Soay

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Disambiguation: There is also an island named Soay in the St Kilda group, with an indigenous breed of sheep: Soay sheep.

Soay is an island just off the south coast of Skye, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.

The main settlement is Mol-chlach. Low-lying, unlike its neighbours Skye and Rùm, the highest point is Beinn Bhreac at 141 m. It is normally reached by boat from Elgol. To the northwest is Soay sound, to the northeast Loch Scavaig, and to the southwest, the Cuillin Sound.

[edit] History

The name derives from Old Norse so-øy meaning "Sheep Island".

The main bay Camas nan Gall, meaning Bay of Foreigners, is probably named after the Norse invaders, after whom the Hebrides (Na h-Innse Gall) are also named.

In 1944, author Gavin Maxwell bought the island and established an unsuccessful factory to process shark oil from basking sharks, which he wrote about in his book Harpoon at a Venture. Unfortunately, this venture led to a serious drop in the numbers of these animals living in the surrounding seas from which they have yet to recover.

Previously mainly Scottish Gaelic-speaking, most of the population was evacuated to Mull on 20th June 1953, since which the island has been almost uninhabited.

[edit] References

The Soay of our Forefathers Laurance Reed ISBN 1-84158-229-8
Map sources for Soay

Islands of the Hebrides
Inner Hebrides
Ascrib Islands \| Canna \| Cara \| Coll \| Colonsay \| Crowlin Islands \| Easdale \| Eigg \| Gigha \| Iona \| Isay \| Islay \| Jura \| Kerrera \| Lismore \| Luing \| Lunga \| Oronsay \| Muck \| Mull \| Raasay \| Rùm \| Seil \| Shuna \| Skye \| Soay \| Staffa \| Summer Isles \| Tiree \| Treshnish Isles
Outer Hebrides
Barra (Isles) \| Benbecula \| Berneray \| Eriskay \| Flannan Isles \| Great Bernera \| Harris and Lewis \| North Uist \| Rockall \| Scalpay \| South Uist \| St Kilda