Isle of Arran
Encyclopedia
Arran or the Isle of Arran (Scots Gaelic: Eilean Arainn) is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde
, Scotland, and with an area of 432 square kilometres (167 sq mi) is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area
of North Ayrshire
and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058. Although commonly associated with the Hebrides
, with which it shares many cultural and physical similarities, these latter islands are located to the north and west beyond Kintyre
. Arran is mountainous and has been described as a "geologist's paradise".
There has been continuous habitation since the early Neolithic
period, and there have been numerous prehistoric
remains found since then. From the 6th century on Goidelic-speaking
peoples from Ireland colonised the island and it became a centre of religious activity. During the troubled Viking Age
, Arran became the property of the Norwegian
crown before becoming formally absorbed by the kingdom of Scotland in the thirteenth century. The 19th century "clearances" led to significant reductions in population and the end of the Gaelic language and way of life.
The economy and population have recovered in recent years, the main industry being tourism. There is diversity of wildlife, including three species of tree endemic to the area.
, and many of the names of these islands have more than one possible meaning as a result. Arran is therefore not unusual in that the derivation of the name is far from clear. Mac an Tàilleir (2003) states that "it is said to be unrelated to the name Aran
in Ireland" (which means "kidney shaped", cf Irish
ára "kidney"). Unusually for a Scottish island, Haswell-Smith (2004) offers a Brythonic derivation and a meaning of "high place" which at least corresponds with the geography—Arran is significantly loftier than all the land that immediately surrounds it along the shores of the Firth of Clyde.
Any other Brythonic
place names that may have existed were later replaced on Arran as the Goidelic-speaking Gaels
spread from Ireland via their adjacent kingdom of Dál Riata
. During the Viking Age
the island, along with the vast majority of the Scottish islands, became the property of the Norwegian
crown, at which time it may have been known as "Herrey" or "Hersey". As a result of this Norse
influence, many current place names on Arran are of Viking origin.
The island lies in the Firth of Clyde
between Ayr
and Kintyre
. The profile of the north Arran hills as seen from the Ayrshire
coast is a well-known sight referred to as the "Sleeping Warrior
" due to its resemblance to a resting human figure. The highest of these hills is Goat Fell
at 873.5 metres (2,866 ft). There are three other Corbetts all in the north east; Caisteal Abhail
, Cìr Mhòr
and Beinn Tarsuinn
. Bheinn Bharrain is the highest peak in the north west at 721 metres (2,365.5 ft).
The largest valley on the island is Glen Iorsa to the west, whilst narrow Glen Sannox (Gaelic: Gleann Shannaig) and Glen Rosa (Gaelic: Gleann Ròsa) to the east surround Goat Fell. The terrain to the south is less mountainous, although a considerable portion of the interior lies above 350 metres (1,148.3 ft) and the summit of A' Chruach reaches 512 metres (1,679.8 ft). There are two other Marilyns
in the south, Tighvein
and Beinn Bhreac.
The island is sometimes referred to as "Scotland in miniature", as it is divided into "Highland" and "Lowland" areas by the Highland Boundary Fault
which runs northeast to southwest across Scotland. Arran is a popular destination for geologist
s, who come to see intrusive igneous landforms
such as sill
s and dyke
s as well as sedimentary and metasedimentary rocks ranging in age from Precambrian
to Mesozoic
.
Most of the interior of the northern half of the island is taken up by a large granite
batholith
that was created by substantial volcanic activity around 60 million years ago in the Tertiary
period. There is an older outer ring of coarse granite
s and an inner core of finer grained material. Sedimentary rocks dominate the southern half of the island, especially Old
and New Red Sandstone
. Some of these sandstones contain fulgurite
s - pitted marks that may have been created by Permian lightning strikes. Sand dunes are preserved in Permian
sandstones near Brodick, there are localised outcrops of Triassic
rocks and even a rare example of Cretaceous
chalk. During the nineteenth century barytes was mined near Sannox
. First discovered in 1840, nearly 5,000 tons were produced between 1853 and 1862. The mine was closed by the 11th Duke of Hamilton
on the grounds that it "spoiled the solemn grandeur of the scene" but was reopened after the First World War and operated until 1938 when the vein ran out.
Visiting in 1787, the geologist James Hutton
found his first example of an unconformity
to the north of Newton Point near Lochranza
, which provided evidence for his Plutonist
theories of uniformitarianism
and about the age of the Earth
. This spot is one of the most famous places in the study of geology.
The Pleistocene
glaciations almost entirely covered Scotland in ice and Arran's highest peaks may have been nunatak
s at this time. After the last retreat of the ice at the close of the Pleistocene
epoch sea levels were up to 70 metres (229.7 ft) lower than at present and it is likely that circa 14,000 BP
the island was connected to mainland Scotland. Sea level changes and the isostatic
rise of land makes charting post-glacial coastlines a complex task, but it is evident that the island is ringed by post glacial
raised beach
es. King's Cave
on the south west coast is an example of an emergent landform
on such a raised beach. This cave, which is over 30.5 metres (100 ft) long and up to 15.3 metres (50.2 ft) high, lies well above the present day sea level. There are tall sea cliffs to the north east including large rock slides under the heights of Torr Reamhar and at Scriden (An Scriodan) at the far north end of the island. North Arran is one of 40 National Scenic Area
s in Scotland.
Arran has a number of villages that are mainly found around the shoreline. Brodick (Old Norse
: "broad bay") is the site of the ferry terminal, several hotels, and the majority of shops. Brodick Castle
is a seat of the Dukes of Hamilton
. Lamlash
, however, is the largest village on the island and in 2001 had a population of 1,010 compared to 621 for Brodick. Other villages include Lochranza
and Catacol
in the north, Corrie
in the north east, Blackwaterfoot
in the south west, Kildonan
in the south and Whiting Bay
in the south east.
lies to the east opposite Lamlash, Pladda
is located off Arran's south coast and tiny Hamilton Isle lies just off Clauchlands Point 1.2 kilometre (0.745647283979768 mi) north of Holy Isle. Eilean na h-Àirde Bàine off the south west of Arran at Corriecravie is a skerry
connected to Arran at low tide.
Other islands in the Firth of Clyde
include Bute
, Great Cumbrae
and Inchmarnock
.
and the Gulf Stream
create a mild oceanic climate. Temperatures are generally cool, averaging about 6 °C (42.8 °F) in January and 14 °C (57.2 °F) in July at sea level. The southern half of the island, being less mountainous has a more favourable climate than the northern half and the east coast is more sheltered from the prevailing winds than the west and south.
Snow seldom lies at sea level and frosts are less frequent than the mainland. In common with most islands of the west coast of Scotland, rainfall is generally high at between 1500 mm (59.1 in) per annum in the south and west and 1900 mm (74.8 in) per annum in the north and east. The mountains are wetter still with the summits receiving over 2550 mm (100.4 in) annually. May and June are the sunniest months, with upwards of 200 hours of bright sunshine being recorded on average.
Arran has a particular concentration of early Neolithic
Clyde Cairns, a form of Gallery grave
. The typical style of these structures is that of a rectangular or trapezoidal stone and earth mound that encloses a chamber lined with larger stone slabs. Pottery and bone fragments found inside the chambers suggest they were used for internment and some have forecourts, which may have been an area for public display or ritual. There are two good examples in Monamore Glen east of the village of Lamlash, and similar structures called the Giant's Graves above Whiting Bay. There are numerous standing stones dating from prehistoric times, including six stone circles on Machrie Moor (Gaelic: Am Machaire).
Several Bronze Age
sites have been excavated, including "Ossian's Mound" near Clachaig and a cairn near Blackwaterfoot that produced a bronze dagger and a gold fillet. Torr a' Chaisteal Dun in the south west near Sliddery is the ruin of an Iron Age
fortified structure dating from about AD 200. The original walls would have been 3 metres (9.8 ft) or more thick and enclosed a circular area about 14 metres (45.9 ft) in diameter.
The monastery of Aileach founded by St. Brendan
in the 6th century may have been on Arran and St. Molaise was also active, with Holy Isle being a centre of his activities. The caves below Keil Point (Gaelic: Rubha na Cille) contain a slab which may have been an ancient altar. This stone has two petrosomatoglyph
s on it, the prints of two right feet, said to be of Saint Columba.
In the 11th century Arran became part of the Sodor (Old Norse: 'Suðr-eyjar'), or South Isles of the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles, but on the death of Godred Crovan
in 1095 all the isles came under the direct rule of Magnus III of Norway
. Lagman
(1103–1104) restored local rule. After the death of Somerled
, Arran and Bute were ruled by his son Angus. In 1237, the Scottish isles broke away completely from the Isle of Man
and became an independent kingdom, before being ceded to the Scottish crown in 1266 by the Treaty of Perth
. A substantial Viking grave has been discovered near King's Cross south of Lamlash, containing whalebone, iron rivets and nails, fragments of bronze
and a 9th century bronze coin, and another grave of similar date nearby yielded a sword and shield. Arran was also part of the medieval Bishopric of Sodor and Man
.
On the opposite side of the island near Blackwaterfoot is the King's Cave (see above) where Robert the Bruce is said to have taken shelter in the 14th century. Bruce returned to the island in 1326, having earlier granted lands to Fergus MacLouis for assistance rendered during his time of concealment there. Brodick Castle played a prominent part in the island's medieval history. Probably dating from the 13th century, it was captured by English forces during the Wars of Independence
before being taken back by Scottish troops in 1307. It was badly damaged by action from English ships in 1406 and sustained an attack by John of Islay
, the Lord of the Isles
in 1455. Originally a seat of the Clan Stewart of Menteith
it passed to the Boyd
family in the 15th century. For a short time during the reign of King James V in the 16th century the Isle of Arran was under the regency of Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell
.
James, 2nd Lord Hamilton
became a privy counsellor
to his first cousin, James IV of Scotland
and helped to arrange his marriage to Princess Margaret Tudor
of England. As a reward he was created Earl of Arran in 1503. The local economy for much of this period was based on the run rig
system, the basic crops being oats, barley and potatoes and the population slowly grew to about 6,500. In the early 19th century Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton (1767–1852) embarked on a programme of clearances
that had a devastating effect on the island's population. These "improvements" typically led to the land being rented out to as many as twenty-seven families being converted into a single farm. In some cases, alternative land was promised in Canada for each adult emigrant male. In April 1829, for example, 86 islanders boarded the brig Caledonia for the two-month journey, half their fares being paid for by the Duke. However, on arrival in Quebec
only 41 hectares (101.3 acre) was made available to the heads of extended families. Whole villages were removed and the Gaelic culture of the island devastated. The writer James Hogg
wrote: "Ah! Wae's me. I hear the Duke of Hamilton's crofters are a' gaun away, man and mother's son, frae the Isle o' Arran. Pity on us!". A memorial to this early form of ethnic cleansing
has been constructed on the shore at Lamlash, paid for by a Canadian descendant of the emigrants.
On 10 August 1941 a RAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator LB-30A
AM261 was flying from RAF Heathfield
in Ayrshire to Gander International Airport
in Canada. However, the B-24 crashed into the hillside of Mullach Buidhe north of Goat Fell where all 22 passengers and crew died.
Gaelic was still spoken widely on Arran at the beginning of the 20th century. The 1901 Census reported 25-49% Gaelic speakers on the eastern side of the island and 50-74% on the western side of the island. By 1921 the percentage for the whole island had dropped to less than 25%. From then onwards, the number of speakers fell into the vague 0-24.9% bracket. However, Nils Holmer
quotes the Féillire
(a Gaelic almanack) reporting 4,532 inhabitants on the island in 1931 with 605 Gaelic speakers, showing that Gaelic had declined to about 13% of the population. It continued to decline until the last native speakers of Arran Gaelic died in the 1990s. The 1.6% Gaelic speakers in the 1991 Census and the 1.5% in the 2001 Census represent Gaelic speakers from other areas settling on the island.
Arran Gaelic is reasonably well documented. Holmer carried out fieldwork on the island in 1938, reporting Gaelic being spoken by "a fair number of old inhabitants". He interviewed 53 informants from various locations and his description of the dialect, The Gaelic of Arran, was published in 1957 and runs to 211 pages of phonological, grammatical and lexical information. The Survey of the Gaelic Dialects of Scotland, which collected Gaelic dialect data in Scotland between 1950 and 1963 also interviewed 5 native speakers of Arran Gaelic.
The Arran dialect falls firmly into the southern group of Gaelic dialects (referred to as the "peripheral" dialects in Celtic studies) and thus shows:
The most unusual feature of Arran Gaelic is the /w/ glide
after labial
s before a front vowel
, e.g. maith 'good' /mwɛh/ (normally /mah/).
Mac an Tàilleir (2003) notes that the island has a poetic name Arainn nan Aighean Iomadh - "Arran of the many stags" and that a native of the island or Arannach is also nicknamed coinean mòr in Gaelic, meaning "big rabbit". Locally, Arainn was pronounced /ɛɾɪɲ/.
From the seventeenth century to the late twentieth century Arran was part of the County of Bute
. After the 1975 reorganisation of local government
Arran became part of the district of Cunninghame
in Strathclyde
Region.
This two-tier system of local government lasted until 1996 when the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
came into effect, abolishing the regions and districts and replacing them with 32 unitary authorities
. Arran is now in the North Ayrshire
council area, along with some of the constituent islands of the old County of Bute.
For some statistical purposes Arran is within the registration county
of Ayrshire
and for ceremonial purposes within the lieutenancy area
of Ayrshire and Arran.
In the House of Commons, since 2005 Arran has been part of the Ayrshire North and Arran constituency
, represented by Katy Clark
of the Labour Party
. It was previously part of the constituency of Cunninghame North
from 1983 to 2005, and of Ayrshire North and Bute from 1918 to 1983.
In the Scottish Parliament
, Arran is part of the constituency of Cunninghame North
, currently represented by Kenneth Gibson of the Scottish National Party
(SNP). Labour held the seat until 2007, when the SNP gained it with a majority of just 48, making it the most marginal seat in Holyrood until 2011 when the SNP significantly increased their majority to 6117 over the Labour Party
.
ferries, one from Brodick to Ardrossan and the second (in summertime only) from Lochranza to Claonaig
. Summer day trips are also available on board the paddle steamer
PS Waverley
and a summertime service operated by a local resident connects Lamlash to the neighbouring Holy Isle.
There are three roads on the island. The 90 kilometres (55.9 mi) long coast road circumnavigates the island. In 2007, a 48 kilometres (29.8 mi) stretch of this road, previously designated as the A841, was de-classified to a 'C' road. Travelling south from Whiting Bay, the C147 goes round the south coast continuing north up the west coast of the island to Lochranza. At this point the road becomes the A841 down the east coast back to Whiting Bay.
At one point the coast road ventures inland, this is to climb the 200 metres (656.2 ft) pass at Boguillie between Creag Ghlas Laggan and Caisteal Abhail, located between Sannox and Lochranza.
The other two roads run across from the east to the west side of the island. The main cross-island road is the 19 kilometres (11.8 mi) long B880 from Brodick to Blackwaterfoot called "The String", which climbs over Gleann an t-Suidhe. About 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) along the B880 from Brodick, a minor road branches off to the right to Machrie. The single track road "The Ross" runs 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) miles from Lamlash to Lagg and Sliddery via Glen Scorodale (Gaelic: Gleann Sgoradail).
The island can be explored using public transport using a bus service operated by Stagecoach
.
The main industry of the island is tourism, one of the main attractions being the imposing Brodick Castle
, owned by the National Trust for Scotland
. The Auchrannie Resort, which contains 2 hotels, 3 restaurants and 2 leisure complexes, is one of biggest employers on island. Local businesses include the Arran Distillery
, which was opened in 1995 in Lochranza
, and Arran Aromatics, which produces a range of toiletries. The island has a number of golf courses including the 12 hole Shiskine
links
course which was founded in 1896.
Farming and forestry are other important industries. 2008 plans for a large salmon
farm holding 800,000 or more fish in Lamlash Bay have been criticised by the Community of Arran Seabed Trust. They feared the facility could jeopardise Scotland's first community marine conservation area, which was announced in September 2008.
The Arran Brewery is a microbrewery
founded in March 2000 in Cladach
, near Brodick. The brewery produces 8 regular cask
and bottled
beers. The wheat beer, Arran Blonde (5.0% abv
) is the most popular brand and others include Arran Dark and Arran Sunset, with a seasonal ale called Fireside only brewed in winter. The brewery is open for tours, with tastings in the shop. The business went into liquidation in May 2008 and was subsequently sold to Marketing Management Services International Ltd. in June 2008. The brewery is now back in production and the beers widely available in Scotland.
Lamlash Bay is now Marine Protected Area and a "no take zone" under the terms of the Marine (Scotland) Act which means that no fish or shellfish may be taken in the designated area.
features on the Royal Bank of Scotland
£20 note and Lochranza Castle
was used as the model for the castle in the Tintin
adventure The Black Island
.
Arran has one newspaper, The Arran Banner
. It was listed in the Guinness Book of Records in November 1984 under the title of "local newspaper which achieves the closest to a saturation circulation in its area". The entry reads "The Arran Banner, founded in 1974, has a readership of more than 97 per cent in Britain’s seventh largest off-shore island". There is also an online weekly publication called Voice for Arran that relies mainly on articles contributed by community members.
In 2010 an "Isle of Arran" version of the game Monopoly
was launched.
The knitting
style used to create Aran sweater
s is often mistakenly associated with the Isle of Arran rather than the Irish Aran Islands
.
The island has three endemic species of tree, the Arran Whitebeams. These trees are the Scottish or Arran Whitebeam (Sorbus arranensis
), the Bastard Mountain Ash or Cut-leaved Whitebeam (Sorbus pseudofennica
) and the Catacol Whitebeam (Sorbus pseudomeinichii
). If rarity is measured by numbers alone they are amongst the most endangered tree species in the world. They are protected in Glen Diomhan off Glen Catacol
, at the north end of the island by a partly fenced off National Nature Reserve
, and are monitored by staff from Scottish Natural Heritage
. Only 236 Sorbus pseudofennica and 283 Sorbus arranensis were recorded as mature trees in 1980. They are typically trees of the mountain slopes, close to the tree line. However, they will grow at lower altitudes, and are being preserved within Brodick Country Park.
Over 200 species of bird have been recorded on Arran including Black Guillemot
, Eider
, Peregrine Falcon
and the Golden Eagle
. In 1981 there were 28 Ptarmigan on Arran, but in 2009 it was reported that extensive surveys had been unable to record any. Similarly, the Red-billed Chough
no longer breeds on the island.
Red Deer
are numerous on the northern hills, and there are populations of Red Squirrel
, Badger, Otter
, Adder
and Common Lizard
. Offshore there are Harbour Porpoise
s, Basking Sharks
and various species of dolphin
.
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
, Scotland, and with an area of 432 square kilometres (167 sq mi) is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area
Subdivisions of Scotland
For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as "council areas" which are all governed by unitary authorities designated as "councils"...
of North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland with a population of roughly 136,000 people. It is located in the south-west region of Scotland, and borders the areas of Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire to the north-east and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the East and South...
and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058. Although commonly associated with the Hebrides
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
, with which it shares many cultural and physical similarities, these latter islands are located to the north and west beyond Kintyre
Kintyre
Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...
. Arran is mountainous and has been described as a "geologist's paradise".
There has been continuous habitation since the early Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
period, and there have been numerous prehistoric
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
remains found since then. From the 6th century on Goidelic-speaking
Goidelic languages
The Goidelic languages or Gaelic languages are one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic languages, the other consisting of the Brythonic languages. Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from the south of Ireland through the Isle of Man to the north of Scotland...
peoples from Ireland colonised the island and it became a centre of religious activity. During the troubled Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
, Arran became the property of the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
crown before becoming formally absorbed by the kingdom of Scotland in the thirteenth century. The 19th century "clearances" led to significant reductions in population and the end of the Gaelic language and way of life.
The economy and population have recovered in recent years, the main industry being tourism. There is diversity of wildlife, including three species of tree endemic to the area.
Etymology
Most of the islands of Scotland have been occupied by the speakers of at least four languages since the Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, and many of the names of these islands have more than one possible meaning as a result. Arran is therefore not unusual in that the derivation of the name is far from clear. Mac an Tàilleir (2003) states that "it is said to be unrelated to the name Aran
Aran Islands
The Aran Islands or The Arans are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. They constitute the barony of Aran in County Galway, Ireland...
in Ireland" (which means "kidney shaped", cf Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
ára "kidney"). Unusually for a Scottish island, Haswell-Smith (2004) offers a Brythonic derivation and a meaning of "high place" which at least corresponds with the geography—Arran is significantly loftier than all the land that immediately surrounds it along the shores of the Firth of Clyde.
Any other Brythonic
Brythonic languages
The Brythonic or Brittonic languages form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family, the other being Goidelic. The name Brythonic was derived by Welsh Celticist John Rhys from the Welsh word Brython, meaning an indigenous Briton as opposed to an Anglo-Saxon or Gael...
place names that may have existed were later replaced on Arran as the Goidelic-speaking Gaels
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
spread from Ireland via their adjacent kingdom of Dál Riata
Dál Riata
Dál Riata was a Gaelic overkingdom on the western coast of Scotland with some territory on the northeast coast of Ireland...
. During the Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
the island, along with the vast majority of the Scottish islands, became the property of the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
crown, at which time it may have been known as "Herrey" or "Hersey". As a result of this Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
influence, many current place names on Arran are of Viking origin.
Geography and geology
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
between Ayr
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
and Kintyre
Kintyre
Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...
. The profile of the north Arran hills as seen from the Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
coast is a well-known sight referred to as the "Sleeping Warrior
Sleeping Warrior
The Sleeping Warrior is the profile of the north Arran hills as seen from the Ayrshire coast. It is a well-known sight that takes its name from a resemblance to a resting human figure...
" due to its resemblance to a resting human figure. The highest of these hills is Goat Fell
Goat Fell
Goat Fell is the highest point on the Isle of Arran. At 874 metres , it is one of four Corbetts on the island...
at 873.5 metres (2,866 ft). There are three other Corbetts all in the north east; Caisteal Abhail
Caisteal Abhail
Caisteal Abhail is a mountain on the Isle of Arran in Scotland.It is the northernmost Corbett on the island. The mountain forms the main part of a view known as The Sleeping Warrior due to its distinctive outline as seen from the mainland...
, Cìr Mhòr
Cìr Mhòr
Cìr Mhòr is a Corbett known as the Matterhorn of Arran. Its name means the "big comb", referring its resemblance to a cockscomb. It is separated from the island's highest peak, Goat Fell by a col called The Saddle...
and Beinn Tarsuinn
Beinn Tarsuinn (Corbett)
Beinn Tarsuinn is a mountain on the Isle of Arran, Scotland. It is the southernmost of the four Corbetts on the island, lying between Glen Rosa to the east and Glen Iorsa to the west....
. Bheinn Bharrain is the highest peak in the north west at 721 metres (2,365.5 ft).
The largest valley on the island is Glen Iorsa to the west, whilst narrow Glen Sannox (Gaelic: Gleann Shannaig) and Glen Rosa (Gaelic: Gleann Ròsa) to the east surround Goat Fell. The terrain to the south is less mountainous, although a considerable portion of the interior lies above 350 metres (1,148.3 ft) and the summit of A' Chruach reaches 512 metres (1,679.8 ft). There are two other Marilyns
Marilyn (hill)
A Marilyn is a mountain or hill in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or Isle of Man with a relative height of at least 150 metres , regardless of absolute height or other merit...
in the south, Tighvein
Tighvein
Tighvein is a hill above Lamlash on the Isle of Arran in western Scotland. It is a Marilyn and the highest point on the south-eastern section of the island, south-east of the pass of Monambre Glen. Two miles from the nearest road, the top is a heathery, boggy moor, almost entirely ringed by thick...
and Beinn Bhreac.
The island is sometimes referred to as "Scotland in miniature", as it is divided into "Highland" and "Lowland" areas by the Highland Boundary Fault
Highland Boundary Fault
The Highland Boundary Fault is a geological fault that traverses Scotland from Arran and Helensburgh on the west coast to Stonehaven in the east...
which runs northeast to southwest across Scotland. Arran is a popular destination for geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
s, who come to see intrusive igneous landforms
Igneous rock
Igneous rock is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava...
such as sill
Sill (geology)
In geology, a sill is a tabular sheet intrusion that has intruded between older layers of sedimentary rock, beds of volcanic lava or tuff, or even along the direction of foliation in metamorphic rock. The term sill is synonymous with concordant intrusive sheet...
s and dyke
Dike (geology)
A dike or dyke in geology is a type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across* planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation...
s as well as sedimentary and metasedimentary rocks ranging in age from Precambrian
Precambrian
The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...
to Mesozoic
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...
.
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
batholith
Batholith
A batholith is a large emplacement of igneous intrusive rock that forms from cooled magma deep in the Earth's crust...
that was created by substantial volcanic activity around 60 million years ago in the Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
period. There is an older outer ring of coarse granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
s and an inner core of finer grained material. Sedimentary rocks dominate the southern half of the island, especially Old
Old Red Sandstone
The Old Red Sandstone is a British rock formation of considerable importance to early paleontology. For convenience the short version of the term, 'ORS' is often used in literature on the subject.-Sedimentology:...
and New Red Sandstone
New Red Sandstone
The New Red Sandstone is a chiefly British geological term for the beds of red sandstone and associated rocks laid down throughout the Permian to the beginning of the Triassic that underlie the Jurassic Lias; the term distinguishes it from the Old Red Sandstone which is largely Devonian in...
. Some of these sandstones contain fulgurite
Fulgurite
Fulgurites are natural hollow glass tubes formed in quartzose sand, or silica, or soil by lightning strikes. They are formed when lightning with a temperature of at least instantaneously melts silica on a conductive surface and fuses grains together; the fulgurite tube is the cooled product...
s - pitted marks that may have been created by Permian lightning strikes. Sand dunes are preserved in Permian
Permian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
sandstones near Brodick, there are localised outcrops of Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
rocks and even a rare example of Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
chalk. During the nineteenth century barytes was mined near Sannox
Sannox
Sannox is a village on the Isle of Arran, Scotland. The name comes from the name the Vikings gave to the area, Sandvik, meaning the Sandy Bay.Sannox sits with a stunning backdrop of scenery to it in the shape of Glen Sannox...
. First discovered in 1840, nearly 5,000 tons were produced between 1853 and 1862. The mine was closed by the 11th Duke of Hamilton
William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton
William Alexander Archibald Douglas-Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton and 8th Duke of Brandon , styled Earl of Angus before 1819 and Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale between 1819 and 1852, was a Scottish nobleman.He was the son of Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton and Susan Euphemia...
on the grounds that it "spoiled the solemn grandeur of the scene" but was reopened after the First World War and operated until 1938 when the vein ran out.
Visiting in 1787, the geologist James Hutton
James Hutton
James Hutton was a Scottish physician, geologist, naturalist, chemical manufacturer and experimental agriculturalist. He is considered the father of modern geology...
found his first example of an unconformity
Hutton's Unconformity
Hutton's Unconformity is any of various famous geological sites in Scotland. These are places identified by 18th-century Scottish geologist James Hutton as an unconformity, which provided evidence for his Plutonist theories of uniformitarianism and about the age of the Earth.-Theory of rock...
to the north of Newton Point near Lochranza
Lochranza
Lochranza is a village located on the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. The population, somewhat in decline, is around 200 people....
, which provided evidence for his Plutonist
Plutonism
Plutonism is the geologic theory that the rocks forming the Earth were formed in fire by volcanic activity, with a continuing gradual process of weathering and erosion wearing away rocks, which were then deposited on the sea bed, re-formed into layers of sedimentary rock by heat and pressure, and...
theories of uniformitarianism
Uniformitarianism (science)
In the philosophy of naturalism, the uniformitarianism assumption is that the same natural laws and processes that operate in the universe now, have always operated in the universe in the past and apply everywhere in the universe. It has included the gradualistic concept that "the present is the...
and about the age of the Earth
Age of the Earth
The age of the Earth is 4.54 billion years This age is based on evidence from radiometric age dating of meteorite material and is consistent with the ages of the oldest-known terrestrial and lunar samples...
. This spot is one of the most famous places in the study of geology.
The Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
glaciations almost entirely covered Scotland in ice and Arran's highest peaks may have been nunatak
Nunatak
A nunatak is an exposed, often rocky element of a ridge, mountain, or peak not covered with ice or snow within an ice field or glacier. The term is typically used in areas where a permanent ice sheet is present...
s at this time. After the last retreat of the ice at the close of the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
epoch sea levels were up to 70 metres (229.7 ft) lower than at present and it is likely that circa 14,000 BP
Before Present
Before Present years is a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the "present" time changes, standard practice is to use AD 1950 as the origin of the age scale, reflecting the fact that radiocarbon...
the island was connected to mainland Scotland. Sea level changes and the isostatic
Isostasy
Isostasy is a term used in geology to refer to the state of gravitational equilibrium between the earth's lithosphere and asthenosphere such that the tectonic plates "float" at an elevation which depends on their thickness and density. This concept is invoked to explain how different topographic...
rise of land makes charting post-glacial coastlines a complex task, but it is evident that the island is ringed by post glacial
Quaternary glaciation
Quaternary glaciation, also known as the Pleistocene glaciation, the current ice age or simply the ice age, refers to the period of the last few million years in which permanent ice sheets were established in Antarctica and perhaps Greenland, and fluctuating ice sheets have occurred elsewhere...
raised beach
Raised beach
A raised beach, marine terrace, or perched coastline is an emergent coastal landform. Raised beaches and marine terraces are beaches or wave-cut platforms raised above the shore line by a relative fall in the sea level ....
es. King's Cave
King's Cave
King's Cave is a seafront cave on the Isle of Arran in Scotland, said to have been a refuge of Robert the Bruce.-External links:***...
on the south west coast is an example of an emergent landform
Emergent coastline
Emergent coastlines are stretches along the coast that have been exposed by the sea due to a relative fall in sea levels. This occurs due to either isostacy or eustacy....
on such a raised beach. This cave, which is over 30.5 metres (100 ft) long and up to 15.3 metres (50.2 ft) high, lies well above the present day sea level. There are tall sea cliffs to the north east including large rock slides under the heights of Torr Reamhar and at Scriden (An Scriodan) at the far north end of the island. North Arran is one of 40 National Scenic Area
National Scenic Area
National Scenic Area is a designation for areas of natural beauty used by more than one nation.* National Scenic Area * National Scenic Area * National scenic areas in Taiwan* National Scenic Area...
s in Scotland.
Villages
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
: "broad bay") is the site of the ferry terminal, several hotels, and the majority of shops. Brodick Castle
Brodick Castle
Brodick Castle is a castle situated outside the port of Brodick on the Isle of Arran, an island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. It was previously a seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, but is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.-Early and High Mediæval:...
is a seat of the Dukes of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage , and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas...
. Lamlash
Lamlash
Lamlash is the largest village by population on the Isle of Arran, in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. It lies 4 miles to the south of ferry port Brodick, in a sheltered bay on the island's east coast, facing Holy Isle. Lamlash is the seat of Arran's local government offices and police...
, however, is the largest village on the island and in 2001 had a population of 1,010 compared to 621 for Brodick. Other villages include Lochranza
Lochranza
Lochranza is a village located on the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. The population, somewhat in decline, is around 200 people....
and Catacol
Catacol
Catacol is a small village on the Isle of Arran, Scotland. It is located on the north west side of the island, just a few miles along the coastal road from Lochranza at the foot of Glen Catacol, a steep-sided valley. It derives its name from Old Norse, referring to the 'gully of the...
in the north, Corrie
Corrie, Arran
Corrie is a village on the north east coast of the Isle of Arran in Scotland, north of Brodick. It lies due east under the island's highest mountain, Goat Fell. A path from High Corrie mile to the south, provides access to the hillside...
in the north east, Blackwaterfoot
Blackwaterfoot
Blackwaterfoot is a village on the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. It is located in the Shiskine valley in the south-west of the island. It is one of the smaller villages of Arran and home to one of Europe's two 12 hole golf courses. A short walk from Blackwaterfoot is Drumadoon...
in the south west, Kildonan
Kildonan, Arran
Kildonan is a village on the south coast of the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. The name Kildonan derives from Saint Donan who is reputedly buried in the village. Early life in the village revolved around Kildonan Castle...
in the south and Whiting Bay
Whiting Bay
Whiting Bay is a village located on the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. The name Whiting Bay is thought to originate from "Viking" Bay. It is approximately 3 miles south of the village of Lamlash. Whiting Bay is the third largest village on the island and was once the site of...
in the south east.
Surrounding islands
Arran has three smaller satellite islands: Holy IsleHoly Isle, Firth of Clyde
The Holy Isle, Firth of Clyde is one of a number of islands in the United Kingdom which go under the name "Holy Island". It is located in the Firth of Clyde off the west coast of central Scotland, inside Lamlash Bay on the larger island of Arran.- Details :The island is around long and around ...
lies to the east opposite Lamlash, Pladda
Pladda
Pladda is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is home to a lighthouse of the same name.-Geography:Pladda lies off the south coast of Arran in the Firth of Clyde at ....
is located off Arran's south coast and tiny Hamilton Isle lies just off Clauchlands Point 1.2 kilometre (0.745647283979768 mi) north of Holy Isle. Eilean na h-Àirde Bàine off the south west of Arran at Corriecravie is a skerry
Skerry
A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation. It may simply be a rocky reef. A skerry can also be called a low sea stack....
connected to Arran at low tide.
Other islands in the Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
include Bute
Isle of Bute
Bute is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. Formerly part of the county of Buteshire, it now constitutes part of the council area of Argyll and Bute. Its resident population was 7,228 in April 2001.-Geography:...
, Great Cumbrae
Great Cumbrae
Great Cumbrae is the larger of the two islands known as The Cumbraes in the lower Firth of Clyde in western Scotland...
and Inchmarnock
Inchmarnock
Inchmarnock is an island at the northern end of the Sound of Bute on the west coast of Scotland.-Geography:Inchmarnock lies to the west of the Isle of Bute at the northern end of the Sound of Bute. It is around long and rises to a height of . The island consists mainly of a single ridge running...
.
Climate
The influence of the Atlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and the Gulf Stream
Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean...
create a mild oceanic climate. Temperatures are generally cool, averaging about 6 °C (42.8 °F) in January and 14 °C (57.2 °F) in July at sea level. The southern half of the island, being less mountainous has a more favourable climate than the northern half and the east coast is more sheltered from the prevailing winds than the west and south.
Snow seldom lies at sea level and frosts are less frequent than the mainland. In common with most islands of the west coast of Scotland, rainfall is generally high at between 1500 mm (59.1 in) per annum in the south and west and 1900 mm (74.8 in) per annum in the north and east. The mountains are wetter still with the summits receiving over 2550 mm (100.4 in) annually. May and June are the sunniest months, with upwards of 200 hours of bright sunshine being recorded on average.
Prehistory
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
Clyde Cairns, a form of Gallery grave
Gallery grave
A Gallery grave is a form of Megalithic tomb where there is no size difference between the burial chamber itself and the entrance passage. Two parallel walls of stone slabs were erected to form a corridor and covered with a line of capstones. The rectangular tomb was covered with a barrow or a cairn...
. The typical style of these structures is that of a rectangular or trapezoidal stone and earth mound that encloses a chamber lined with larger stone slabs. Pottery and bone fragments found inside the chambers suggest they were used for internment and some have forecourts, which may have been an area for public display or ritual. There are two good examples in Monamore Glen east of the village of Lamlash, and similar structures called the Giant's Graves above Whiting Bay. There are numerous standing stones dating from prehistoric times, including six stone circles on Machrie Moor (Gaelic: Am Machaire).
Several Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
sites have been excavated, including "Ossian's Mound" near Clachaig and a cairn near Blackwaterfoot that produced a bronze dagger and a gold fillet. Torr a' Chaisteal Dun in the south west near Sliddery is the ruin of an Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
fortified structure dating from about AD 200. The original walls would have been 3 metres (9.8 ft) or more thick and enclosed a circular area about 14 metres (45.9 ft) in diameter.
Gaels, Vikings and the medieval era
An ancient Irish poem called Agalllamh na Senorach, first recorded in the 13th century, describes the attractions of the island.
- Arran of the many stags
- The sea strikes against her shoulders,
- Companies of men can feed there,
- Blue spears are reddended among her boulders.
- Merry hinds are on her hills,
- Juicy berries are there for food,
- Refreshing water in her streams,
- Nuts in plenty in the wood.
The monastery of Aileach founded by St. Brendan
Brendan
Saint Brendan of Clonfert or Bréanainn of Clonfert called "the Navigator", "the Voyager", or "the Bold" is one of the early Irish monastic saints. He is chiefly renowned for his legendary quest to the "Isle of the Blessed," also called St. Brendan's Island. The Voyage of St...
in the 6th century may have been on Arran and St. Molaise was also active, with Holy Isle being a centre of his activities. The caves below Keil Point (Gaelic: Rubha na Cille) contain a slab which may have been an ancient altar. This stone has two petrosomatoglyph
Petrosomatoglyph
A petrosomatoglyph is an image of parts of a human or animal body incised in rock. Many were created by Celtic peoples, such as the Picts, Scots, Irish, Cornish, Cumbrians, Bretons and Welsh. These representations date from the Early Middle Ages; others of uncertain purpose date back to megalithic...
s on it, the prints of two right feet, said to be of Saint Columba.
In the 11th century Arran became part of the Sodor (Old Norse: 'Suðr-eyjar'), or South Isles of the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles, but on the death of Godred Crovan
Godred Crovan
Godred Crovan was a Norse-Gael ruler of Dublin, and King of Mann and the Isles in the second half of the 11th century. Godred's epithet Crovan may mean "white hand" . In Manx folklore he is known as King Orry.-Ancestry and early life:...
in 1095 all the isles came under the direct rule of Magnus III of Norway
Magnus III of Norway
Magnus Barefoot or Magnus III Olafsson was King of Norway from 1093 until 1103 and King of Mann and the Isles from 1099 until 1103.-Background:...
. Lagman
Lagman of the Isle of Man
Lagman Godredsson was a late 11th century ruler of the Isle of Man and the Hebrides . Lagmann was the eldest son of Gofraid Crobán, a late 11th century ruler of Man, the Hebrides, and Dublin...
(1103–1104) restored local rule. After the death of Somerled
Somerled
Somerled was a military and political leader of the Scottish Isles in the 12th century who was known in Gaelic as rí Innse Gall . His father was Gillebride...
, Arran and Bute were ruled by his son Angus. In 1237, the Scottish isles broke away completely from the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
and became an independent kingdom, before being ceded to the Scottish crown in 1266 by the Treaty of Perth
Treaty of Perth
The Treaty of Perth, 1266, ended military conflict between Norway, under King Magnus VI of Norway, and Scotland, under King Alexander III, over the sovereignty of the Hebrides and the Isle of Man....
. A substantial Viking grave has been discovered near King's Cross south of Lamlash, containing whalebone, iron rivets and nails, fragments of bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
and a 9th century bronze coin, and another grave of similar date nearby yielded a sword and shield. Arran was also part of the medieval Bishopric of Sodor and Man
Bishop of Sodor and Man
The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese covers the Isle of Man. The see is in the town of Peel where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of St German, elevated to cathedral status on 1...
.
On the opposite side of the island near Blackwaterfoot is the King's Cave (see above) where Robert the Bruce is said to have taken shelter in the 14th century. Bruce returned to the island in 1326, having earlier granted lands to Fergus MacLouis for assistance rendered during his time of concealment there. Brodick Castle played a prominent part in the island's medieval history. Probably dating from the 13th century, it was captured by English forces during the Wars of Independence
Wars of Scottish Independence
The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....
before being taken back by Scottish troops in 1307. It was badly damaged by action from English ships in 1406 and sustained an attack by John of Islay
John of Islay, Earl of Ross
John of Islay was a late medieval Scottish magnate. He was Earl of Ross and last Lord of the Isles as well as being Mac Domhnaill, chief of Clan Donald....
, the Lord of the Isles
Lord of the Isles
The designation Lord of the Isles is today a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It emerged from a series of hybrid Viking/Gaelic rulers of the west coast and islands of Scotland in the Middle Ages, who wielded sea-power with fleets of...
in 1455. Originally a seat of the Clan Stewart of Menteith
Walter Bailloch
Walter Bailloch or Walter Bailloch Stewart , was third son of Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland, and Earl of Menteith jure uxoris. His wife was Mary I, Countess of Menteith...
it passed to the Boyd
Clan Boyd
Clan Boyd is a Lowland Scottish clan from Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, Scotland.-Origins of the clan:The origin of the Boyd family name may be either from the Gaelic language or from the Normans, but in both cases translates as 'fair', 'blonde', 'yellow or fair,' etcetera...
family in the 15th century. For a short time during the reign of King James V in the 16th century the Isle of Arran was under the regency of Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell
Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell
Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell , A member of the council of Regency of the Kingdom of Scotland. Regent of the Isle of Arran and like his father before head of the clan Maxwell. A distinguished Scottish nobleman, politician, soldier and in 1513 Lord High Admiral...
.
Modern era
At the commencement of the Early modern periodEarly modern period
In history, the early modern period of modern history follows the late Middle Ages. Although the chronological limits of the period are open to debate, the timeframe spans the period after the late portion of the Middle Ages through the beginning of the Age of Revolutions...
James, 2nd Lord Hamilton
James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran
James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran and 2nd Lord Hamilton was a Scottish nobleman and first cousin of James IV of Scotland.-Biography:...
became a privy counsellor
Privy Council of Scotland
The Privy Council of Scotland was a body that advised the King.In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of material on the political, administrative, economic and social affairs of Scotland...
to his first cousin, James IV of Scotland
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
and helped to arrange his marriage to Princess Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. In 1503, she married James IV, King of Scots. James died in 1513, and their son became King James V. She married secondly Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of...
of England. As a reward he was created Earl of Arran in 1503. The local economy for much of this period was based on the run rig
Run rig
Run rig, or runrig, was a system of land occupation practised in northern and western Great Britain, especially Scotland. The name refers to the ridge and furrow pattern characteristic of this system , with alternating "runs" and "rigs" . The system continued in use into the 20th century in the...
system, the basic crops being oats, barley and potatoes and the population slowly grew to about 6,500. In the early 19th century Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton (1767–1852) embarked on a programme of clearances
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands during the 18th and 19th centuries. They led to mass emigration to the sea coast, the Scottish Lowlands, and the North American colonies...
that had a devastating effect on the island's population. These "improvements" typically led to the land being rented out to as many as twenty-seven families being converted into a single farm. In some cases, alternative land was promised in Canada for each adult emigrant male. In April 1829, for example, 86 islanders boarded the brig Caledonia for the two-month journey, half their fares being paid for by the Duke. However, on arrival in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
only 41 hectares (101.3 acre) was made available to the heads of extended families. Whole villages were removed and the Gaelic culture of the island devastated. The writer James Hogg
James Hogg
James Hogg was a Scottish poet and novelist who wrote in both Scots and English.-Early life:James Hogg was born in a small farm near Ettrick, Scotland in 1770 and was baptized there on 9 December, his actual date of birth having never been recorded...
wrote: "Ah! Wae's me. I hear the Duke of Hamilton's crofters are a' gaun away, man and mother's son, frae the Isle o' Arran. Pity on us!". A memorial to this early form of ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas....
has been constructed on the shore at Lamlash, paid for by a Canadian descendant of the emigrants.
On 10 August 1941 a RAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator LB-30A
Preproduction B-24
The Consolidated Preproduction B-24 aircraft began in the fall of 1938 when the United States Army Air Corps approached Consolidated Aircraft Corporation with the intent of starting a second Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress production line. The president of Consolidated Aircraft, Reuben H. Fleet, as...
AM261 was flying from RAF Heathfield
RAF Heathfield
RAF Heathfield, sometimes known as RAF Ayr/Heathfield due to its proximity to Glasgow Prestwick Airport, which was also used by military flights, was a Royal Air Force Second World War airfield....
in Ayrshire to Gander International Airport
Gander International Airport
Gander International Airport is located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and is currently run by the Gander Airport Authority. Canadian Forces Base Gander shares the airfield but is a separate entity from the airport.-Early years and prominence:...
in Canada. However, the B-24 crashed into the hillside of Mullach Buidhe north of Goat Fell where all 22 passengers and crew died.
| Year | Population | Year | Population |
| 1755 | 3,646 | 1931 | 4,506 |
| 1782 | 5,804 | 1961 | 3,700 |
| 1821 | 6,600 | 1971 | 3,564 |
| 1841 | 6,241 | 1981 | 3,845 |
| 1881 | 4,730 | 1991 | 4,474 |
| 1891 | 4,824 | 2001 | 5,058 |
Gaelic
| Pronunciation | |
|---|---|
| Scots Gaelic: | A’ Chruach |
| Pronunciation: | ə ˈxɾuəx |
| Scots Gaelic: | Am Machaire |
| Pronunciation: | ə ˈmaxəɾʲə |
| Scots Gaelic: | Arainn nan Aighean Iomadh |
| Pronunciation: |ˈaɾəɲ ə ˈn̪ˠajən ˈiməɣ |
|
| Scots Gaelic: | Arannach |
| Pronunciation: |ˈaɾən̪ˠəx |
|
| Scots Gaelic: | Beinn Bharrain |
| Pronunciation: | peiɲˈvarˠɛɲ |
| Scots Gaelic: | Beinn Bhreac |
| Pronunciation: | peiɲˈvɾʲɛxk |
| Scots Gaelic: | coinean mòr |
| Pronunciation: |ˈkʰɔɲan ˈmoːɾ |
|
| Scots Gaelic: | Eilean Arainn |
| Pronunciation: | elanˈarəɲ |
| Scots Gaelic: | Eilean na h-Àirde Bàine |
| Pronunciation: |ˈelan ə ˈhaːrˠtʲə ˈpaːɲə |
|
| Scots Gaelic: | Gleann Ròsa |
| Pronunciation: | klɛun̪ˠˈrˠɔːs̪ə |
| Scots Gaelic: | Gleann Sgoradail |
| Pronunciation: | klaun̪ˠ ˈs̪kɔɾat̪al |
| Scots Gaelic: | Gleann Shannaig |
| Pronunciation: | klɛun̪ˠˈhan̪ˠɛkʲ |
| Scots Gaelic: | Rubha na Cille |
| Pronunciation: |ˈrˠu.ə nə ˈkʲʰiʎə |
|
Gaelic was still spoken widely on Arran at the beginning of the 20th century. The 1901 Census reported 25-49% Gaelic speakers on the eastern side of the island and 50-74% on the western side of the island. By 1921 the percentage for the whole island had dropped to less than 25%. From then onwards, the number of speakers fell into the vague 0-24.9% bracket. However, Nils Holmer
Nils Holmer
Nils Holmer was a Swedish linguist who carried out significant fieldwork into the Scottish Gaelic, in particular the southern dialects of Kintyre, Arran and Argyll and published several key books and articles on the topic...
quotes the Féillire
Féillire
Am Féillire was an annual magazine in Scottish Gaelic that was first published in 1872 under the name Almanac Gàilig air son 1872 in Inverness by J Noble and ran into 44 pages....
(a Gaelic almanack) reporting 4,532 inhabitants on the island in 1931 with 605 Gaelic speakers, showing that Gaelic had declined to about 13% of the population. It continued to decline until the last native speakers of Arran Gaelic died in the 1990s. The 1.6% Gaelic speakers in the 1991 Census and the 1.5% in the 2001 Census represent Gaelic speakers from other areas settling on the island.
Arran Gaelic is reasonably well documented. Holmer carried out fieldwork on the island in 1938, reporting Gaelic being spoken by "a fair number of old inhabitants". He interviewed 53 informants from various locations and his description of the dialect, The Gaelic of Arran, was published in 1957 and runs to 211 pages of phonological, grammatical and lexical information. The Survey of the Gaelic Dialects of Scotland, which collected Gaelic dialect data in Scotland between 1950 and 1963 also interviewed 5 native speakers of Arran Gaelic.
The Arran dialect falls firmly into the southern group of Gaelic dialects (referred to as the "peripheral" dialects in Celtic studies) and thus shows:
- a glottal stopGlottal stopThe glottal stop, or more fully, the voiceless glottal plosive, is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. In English, the feature is represented, for example, by the hyphen in uh-oh! and by the apostrophe or [[ʻokina]] in Hawaii among those using a preservative pronunciation of...
replacing an Old Irish hiatusHiatus (linguistics)In phonology, hiatus or diaeresis refers to two vowel sounds occurring in adjacent syllables, with no intervening consonant. When two adjacent vowel sounds occur in the same syllable, the result is instead described as a diphthong....
, e.g. rathad 'road' /rɛʔət̪/ (normally /rˠa.ət̪/) - the dropping of /h/ between vowels e.g. athair 'father' /aəɾ/ (normally /ahəɾʲ/)
- the preservation of a long l, n and r, e.g. fann 'weak' /fan̪ˠː/ (normally /faun̪ˠ/ with diphthongDiphthongA diphthong , also known as a gliding vowel, refers to two adjacent vowel sounds occurring within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: That is, the tongue moves during the pronunciation of the vowel...
isation).
The most unusual feature of Arran Gaelic is the /w/ glide
Semivowel
In phonetics and phonology, a semivowel is a sound, such as English or , that is phonetically similar to a vowel sound but functions as the syllable boundary rather than as the nucleus of a syllable.-Classification:...
after labial
Labial consonant
Labial consonants are consonants in which one or both lips are the active articulator. This precludes linguolabials, in which the tip of the tongue reaches for the posterior side of the upper lip and which are considered coronals...
s before a front vowel
Front vowel
A front vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a front vowel is that the tongue is positioned as far in front as possible in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant. Front vowels are sometimes also...
, e.g. maith 'good' /mwɛh/ (normally /mah/).
Mac an Tàilleir (2003) notes that the island has a poetic name Arainn nan Aighean Iomadh - "Arran of the many stags" and that a native of the island or Arannach is also nicknamed coinean mòr in Gaelic, meaning "big rabbit". Locally, Arainn was pronounced /ɛɾɪɲ/.
Local government
County of Bute
The County of Bute is one of the registration counties of Scotland. In 2001 its usually resident population was 13,720.-Local government county:...
. After the 1975 reorganisation of local government
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
Arran became part of the district of Cunninghame
Cunninghame
Cunninghame is a former comital district of Scotland and also a district of the Strathclyde Region from 1975–1996.-Historic Cunninghame:The historic district of Cunninghame was bordered by the districts of Renfrew and Clydesdale to the north and east respectively, by the district of Kyle to the...
in Strathclyde
Strathclyde
right|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...
Region.
This two-tier system of local government lasted until 1996 when the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
The Local Government etc. Act 1994 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland....
came into effect, abolishing the regions and districts and replacing them with 32 unitary authorities
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
. Arran is now in the North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland with a population of roughly 136,000 people. It is located in the south-west region of Scotland, and borders the areas of Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire to the north-east and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the East and South...
council area, along with some of the constituent islands of the old County of Bute.
For some statistical purposes Arran is within the registration county
Registration county
A registration county was, in Great Britain and Ireland, a statistical unit used for the registration of births, deaths and marriages and for the output of census information. In Scotland registration counties are used for land registration purposes....
of Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
and for ceremonial purposes within the lieutenancy area
Lieutenancy areas of Scotland
The lieutenancy areas of Scotland are the areas used for the ceremonial lord-lieutenants, the monarch's representatives, in Scotland. They are different from the local government council areas, the committee areas, the sheriffdoms, the registration counties, the former regions and districts, the...
of Ayrshire and Arran.
In the House of Commons, since 2005 Arran has been part of the Ayrshire North and Arran constituency
North Ayrshire and Arran (UK Parliament constituency)
North Ayrshire and Arran is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in the south-west of Scotland within the North Ayrshire council area...
, represented by Katy Clark
Katy Clark
Kathryn Sloan Clark is a British Labour Party politician and former trade union official who has been the Member of Parliament for North Ayrshire and Arran since 2005.-Early life:...
of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. It was previously part of the constituency of Cunninghame North
Cunninghame North (UK Parliament constituency)
Cunninghame North was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 2005, when it was largely replaced by North Ayrshire and Arran...
from 1983 to 2005, and of Ayrshire North and Bute from 1918 to 1983.
In the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, Arran is part of the constituency of Cunninghame North
Cunninghame North (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Cunninghame North is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. It elects one MSP by the first past the post method of election once every four years...
, currently represented by Kenneth Gibson of the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
(SNP). Labour held the seat until 2007, when the SNP gained it with a majority of just 48, making it the most marginal seat in Holyrood until 2011 when the SNP significantly increased their majority to 6117 over the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
.
Transport
Arran is connected with the Scottish mainland by two Caledonian MacBrayneCaledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast...
ferries, one from Brodick to Ardrossan and the second (in summertime only) from Lochranza to Claonaig
Claonaig
Claonaig is a small village on the east coast of the Kintyre peninsula in western Scotland, linked to Lochranza on the Isle of Arran by ferry .From Claonaig, Tarbert is 10 miles away via the minor B8001 road and the A83...
. Summer day trips are also available on board the paddle steamer
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
PS Waverley
PS Waverley
PS Waverley is the last seagoing passenger carrying paddle steamer in the world. Built in 1946, she sailed from Craigendoran on the Firth of Clyde to Arrochar on Loch Long until 1973...
and a summertime service operated by a local resident connects Lamlash to the neighbouring Holy Isle.
At one point the coast road ventures inland, this is to climb the 200 metres (656.2 ft) pass at Boguillie between Creag Ghlas Laggan and Caisteal Abhail, located between Sannox and Lochranza.
The other two roads run across from the east to the west side of the island. The main cross-island road is the 19 kilometres (11.8 mi) long B880 from Brodick to Blackwaterfoot called "The String", which climbs over Gleann an t-Suidhe. About 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) along the B880 from Brodick, a minor road branches off to the right to Machrie. The single track road "The Ross" runs 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) miles from Lamlash to Lagg and Sliddery via Glen Scorodale (Gaelic: Gleann Sgoradail).
The island can be explored using public transport using a bus service operated by Stagecoach
Stagecoach West Scotland
Stagecoach West Scotland is an operating region of Stagecoach UK Bus, comprising Western Buses Ltd and Stagecoach Glasgow Ltd, based in Ayr, Scotland.-Operation:...
.
Economy
Brodick Castle
Brodick Castle is a castle situated outside the port of Brodick on the Isle of Arran, an island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. It was previously a seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, but is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.-Early and High Mediæval:...
, owned by the National Trust for Scotland
National Trust for Scotland
The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland describes itself as the conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotland's natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to...
. The Auchrannie Resort, which contains 2 hotels, 3 restaurants and 2 leisure complexes, is one of biggest employers on island. Local businesses include the Arran Distillery
Arran Single Malt
Arran Single Malt is a Single Malt Scotch whisky distilled by the Arran Distillery, Lochranza, Scotland, the only distillery on the Isle of Arran. Arran Distillery was founded in 1995 and is the first legal distillery built on the Isle of Arran in over 150 years...
, which was opened in 1995 in Lochranza
Lochranza
Lochranza is a village located on the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. The population, somewhat in decline, is around 200 people....
, and Arran Aromatics, which produces a range of toiletries. The island has a number of golf courses including the 12 hole Shiskine
Shiskine
Shiskine is a small village on the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. Sitting further up the "Shiskine Valley" from the village of Blackwaterfoot, the village takes its name from a corruption of the Gaelic for "marshy place"...
links
Links (golf)
A links is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland. The word "links" comes from the Scots language and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes and sometimes to open parkland. It also retains this more general meaning in the Scottish English dialect...
course which was founded in 1896.
Farming and forestry are other important industries. 2008 plans for a large salmon
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
farm holding 800,000 or more fish in Lamlash Bay have been criticised by the Community of Arran Seabed Trust. They feared the facility could jeopardise Scotland's first community marine conservation area, which was announced in September 2008.
Microbrewery
A microbrewery or craft brewer is a brewery which produces a limited amount of beer, and is associated by consumers with innovation and uniqueness....
founded in March 2000 in Cladach
Cladach
Note: Cladach is a general Scottish Gaelic word for "beach" or "shore" and occurs in many Scottish placenamesCladach is a tiny settlement on the Isle of Arran, Scotland. In the vicinity of the island's main village, Brodick, Cladach is the site of the Cladach Sawmill and in more recent times, the...
, near Brodick. The brewery produces 8 regular cask
Cask ale
Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised beer which is conditioned and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure...
and bottled
Filtered beer
Bright beer is beer in which yeast is no longer in suspension. There are several methods used for clearing yeast from beer, from waiting for the yeast to drop of its own accord to filtering it.-Dropping bright:...
beers. The wheat beer, Arran Blonde (5.0% abv
Alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....
) is the most popular brand and others include Arran Dark and Arran Sunset, with a seasonal ale called Fireside only brewed in winter. The brewery is open for tours, with tastings in the shop. The business went into liquidation in May 2008 and was subsequently sold to Marketing Management Services International Ltd. in June 2008. The brewery is now back in production and the beers widely available in Scotland.
Lamlash Bay is now Marine Protected Area and a "no take zone" under the terms of the Marine (Scotland) Act which means that no fish or shellfish may be taken in the designated area.
Culture, media and the arts
The Scottish Gaelic dialect of Arran died out when the last speaker Donald Craig died in the 1970s. However, there is now a Gaelic House in Brodick, set up at the end of the 1990s. Brodick CastleBrodick Castle
Brodick Castle is a castle situated outside the port of Brodick on the Isle of Arran, an island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. It was previously a seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, but is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.-Early and High Mediæval:...
features on the Royal Bank of Scotland
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
£20 note and Lochranza Castle
Lochranza Castle
Lochranza Castle is an L-plan tower house situated on a promontory in the middle of Lochranza, on the North of the Isle of Arran in Scotland. Most of the present castle today was built in the sixteenth century....
was used as the model for the castle in the Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
adventure The Black Island
The Black Island
The Black Island is the seventh of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as the hero. It was first published in the newspaper supplement Le Petit Vingtième in the late 1930s...
.
Arran has one newspaper, The Arran Banner
The Arran Banner
The Arran Banner is a local newspaper on the Isle of Arran. It has been published weekly since being established in 1974.For many years it was under the ownership and editorship of John Miller, an island resident. The paper attracted subscribers from around the world for its often unique and witty...
. It was listed in the Guinness Book of Records in November 1984 under the title of "local newspaper which achieves the closest to a saturation circulation in its area". The entry reads "The Arran Banner, founded in 1974, has a readership of more than 97 per cent in Britain’s seventh largest off-shore island". There is also an online weekly publication called Voice for Arran that relies mainly on articles contributed by community members.
In 2010 an "Isle of Arran" version of the game Monopoly
Monopoly (game)
Marvin Gardens, the leading yellow property on the board shown, is actually a misspelling of the original location name, Marven Gardens. The misspelling was said to be introduced by Charles Todd and passed on when his home-made Monopoly board was copied by Charles Darrow and thence to Parker...
was launched.
The knitting
Knitting
Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth or other fine crafts. Knitted fabric consists of consecutive rows of loops, called stitches. As each row progresses, a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can...
style used to create Aran sweater
Aran sweater
The Aran sweater is a style of jumper/sweater that takes its name from the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. It is sometimes known as a fisherman sweater...
s is often mistakenly associated with the Isle of Arran rather than the Irish Aran Islands
Aran Islands
The Aran Islands or The Arans are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. They constitute the barony of Aran in County Galway, Ireland...
.
Natural history
Sorbus arranensis
Sorbus arranensis, sometimes referred to as the Scottish or Arran Whitebeam is a species of plant in the Rosaceae family. It is endemic to the island of Arran in Scotland.-Range and habitat:...
), the Bastard Mountain Ash or Cut-leaved Whitebeam (Sorbus pseudofennica
Sorbus pseudofennica
Sorbus pseudofennica is a species of plant in the Rosaceae family. It is a naturally occurring hybrid caused by the Rock Whitebeam hybridising with the Rowan , then crossing back with S. aucuparia...
) and the Catacol Whitebeam (Sorbus pseudomeinichii
Sorbus pseudomeinichii
Sorbus pseudomeinichii, known as Catacol Whitebeam, is a rare tree endemic to the Isle of Arran in south west Scotland. It is believed to have arisen as a hybrid of the native Rowan and the Cut-leaved Whitebeam which is in turn a Rowan/Arran Whitebeam hybrid...
). If rarity is measured by numbers alone they are amongst the most endangered tree species in the world. They are protected in Glen Diomhan off Glen Catacol
Catacol
Catacol is a small village on the Isle of Arran, Scotland. It is located on the north west side of the island, just a few miles along the coastal road from Lochranza at the foot of Glen Catacol, a steep-sided valley. It derives its name from Old Norse, referring to the 'gully of the...
, at the north end of the island by a partly fenced off National Nature Reserve
National Nature Reserve
For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...
, and are monitored by staff from Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Natural Heritage is a Scottish public body. It is responsible for Scotland's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government and acts as a government agent in the delivery of conservation designations, i.e...
. Only 236 Sorbus pseudofennica and 283 Sorbus arranensis were recorded as mature trees in 1980. They are typically trees of the mountain slopes, close to the tree line. However, they will grow at lower altitudes, and are being preserved within Brodick Country Park.
Over 200 species of bird have been recorded on Arran including Black Guillemot
Black Guillemot
The Black Guillemot or Tystie is a medium-sized alcid.Adult birds have black bodies with a white wing patch, a thin dark bill, and red legs and feet. They show white wing linings in flight. In winter, the upperparts are pale grey and the underparts are white. The wings remain black with the large...
, Eider
Common Eider
The Common Eider, Somateria mollissima, is a large sea-duck that is distributed over the northern coasts of Europe, North America and eastern Siberia. It breeds in Arctic and some northern temperate regions, but winters somewhat farther south in temperate zones, when it can form large flocks on...
, Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
and the Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
. In 1981 there were 28 Ptarmigan on Arran, but in 2009 it was reported that extensive surveys had been unable to record any. Similarly, the Red-billed Chough
Red-billed Chough
The Red-billed Chough or Chough , Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, is a bird in the crow family; it is one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax...
no longer breeds on the island.
Red Deer
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
are numerous on the northern hills, and there are populations of Red Squirrel
Red Squirrel
The red squirrel or Eurasian red squirrel is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus common throughout Eurasia...
, Badger, Otter
European Otter
The European Otter , also known as the Eurasian otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter and Old World otter, is a European and Asian member of the Lutrinae or otter subfamily, and is typical of freshwater otters....
, Adder
Vipera berus
Vipera berus, the common European adder or common European viper, is a venomous viper species that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of Western Europe and all the way to Far East Asia. Known by a host of common names including Common adder and Common viper, adders have been...
and Common Lizard
Viviparous lizard
The viviparous lizard or common lizard is a Eurasian lizard. It lives farther north than any other reptile species, and most populations are viviparous , rather than laying eggs as most other lizards do.-Identification:The length of the body is less than...
. Offshore there are Harbour Porpoise
Harbour Porpoise
The harbour porpoise is one of six species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest marine mammals. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar porpoise to whale watchers. This porpoise often ventures up rivers, and has been seen...
s, Basking Sharks
Basking shark
The basking shark is the second largest living fish, after the whale shark. It is a cosmopolitan migratory species, found in all the world's temperate oceans. It is a slow moving and generally harmless filter feeder and has anatomical adaptations to filter feeding, such as a greatly enlarged...
and various species of dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
.
Notable residents
- Sir Kenneth CalmanKenneth CalmanSir Kenneth Charles Calman, KCB, DL, FRSE is a Scottish cancer researcher and former Chief Medical Officer of Scotland, and then England. He was Warden and Vice-Chancellor of Durham University from 1998 to 2006, before becoming Chancellor of the University of Glasgow. He has held the position of...
, Chancellor of Glasgow University, former Scottish & UK Chief Medical Officer and author of the Calman Commission on Scottish devolution. - Daniel MacmillanDaniel MacMillanDaniel MacMillan was a Scottish publisher from the Isle of Arran, Scotland.Daniel MacMillan was born in the Isle of Arran to a crofting family...
who, with his brother AlexanderAlexander Macmillan (publisher)Alexander Macmillan, , born in Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland. He was a cofounder, in 1843, with his brother Daniel of Macmillan Publishers...
founded Macmillan PublishersMacmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
in 1843. Daniel was also the grandfather of Harold MacmillanHarold MacmillanMaurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
who became Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
in 1957. - Jack McConnellJack McConnellJack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...
, former First Minister of ScotlandFirst Minister of ScotlandThe First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
. - Robert McLellanRobert McLellanRobert McLellan OBE was a Scottish dramatist and poet, mainly writing in the Scots language.-Early life and education:McLellan was born in 1907 at Linmill, a fruit farm in Kirkfieldbank in the Clyde valley, the home of his maternal grandparents. He was educated at Bearsden Academy in Glasgow...
, Scots playwright and poet. - J. M. RobertsonJ. M. RobertsonJohn Mackinnon Robertson was a prolific journalist, advocate of rationalism and secularism, and Liberal Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom for Tyneside from 1906 to 1918.- Biography :...
, politician and journalist.
See also
- List of islands of Scotland
- Geology of ScotlandGeology of ScotlandThe geology of Scotland is unusually varied for a country of its size, with a large number of differing geological features. There are three main geographical sub-divisions: the Highlands and Islands is a diverse area which lies to the north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault; the Central...
- Hutton's UnconformityHutton's UnconformityHutton's Unconformity is any of various famous geological sites in Scotland. These are places identified by 18th-century Scottish geologist James Hutton as an unconformity, which provided evidence for his Plutonist theories of uniformitarianism and about the age of the Earth.-Theory of rock...
- Fauna of ScotlandFauna of ScotlandThe fauna of Scotland is generally typical of the northwest European part of the Palearctic ecozone, although several of the country's larger mammals were hunted to extinction in historic times and human activity has also led to various species of wildlife being introduced...
- Flora of ScotlandFlora of ScotlandThe flora of Scotland is an assemblage of native plant species including over 1,600 vascular plants, more than 1,500 lichens and nearly 1,000 bryophytes. The total number of vascular species is low by world standard but lichens and bryophytes are abundant and the latter form a population of global...
External links
- Information on the Arran Coastal Way long distance path
- Visitor's guide with news, events, transport and accommodation.
- Arran seen from space, NASA
- The Isle of Arran Heritage Museum
- The Arran Banner Arran's local newspaper
- Arran High SchoolArran High SchoolArran High School is a state-funded secondary school at Lamlash, on the Isle of Arran, Scotland. It is the only secondary school on the island, and is located beside Lamlash Primary School. The school has a roll of around 300 pupils, about 50 teachers, 30 prefects, 2 School Captains and 2 vice...
- The Sleeping Warrior on Flickr
- Arran.info The Isle of Arran Interactive Guide