (or archipelago) of Island, islands of Scotland, located off the north coast of the Scottish mainland. The climate is cool and temperate and highly influenced by the surrounding seas. There are two main is ...
, it has been suggested that Egilsay may have a partly Gaelic name.
While at first sight, it appears to be Egil's island, "Egil" being a Norse personal name, the Gaelic ''eaglais'' (Celtic "eccles") meaning church, may be part of the root, as the island is dominated by a church of pre-Norse foundation. The island of
Kili Holm just to the north, may represent ''cille'', a monastic cell.
Present day
The island's population was 26 as recorded by the
2011 census a drop of almost a third since 2001 when there were 37 usual residents. During the same period,
Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702.
"Scotland's 2011 census: Island living on the rise"
BBC News. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
Orkney Ferries sail from the island to Tingwall on 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 ...
via Wyre and Rousay.
See also
* Sir Alexander Douglas of Eagleshay
References
External links
Information on the island of Egilsay
{{Coord, 59, 09, N, 2, 55, W, type:isle, display=title
Islands of the Orkney Islands