Struan

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For the fictitious family in the novels of James Clavell, see Struans.

Struan is the anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic word sruthan, meaning a small stream, or the flow at the point where a spring appears.

There are two rural communities in Scotland which are given the name Struan. One is in Perthshire, and the other in Skye. Strowan, also in Perthshire, west of Crieff, has the same origin.

Struan is also a traditional Scottish boys name, commonly given to the chief of the Robertson Clan or Duncan Clan. This comes from the related word sruthan (pl. of sruth 'stream') and can be translated as 'place of streams'.

Struan, Isle of Skye, is a small village situated on the west coast of the island, on the shores of Loch Beag, itself an inlet of Loch Harport. It has a population of around 300. While there are four different Protestant denominations represented in the area, church attendance has declined dramatically, and Sabbath keeping is largely forgotten.

The local economy, like most of Skye, is heavily supported by tourism. Fishing, crofting and to a lesser extent, large-scale farming also contribute. Struan has a small local grocery shop, four churches, a petrol station, an outdoor shop and a primary school. Buried in the old graveyard are the climber, J. Norman Collie and his longtime Skye guide, John Mackenzie of Sconser.

Near the village stands Dùn Beag (Historic Scotland; no entrance charge), one of the best-preserved Iron Age brochs in Scotland, which attracts many tourists (NG 339 387). Scotland's largest family also live in the vicinity of Struan.