Isay ( gd, Ìosaigh) is an uninhabited island in the

Inner Hebrides The Inner Hebrides (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Na h-Eileanan a-staigh'', "the inner isles") is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, whic ...

of the west coast of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. It lies in Loch Dunvegan, off the northwest coast of the Isle of Skye. Two smaller isles of Mingay and

Clett Clett is a name used for many uninhabited Scottish islets and one to the south, though also in the area inhabited by Vikings. They include - * One at 58.623644°N 3.5424908°W, near the north coast of Caithness, just to the west Holborn Head no ...

lie nearby. The name originated from the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is 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 of Scandinavia and t ...

''ise-øy'' meaning

porpoise Porpoises are a group of fully aquatic marine mammals, all of which are classified under the family Phocoenidae, parvorder Odontoceti (toothed whales). Although similar in appearance to dolphins, they are more closely related to narwhals ...

island. The island of Lampay is due south. The area of Isay is . Isay

History

The first recorded owner of Isay and its surrounding islets was Olaf the Black, the 13th-century ruler of the Kingdom of the Isles. In the 16th century, the main house on the island was inhabited by the

MacLeods of Lewis Clan MacLeod of The Lewes, commonly known as Clan MacLeod of Lewis ( gd, Clann Mhic Leòid Leòdhais), is a Highland Scottish clan, which at its height held extensive lands in the Western Isles and west coast of Scotland. From the 14th century u ...

, and it was here that Roderick Macleod of Lewis ('Nimheach' - the venomous) implemented his plan to ensure that his grandson would inherit Raasay and the lands of Gairloch. He convened the two powerful families (names do not appear to have been recorded) of the time at Isay house for a banquet which he suggested was to inform them of good news. During the feast, he invited each person present to accompany him outside of the banquet hall in order to inform them of this news. Upon leaving the hall the victim was promptly stabbed to death. In this way, both families were wiped out. The island was home to a small fishing community in around the 1830s, which included a general store and fishing station, and by 1841 supported 15 families "in considerable comfort". However, like many other small islands, the population of around ninety were removed during the

Highland clearances The Highland Clearances ( gd, Fuadaichean nan Gàidheal , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860. The first phase resul ...

to make way for

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated sh ...

. The remains of the 18 or more cottages can be clearly seen from the Waternish peninsula, which overlooks the three islands. The island was briefly owned by the singer Donovan in the 1960s.

References

{{coord, 57, 31, N, 6, 39, W, display=title, region:GB_type:isle Uninhabited islands of Highland (council area) Skye and Lochalsh