Ronay () is an
island
An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
in the
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an Archipelago, island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland.
It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islan ...
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 ...
, which lies a short distance off the east coast of
Grimsay.
Geography
Ronay has a highly indented coastline with Bàgh nan Uamh being the biggest up in the north west. The island is surrounded by many smaller ones including Eilean na Cloiche in the south east, Eilean an Fhèidh in the east,
Flodaigh Mòr in the north east,
Haunaray to the north, and Garbh Eilean Mòr between it and Grimsay.
[
The north forms a peninsula called Rònaigh Beag, or little Ronay. The central section contains some seven or more lochs, which provide a freshwater supply.
The entire island is rough, covered in outcrops and knolls, which may have been partly eroded by overgrazing. There are three main peaks, the Beinn Rodagraich range in the south, the Beinn a' Chàrnain range in the east which incorporates Cnoc Mòr and Beinn an t-Sagairt, and the third in Ronaigh Beag, which rises to .][
]
History
Like many Scottish islands, Ronay appears to have ancient Celtic church connections. In the north west, there is a headland (''Rubha'') and mountain (''Beinn'') of the priest (''an t-sagairt''), and a Rubha na Manach (monk's headland) in the south west. Martin Martin also mentions a chapel:
:"in the Island Rona, called the Low-landers Chappel, because Seamen who dye in times of Fishing, are buried in that place."[
This chapel was pre-Reformation. It is also possible that the island's name refers to St Ronan, as that of North Rona does. In the centre, there are several names related to "Druidhneach" (possibly druids), such as Loch nan Druidhneach. Such names often refer to ]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 ...
remains.[
Other historical references occur in the island's names, such as Bàgh Clann Neill in the west, Rubha Creag Mhic Fhionnlaigh and Bàgh na h-Eireannach in the north.
In 1826, there were 180 living on the island, but in 1831, the whole population was cleared to make way for sheep farming. See ]Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances ( , 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 resulted from Scottish Agricultural R ...
. However, by 1841, 9 people were recorded, who may have moved back. The island was abandoned for good in 1931.[
]
References
{{Islands of Scotland
Uist islands
Uninhabited islands of the Outer Hebrides