Egilsay is one of the
Orkney IslandsOrkney, also known as the Orkney Islands, , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated 10 miles north of the coast of Caithness...
in
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, lying east of
RousayRousay is a small, hilly island about 3 km north of Orkney's Mainland, off the north coast of Scotland, and has been nicknamed "the Egypt of the north", due to its tremendous archaeological diversity and importance....
. The
islandAn island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets. A key or cay is another name for a small island or islet. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot, .There are two main types of islands:...
is largely farmland and is known for its corncrakes.
St. Magnus Church
Extremely unusual for the
Northern IslesThe Northern Isles are a chain of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland.The group includes Shetland, Fair Isle and Orkney...
, it has been suggested that Egilsay may have a partly Gaelic name . While at first sight, it appears to be Egil's island, "Egil" being a Norse personal name, the Gaelic
eaglais (Celtic "eccles") meaning church, may be part of the root, as the island is dominated by a church of pre-Norse foundation. The island of
Kili HolmKili Holm is a tidal island in the Orkneys, linked to Egilsay. Unusually, like its neighbour Egilsay, it may have a partly Gaelic etymology, in this case from cille meaning a monk’s cell...
just to the north, may represent
cille, a monastic cell.
The church itself has a highly unusual Irish style round tower, which itself is extremely rare in Scotland, and is unique in Orkney. The building is roofless and the tower has been slightly truncated, but it is otherwise complete. It is maintained by
Historic ScotlandHistoric Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.Its website states:It has direct responsibility for maintaining and running over 360 monuments in its care, about a quarter of which are manned and charge admission entry...
as an
Ancient MonumentAn ancient monument is an early historical structure or monument worthy of preservation and study due to archaeological or heritage interest. In the United Kingdom it is a legal term, differing from the American term National Monument in being far more numerous and always man-made...
and Category A
listed building.
Egilsay was the place where
Saint MagnusSaint Magnus, Earl Magnus Erlendsson of Orkney, was the first Earl of Orkney to bear that name, and ruled from 1108 to about 1115. His story is told in two sagas, Magnus' saga the shorter and longer and one legend, Legenda de sancto Magno....
was killed in 1117. While the church is dedicated to him, the foundation may be far older.
Transport
Orkney FerriesOrkney Ferries is a company operating inter-island ferry services in the Orkney Islands, to the north of the Scottish mainland in the United Kingdom.-History:...
sail from the island to Tingwall on the Orkney Mainland via
WyreWyre, also formerly spelt Weir, is one of the Orkney Islands, lying south-east of Rousay. It is and at its highest point.Orkney Ferries sail from the island to Tingwall on the Orkney Mainland, Egilsay and Rousay.-History:...
and Rousay.
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