Carloway
Encyclopedia
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
. The district has a population of around 500.
The District
Carloway is very attractive for tourism, with many historic sites to see, such as the GareninGarenin
Garenin is a crofting township found on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Garenin is in the Carloway municipality and has a population of about 80 people. Today the village is most famous for the Blackhouse Village, which consists of 9 restored traditional...
Blackhouse Village or Doune Carloway Broch
Broch
A broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure of a type found only in Scotland. Brochs include some of the most sophisticated examples of drystone architecture ever created, and belong to the classification "complex Atlantic Roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s....
.
The Carloway Bridge is said to be one of Scotland's oldest flyovers
Overpass
An overpass is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway...
, being built in the mid-19th century. The bridge crosses the Carloway River and the Pentland Road, which leads to the Carloway Pier and Harbour or to Stornoway
Stornoway
Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...
the other way.
The district of Carloway (after the village of that name) which hitherto had fallen partly within the parishes of Lochs and Uig
Uig, Lewis
Uig , also known as Sgìr' Ùig, is a civil parish and community on the western coast of the island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. It consists of scattered settlements around the bay of Camas Uig and the Bhaltos peninsula...
, became a separate civil registration district
Registration district
A registration district in the United Kingdom is a type of administrative region which exists for the purpose of civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths and civil partnerships...
in 1859.
The district is divided into eight townships: Knock Carloway, Park Carloway, Doune Carloway, Upper Carloway, Garenin
Garenin
Garenin is a crofting township found on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Garenin is in the Carloway municipality and has a population of about 80 people. Today the village is most famous for the Blackhouse Village, which consists of 9 restored traditional...
, Borrowston, Kirivick and Dalmore. The Estate starts at the cattle grid between Garynahine
Garynahine
Garynahine lies at a T-junction where roads from Stornoway, Uig and the West Side of Lewis all meet....
and Callanish
Callanish
Callanish is a village on the West Side of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides , Scotland. A linear settlement with a jetty, it is situated on a headland jutting into Loch Roag, a sea loch...
and ends at the Bragar
Bragar
Bragar is a village on the west side of the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, 14 miles from the island's only town, Stornoway.Residents are mainly Gaelic speaking, and many work as crofters....
cattle grid, just leaving Shawbost
Shawbost
Shawbost is a large township in the West Side of the Isle of Lewis. The village of Shawbost has a population of around 500 and lies around 20 miles to the west of the island's capital Stornoway. A recent development in the village was the renovation of the old school into the new community centre...
towards Bragar
Bragar
Bragar is a village on the west side of the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, 14 miles from the island's only town, Stornoway.Residents are mainly Gaelic speaking, and many work as crofters....
.
Carloway has a few historical sites. A pictish Broch in Doune Carloway, a Blackhouse Village in Garenin
Garenin
Garenin is a crofting township found on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Garenin is in the Carloway municipality and has a population of about 80 people. Today the village is most famous for the Blackhouse Village, which consists of 9 restored traditional...
and many others, including a standing stone called "Clach an Tursa" in Upper Carloway.
Public services include a primary school, a youth hostel, a police station, hotels, restaurants, a newly renovated Harris Tweed
Harris Tweed
Harris Tweed is a cloth that has been handwoven by the islanders on the Isles of Harris, Lewis, Uist and Barra in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, using local wool....
mill, a pier, a surgery and day centre, a museum, a community centre, two churches (The Free Church of Scotland and The Church of Scotland), a football pitch, a war memorial and a historical society. Plans for a petrol station and convenience store have been proposed.
The district is known throughout the Western Isles for it's Agricultural Show and Highland Games, held annually on the first Wednesday of August at the Show Ground, behind Carloway School in the centre. In 2011, the 58th Agricultural Show took place with 2,500 people attending, more than the previous year's attendance. It is the longest running agricultural show on the island, first held in 1911 and officially the oldest since Beinn-na-Driobh agricultural show stopped in Stornoway. It is locally known as the island's "Premiere Show".
There are three routes that connect Carloway with the main town of Stornoway
Stornoway
Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...
. The first route is the main road heading north, which passes through Shawbost
Shawbost
Shawbost is a large township in the West Side of the Isle of Lewis. The village of Shawbost has a population of around 500 and lies around 20 miles to the west of the island's capital Stornoway. A recent development in the village was the renovation of the old school into the new community centre...
, Bragar
Bragar
Bragar is a village on the west side of the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, 14 miles from the island's only town, Stornoway.Residents are mainly Gaelic speaking, and many work as crofters....
and Barvas
Barvas
Barvas is a settlement, community and civil parish on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland.It developed around a road junction. North is the road to Ness; west takes the traveller to Carloway and the West Side; south runs the road to Stornoway...
, where it splits one way going to Stornoway
Stornoway
Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...
and another way going to Ness. The second route is the main road heading south which passes through Breasclete
Breasclete
Breasclete is a village and community on the west side of the Isle of Lewis, in Scotland.One of the main services in the village is Breasclete Primary School, which has a current total of 27 students...
, Callanish
Callanish
Callanish is a village on the West Side of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides , Scotland. A linear settlement with a jetty, it is situated on a headland jutting into Loch Roag, a sea loch...
and Leurbost
Leurbost
Leurbost is a village on the east coast of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It is approximately 6 miles south of Stornoway on the road to Harris. It is the main settlement in the area of the island known as North Lochs...
, which again splits one way to Stornoway
Stornoway
Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...
and another way to both Balallan
Balallan
Balallan has the distinction of being the longest village in Lewis . Straggled along the head of a long sea loch between Arivruach and Laxay, it developed due to a mixture of crofting along the loch shore and fishing...
and Tarbert
Tarbert, Harris
Tarbert is the main community on Harris in the Western Isles of Scotland. It is also a car ferry terminal to Uig on Skye. Its name means "isthmus".-1990 RAF air crash:...
, Harris. The third and most popular, faster route from Carloway to Stornoway
Stornoway
Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...
is the single track Pentland road, which goes to Stornoway straight across the island's Pentland Moor.
Climate
Religion
The district has two churches, both of which are located near the Carloway Bridge in the Knock Carloway township. The Free Church of Scotland was built in 1884 and has a congregation of up to 100 people. Services are conducted in both EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Scottish Gaelic by Rev. Kenneth MacLeod. The Church of Scotland is next door to the Free Church and was built in 1908. It has a congregation with just over 50 people, with services conducted in English by Rev. Stephen MacDonald.
Football
Football is by far the most favoured sport in the area. Carloway FC was founded in 1933 and first constituted in 1946 after the Second World War, playing their games on turf at Altan Feirigro in Garenin, before relocating to land near Cnoc a'Chailich in Upper Carloway. The club's catchment area covers communities between Dalmore and Breanish, more or less being the Parish of Uig. The club won its first trophy in 1952 after beating league champions Point 5-1 to win the Stornoway Cup. Between 1955 and 1957, Carloway won several more trophies; 5-1 against Back to win the D'Oyle Carte Cup and 4-1 against Point to win the Tormod Mor Tankard, both in 1956. The following year they defeated Stornoway United to win the Stornoway Cup for the second time. During that period it was rare to see a final without the involvement of the club, with the Eilean Fhraoich Cup Final seeing Carloway three years in a row, despite the club failing to win. Since this successful period in the 1950s the club has not won another trophy, despite taking part in several finals. Today, the club stands in a promising position of achieving the aim of winning another trophy, having secured a high place in the league in every year since 2008. The club boasts the largest support in the Western Isles and indeed the best playing surface for an amateur team in the Highlands and Islands, which was opened in 1991 with a friendly against RangersRangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
reserves. The match attracted 1100 spectators to the newly-built pitch, which had been renovated twice (1949–51 and 1991) since it was built in 1935. Two players who have played for Carloway went on to play football at professional level; Ronnie MacKinnon
Ronnie McKinnon
Ronald "Ronnie" MacKinnon is a former Scottish professional footballer who played for Rangers and the Scotland national team.MacKinnon, a defender, made his Rangers debut against Hearts on 8 March 1961 in a 3-0 win at Ibrox...
who played for Rangers and Scotland, and his brother Donnie, who played for Partick Thistle.
The club has a website: http://www.carlowayfc.co.uk
Carloway Townships
| The District of Carloway | Sgìre Chàrlabhaigh |
| Townships | Bailtean |
| Borrowston | Borghastan |
| Dalmore | Dail Mòr |
| Doune Carloway | Dùn Chàrlabhaigh |
| Garenin | Na Gearrannan |
| Kirivick | Cìrbhig |
| Knock Carloway | Cnoc Chàrlabhaigh |
| Park Carloway | Pairc Chàrlabhaigh |
| Upper Carloway | Mullach Chàrlabhaigh |
Notable Carlowegians and people connected with the district
- Lord Carloway (Colin John Maclean Sutherland) - one of Scotland's top judges
- Norrie MacIver - member of Scottish band BodegaBodegaBodega is a Spanish word that may refer to:* a winery, wine cellar or wine bar* a convenience store specializing in Hispanic groceriesPlaces:* Bodega, California, town in Sonoma County, California...
- Christine Primrose - singer, disc jockey, actress and music producer
- Alex MacDonald - Convenor of the Western Isles and Comhairle nan Eilean SiarComhairle nan Eilean SiarComhairle nan Eilean Siar is the local government council for Na h-Eileanan Siar council area of Scotland.It is the only local council in Scotland to have a Gaelic-only name...
(Western Isles Council) - Neen MacKay (Neen NicAoidh) - Gaelic TV presenter
- Angus MacInnesAngus MacInnesAngus MacInnes is a Canadian actor. He is most famous for his role as Gold Leader in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and as former hockey great Jean "Rosey" LaRose in the comedy Strange Brew...
- actor, plays Sonny Munro in the Scottish soap River CityRiver CityRiver City is a Scottish television soap opera, first broadcast in Scotland on BBC Scotland on 24 September 2002. River City storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional district of Shieldinch in Glasgow...
, mother comes from Borrowston, Carloway. - John MacKayJohn MacKay (journalist)John MacKay is a Scottish broadcast journalist, television presenter and producer, who is currently the chief anchor for the West Central Scotland edition of STV News at Six and a presenter for current affairs programme Scotland Tonight....
- main anchor on Central edition of STV News at SixSTV News at SixSTV News at Six is a Scottish regional news programme, covering the two STV franchise areas of Northern and Central Scotland, produced by STV Central in the Central region and STV North in the Northern region.The programmes were launched on Monday 23 March 2009, replacing Scotland Today in...
(STV), mother comes from Garenin, Carloway. - Willie MacKayWillie McKayWillie McKay is a Scottish football agent based in Monaco. He is the agent of many top-level footballers, mainly based in England and France - specifically the Premier League...
- football agent, father comes from Kirivick, Carloway. - Ronnie MacKinnonRonnie McKinnonRonald "Ronnie" MacKinnon is a former Scottish professional footballer who played for Rangers and the Scotland national team.MacKinnon, a defender, made his Rangers debut against Hearts on 8 March 1961 in a 3-0 win at Ibrox...
- ex-RangersRangers F.C.Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, Scotland National Football TeamScotland national football teamThe Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
and Carloway player - 1960s (twin brother of Partick Thistle player, Donnie MacKinnon). Their mother was from Upper Carloway. - Donnie MacKinnon - ex-Partick Thistle player (twin brother of Ronnie McKinnon).
- Finlay MacNeil - Gaelic singer, otherwise known as "Fionnlaigh Mor" in Gaelic.