Pobull Fhinn
Encyclopedia
Pobull Fhìnn is a stone circle
on the Isle of North Uist
in the Outer Hebrides
. The name is Gaelic. The first word has been variously spelt as "pobull", "poball", "pobul" or as plural "pobuill". The modern standard spelling would be "Poball Fhìnn". The phrase can be translated as "Fionn's people," or "the white/fair people." The plural form "Pobuill Fhìnn" can be translated as "Fionn's peoples" and is unlikely to be correct.
The stones were probably named after the legendary Gaelic hero Fionn mac Cumhaill
known in English as Finn or Fingal. The present title may constitute a modern rationalisation of a word now obsolete in colloquial Scottish Gaelic: "Pùball Fhìnn" (Fionn's tent) was a common phrase in the ancient Fenian cycle of Gaelic lore and indicated his nomadic residence.
The stones are also known as "Sòrnach Coir' Fhìnn," or "the fireplace of Fionn's cauldron" and locally as "Sòrnach a' Phobaill" (the fireplace of the People). The former name is similar to that of Sòrnaichean Coir' Fhìnn (the fireplaces of Fionn's cauldron) near Kensaleyre in Skye and Suidhe Coire Fhionn (the site of Fionn's cauldron) in Arran. "Coire Fhìnn" (Fionn's cauldron) was used to cook the deer that he and his fellow hunters had killed.
Of the several stone circles on the island, Pobull Fhìnn is the most conspicuous. It is located on the south side of Ben Langass, and it possibly dates from the second millennium BC. It is technically an oval rather than a circle, measuring about 120 feet from east to west and 93 feet from north to south. Although situated on a natural plateau, the north side of the enclosed area has been excavated to about four feet. At least two dozen stones can be counted, some eight on the northern half and 16 on the southern half, but parts of the circle are devoid of stones. About four feet within the circle at the east side is a tall single stone, and there are two fallen slabs about seven feet beyond the western edge.
Pobull Fhìnn is located at grid reference
NF 8427 6502 57°33′52"N 7°16′57"W. It can be reached from a footpath beginning near the Langass Lodge Hotel. Alternatively, it can be reached from the footpath to Barpa Langass
that starts from the A867 about five miles southwest of Lochmaddy
; Barpa Langass is a 0.75-mile walk up Ben Langass from Pobull Fhìnn. The jagged shapes of the stones silhouetted against Loch Langass, Loch Eport, and Eaval make Pobull Fhinn one of the most visited and most photographed sites on North Uist.
Stone circle
A stone circle is a monument of standing stones arranged in a circle. Such monuments have been constructed across the world throughout history for many different reasons....
on the Isle of North Uist
North Uist
North Uist is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.-Geography:North Uist is the tenth largest Scottish island and the thirteenth largest island surrounding Great Britain. It has an area of , slightly smaller than South Uist. North Uist is connected by causeways to Benbecula...
in the Outer Hebrides
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
. The name is Gaelic. The first word has been variously spelt as "pobull", "poball", "pobul" or as plural "pobuill". The modern standard spelling would be "Poball Fhìnn". The phrase can be translated as "Fionn's people," or "the white/fair people." The plural form "Pobuill Fhìnn" can be translated as "Fionn's peoples" and is unlikely to be correct.
The stones were probably named after the legendary Gaelic hero Fionn mac Cumhaill
Fionn mac Cumhaill
Fionn mac Cumhaill , known in English as Finn McCool, was a mythical hunter-warrior of Irish mythology, occurring also in the mythologies of Scotland and the Isle of Man...
known in English as Finn or Fingal. The present title may constitute a modern rationalisation of a word now obsolete in colloquial Scottish Gaelic: "Pùball Fhìnn" (Fionn's tent) was a common phrase in the ancient Fenian cycle of Gaelic lore and indicated his nomadic residence.
The stones are also known as "Sòrnach Coir' Fhìnn," or "the fireplace of Fionn's cauldron" and locally as "Sòrnach a' Phobaill" (the fireplace of the People). The former name is similar to that of Sòrnaichean Coir' Fhìnn (the fireplaces of Fionn's cauldron) near Kensaleyre in Skye and Suidhe Coire Fhionn (the site of Fionn's cauldron) in Arran. "Coire Fhìnn" (Fionn's cauldron) was used to cook the deer that he and his fellow hunters had killed.
Of the several stone circles on the island, Pobull Fhìnn is the most conspicuous. It is located on the south side of Ben Langass, and it possibly dates from the second millennium BC. It is technically an oval rather than a circle, measuring about 120 feet from east to west and 93 feet from north to south. Although situated on a natural plateau, the north side of the enclosed area has been excavated to about four feet. At least two dozen stones can be counted, some eight on the northern half and 16 on the southern half, but parts of the circle are devoid of stones. About four feet within the circle at the east side is a tall single stone, and there are two fallen slabs about seven feet beyond the western edge.
Pobull Fhìnn is located at grid reference
British national grid reference system
The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using latitude and longitude....
NF 8427 6502 57°33′52"N 7°16′57"W. It can be reached from a footpath beginning near the Langass Lodge Hotel. Alternatively, it can be reached from the footpath to Barpa Langass
Barpa Langass
Barpa Langass , is a chambered cairn on the Isle of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. It measures about 72 feet in diameter by 18 feet in height, and it is attributable to the Neolithic age. The roof is constructed of two massive slabs with a third slab superimposed.The entrance is at the east side...
that starts from the A867 about five miles southwest of Lochmaddy
Lochmaddy
Lochmaddy is the administrative centre of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland...
; Barpa Langass is a 0.75-mile walk up Ben Langass from Pobull Fhìnn. The jagged shapes of the stones silhouetted against Loch Langass, Loch Eport, and Eaval make Pobull Fhinn one of the most visited and most photographed sites on North Uist.