Pabbay, Barra, Scotland

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Pabbay (Scottish Gaelic: Pabaigh) is one of the Barra Isles at the southern tip of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The name originates from the Old Norse papa øy, meaning priest or hermit island. At only 250ha, it never had a large population, and, after all the able-bodied men were killed in a fierce storm while out on a fishing trip on 1st May, 1897, it was abandoned in the early twentieth century.

The National Trust for Scotland have owned the island since 2000. Pabbay is home to about 100 sheep, and, in summer, many ground-nesting birds.

The island was the site of a Celtic hermitage, and a Pictish carved stone dates from that period. Remains of an Iron Age settlement can also been seen on Pabbay.

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