Muir of Ord () is a village in

Easter Ross Easter Ross () is a loosely defined area in the east of Ross, Highland, Scotland. The name is used in the constituency name Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, which is the name of both a British House of Commons constituency and a Scotti ...

, in the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

council area of

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 ...

. It is situated near the western end of the Black Isle, about west of the city of

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

and south of

Dingwall Dingwall (, ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north ...

. The village had a population of in and sits above sea level. The Scottish geologist Sir

Roderick Murchison Sir Roderick Impey Murchison, 1st Baronet (19 February 1792 – 22 October 1871) was a Scottish geologist who served as director-general of the British Geological Survey from 1855 until his death in 1871. He is noted for investigating and desc ...

was born in the village in 1792. In September 2022, the village came to media attention when a local

fish and chip shop A fish and chip shop, sometimes referred to as a chip shop or chippy, is a restaurant that specialises in selling fish and chips. Usually, fish and chip shops provide takeaway service, although some have seating facilities. Fish and chip shop ...

owner uploaded a

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

video celebrating the death of Queen Elizabeth II with a bottle of champagne. The owner was then chased away from the village by angry locals who vandalized the chip shop with eggs and tomato ketchup.

History

Named ''Tarradale'' until 1862, historically access to the village was limited by the natural obstacles of the

River Beauly The River Beauly (, ) is a river in the Scottish Highlands, about 15 km west of the city of Inverness. It is about 25 km long, beginning near the village of Struy, at the confluence of the River Farrar and the River Glass, Strathglass ...

and the River Conon. This changed in 1814 with the construction of the Conon Bridge.

Cattle drive Droving is the practice of walking livestock over long distances. It is a type of herding, often associated with cattle, in which case it is a cattle drive (particularly in the US). Droving stock to market—usually on foot and often with the ...

rs used the new routes to transport livestock and markets were set up in 1820 close to where the village now lies. In 1835

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 ...

distilling operations were legally granted in the village and by 1885 the ''Mill of Ord'' produced per year. The village grew extensively in the 19th century due to the establishment of the

distillery Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixt ...

and goods industries.

Castle Hill Henge

Also known as the ''Muir of Ord Fort'', it is a

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 ...

or Bronze-Age henge and national monument of Scotland situated from Muir of Ord railway station. Today it is situated on the green of the Muir of Ord golf course. The henge measures and is surrounded by an wide ditch which is deep. There also are two standing stones about away from the henge.

Kilchrist Massacre

On the outskirts of the village lies the chapel of Kilchrist. The building is held to have been the site of a notorious massacre in 1603 when warriors from Clan MacDonell of Glengarry came to reckon with their enemies the MacKenzies of Kintail and found a congregation of them at prayer. The church was sealed with them still inside and set on fire while the MacDonells' piper circled the building playing 'March Glengarry' to mask the sounds of screaming. In the latter part of the 19th century, the building was restored and is now used as the mausoleum of the MacKenzies of Ord.

Amenities

Just outside of the centre of the village is the Glen Ord distillery, one of the few remaining whisky distilleries on the Black Isle. The Black Isle Show, one of the largest

agricultural show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which selective breeding, bree ...

s in Scotland, is held every August in a showground near Muir of Ord. The showground is a popular exhibition site thanks to the surrounding flower fields. Muir of Ord have a local football team, Muir of Ord Rovers, that previously competed in the

North Caledonian Football League The North Caledonian Football Association is a senior football association operating throughout the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and is a recognised body of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and as such has its senior football competit ...

,before deciding to step down into amateur football in 2014. The club currently play in the Inverness and District Football League Division Two. The club plays at Pavilion Park, behind the bowling club and community pavilion. The Muir Hub is the newest community building in Muir of Ord. Originally belonging to Tarradale primary school the building had been left unused for numerous years before being refurbished in January 2017. It is now a charity funded venue situated in the heart of the village. The building is multi-functional serving as a cafe, small cinema, conference space and social space. Many local groups meet here and rooms can be rented out for events, clubs, meetings, etc.

Transport

The major route of the A9 road passed through the village until 1982, when it was bypassed by the Kessock Bridge. The village is served by Muir of Ord railway station, which is on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line and the

Far North Line The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, extending from Inverness to Thurso and Wick. As the name suggests, it is the northernmost railway in the United Kingdom. The line is entirely single-tra ...

between and .

References

External links

The Muir of Ord community website
{{Authority control Populated places on the Black Isle