Eorsa

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Eorsa
Location
Eorsa (Scotland)
Eorsa
Eorsa
Eorsa shown within Scotland.
OS grid reference: NM481378
Names
Gaelic name:
Meaning of name: uncertain "Jorulof-øy" - Jorulf's island or from "àrsaidh" - ancient
Area and Summit
Area: 122 ha
Area rank (Scottish islands): 137=
Highest elevation: 98 m
Population
Population (2001): 0


Groupings
Island Group: Mull
Local Authority: Argyll and Bute
Scotland
References: [1][2][3]

Eorsa is an uninhabited island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.

Loch na Keal - Eorsa can be seen in the middle of the loch, and Ulva in the background
Loch na Keal - Eorsa can be seen in the middle of the loch, and Ulva in the background

Contents

[edit] Geography

It lies in Loch na Keal on the west coast of the Isle of Mull, to the east of Ulva.

[edit] History

Many of the nearby islands, including Inchkenneth, have early ecclesiastical connections. Eorsa may have done too. It once belonged to the Abbey of Iona, and became the property of the Duke of Argyll.[4]

During World War I, the island was used as a British naval anchorage.[5]

[edit] Cultural references

The island is the fictional setting of Nigel Tranter's 1952 novel Bridal Path, which was made into film of the same name in 1959. As the comic novel takes the perils of island inbreeding as its theme, it is assumed that Tranter deliberately chose an unpopulated island to avoid giving offence.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ 2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland
  2. ^ Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh. Canongate.
  3. ^ Ordnance Survey
  4. ^ Historical perspective for Eorsa. Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
  5. ^ Overview of Eorsa. Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.

Coordinates: 56°28′N, 6°5.3′W

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