** Scottish regions the islands








Scottish Regions: The Islands


Figure 1.-- This cabinet card portrait shows five unidentified children in Kirkwall, capital of the Orkney Islands off Scotland's northern coast. It looks to be dated about 1890. The children look to be about 1-11 years of age. The three girls wear three varied dress styles. The youngest boy wears a white pinafore and the other a sailor suit. These seem style identical to what boys and girls on the mainland, bith Scotland (at least the Lowlands) and England would wear at the time. There is no way of telling they were from Scotland, let alone the Scottish islands except for the studio identification. The studio was Russell on Kirkwall. Russel also had studios in Grantown and Strathspey.

The rugged coast of Scotland is a natural beauty. The Scottish coast stretches for thousands of miles when the coasts of the islans are considered. The variety of coast line is stinning, from rocky shores. steep cliffs, and secluded beaches. Each is populated with a variety of flora and fauna. Along with the natural treasure of the mainland coast are hundreds of stark jewels -- islands and islets. A few are know to the wider world, most are not. The coast and the islands have been pounded and formed. The wildly beautiful coast of Scotland is scattered with hundreds of islands and islets -- one source counts 790. They have been shaped by the relentless pounding of the sea. For centurues they were secluded and isolated. And as result all are unique -- virtually a world apart. The also tended to be very poor, especially as Britain developed its modern economy. The modern economy has approached living stndards in the maimlnd, but is fragile. They are divuded into several main groups. Each of these groups consist of islands of different sizes, including tiny islets. Only a few have a population if ny size and most are unihbited. There are something like 95 inhabited Scottish islands with a total population of approximately 100,000 people. Here we see a scene from Barra in the Outer Hebredes. The islands are mostly located along the western coast, the Inner and Outer Hebrides. There are also the Northern Isles, the Orkneys nd the Shetlands, exposed to the wild North sea with their Nordic heritage. The Scottish Islands are often associated with the Highlands. Most Gaelic speakers are today confined largely to the Islands in the west with a particularly important Gaelic stronghold in the Outer Hebrides. The Scottish Islands are often associated with the Highlands.

The Hebredes

The Scottish islands are mostly located along the western coast, the Inner and Outer Hebrides. The Hebrides is an archipelago comprising hundreds of islands, both populated and unpopulted, off the northwest coast of Scotland. They are divided into two groups, depending on their distanc from the Scottish coast. The Inner and Outer groups both have senic, rugged landscapes, fishing villages and Gaelic-speaking communities. The Inner islands include Coll, Mull, Rum, Skye, and Tiree. The Isle of Skye is the most accessable as it is connected to the mainland by a bridge. There is a pictuesque harbor at Portree and jagged 3,000-ft. peaks in the Cuillin mountain range. Most Gaelic speakers are today confined largely to the Islands in the west with a particularly important Gaelic stronghold in the Outer Hebrides. The remoremess has allowed th Gaelic speaking communities survive. The main Outer islands include Barra, Benbecula, Berneray, Harris, Lewis, North Uist, South Uist, and St Kilda-- a real outlier. We see a scene from Barra in the Outer Hebredes. Barra is the most southerly of the inhabited islands in the Outer Hebrides. Studio portaits like the one here (figure 1) are indestinguisable from minland Scotland or for that matter England. Once we begin to get amateur snapshots around the turn-of-the 20th century, we do begin to see differences, especially on St Kilda.

The Northern Isles

There are also the Northern Isles. The two main island groups are the Orkneys and the Shetlands. Both are exposed to the wild North Sea with their Nordic, (Scandinavian) as opposed to Galeic/Pictish heritage. The Norse influence remains strong. This is particularly true wihj local folklore. Each island group has powerful, although distinct cultures. Norse place names dominate, but some pre-Celtic names survived. The Norsemen left a lasting cultural imprint, but modern DNA studies show that the population remained primsarily Scottish Pictish. The Northern Isles are an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The climate is cool, but more temperate than whst might be expected from the northerly location. The influenced by the Gulf Stream and surrounding seas. There are 26 inhabited islands. The most fertile agricultural islands are the Orkneys. The more rugged Shetland islands are located to the north. Here the economy is more dependent on fishing and now the oil wealth of the North Sea. Both island groups were absorbed into the Kingdom of Scotland as Norse power declined (15th century). They continued to be parts of Scotlland following Unin with England (1707) and the subsequent formation of the United Kingdom (1801). The islands were a generally forgotten part of Scotland, but both played an importnt role in the naval phase of the two World Wars. Since the Wars, tourism has come to play an important role in the economies of the two archipelagos. The attractions beside the scenery include prehistoric ruins.







HBC






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Created: 11:14 PM 1/19/2016
Last updated: 7:36 PM 1/9/2022