| Tobermory | |
| Scottish Gaelic: Tobar Mhoire [1] | |
The colourful houses and buildings which line the harbour in Tobermory |
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Tobermory
Tobermory shown within Argyll and Bute |
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| Population | 700 (approx.) |
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| OS grid reference | NM504551 |
| Council area | Argyll and Bute |
| Lieutenancy area | Argyll and Bute |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ISLE OF MULL |
| Postcode district | PA75 |
| Dialling code | 01688 |
| Police | Strathclyde |
| Fire | Strathclyde |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Argyll and Bute |
| Scottish Parliament | Argyll and Bute |
| List of places: UK • Scotland • | |
Tobermory (Scottish Gaelic: Tobar Mhoire) is the capital of, and the only burgh on, the Isle of Mull in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It is located in the northeastern part of the island, near the northern entrance of the Sound of Mull. With a current population of approximately 700, the town was founded as a fishing port in 1788, its layout based on the designs of Dumfriesshire engineer Thomas Telford.
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The name Tobermory is derived from the Gaelic Tobar Mhoire, meaning "Mary's well".[2][3] The name refers to a well located nearby which was dedicated in ancient times to the Virgin Mary.[4]
Legend has it that the wreck of a Spanish galleon, laden with gold, lies somewhere in the mud at the bottom of Tobermory Bay - although the ship's true identity, and cargo, are in dispute. By some accounts, the Florencia (or Florida, or San Francisco), a member of the defeated Spanish Armada fleeing the English fleet in 1588, anchored in Tobermory to take on provisions. Following a dispute over payment (or possibly, according to local folklore, a spell cast by the witch Dòideag), the ship caught fire and the gunpowder magazine exploded, sinking the vessel. In her hold, reputedly, was £300,000 in gold bullion.[5] Other sources claim the vessel was the San Juan de Sicilia (or San Juan de Baptista), which, records indicate, carried troops, not treasure.[6][7][8] Whatever the true story, no significant treasure has ever been recovered in Tobermory Bay.[9]
During World War II, Tobermory was home to Royal Navy training base HMS Western Isles under the command of the legendary Vice-Admiral Sir Gilbert Stephenson. The so-called Terror of Tobermory's biography was written by broadcaster Richard Baker, who trained under him.[10][11]
Many of the buildings on Main Street, predominantly shops and restaurants, are painted in assorted bright colours, making it a popular location for television programmes, such as children's show Balamory. The burgh boasts the Mull Museum, the Tobermory Scotch whisky distillery, the Isle of Mull Brewery, and An Tobar, an arts centre, while the Clock Tower on the harbour wall is a noted landmark.
71% of Tobermory residents were born in Scotland, 23% in England and 6% foreigners.[12]
Tobermorite, a calcium silicate hydrate found near Tobermory in 1880 was named after the town.[13]
Tobermory's many famous sons and daughters include Duncan MacGilp and Janet MacDonald, both past Gold Medal winners at Scotland's Royal National Mod. Three generations of the town's MacIntyre family have achieved eminence: Colin MacIntyre is a singer songwriter best known for his now-defunct band Mull Historical Society. Colin's brother is BBC Scotland Sport's Kenny MacIntyre, his late father, also called Kenny, was BBC Scotland Political Correspondent while his grandfather was the so-called Bard of Mull, poet Angus MacIntyre. The late accordionist Bobby McLeod lived in the town from his birth in 1925 until his death in 1991, and owned the Mishnish Hotel, which is still in the family.
Another Tobermory native was Donald McLean (1805-1864), who emigrated to Canada before he was twenty and became a fur trader and explorer for the Hudson's Bay Company in the New Caledonia and Columbia Department fur districts, rising to the position of Chief Trader at Thompson's River Post (Fort Kamloops) in the then-Colony of British Columbia. He was the last casualty of the Chilcotin War of 1864; his halfbreed sons were known as the Wild McLean Boys and were tried and hanged for murder.[14]
The visit of the composer Felix Mendelssohn in 1829, en route to Staffa, is commemorated in the annual Mendelssohn on Mull Festival in early July.[15] Other highlights of the town's calendar include an annual Traditional Music Festival held on the last weekend in April, the local Mòd, which takes place on the second Saturday in September and has established itself as one of the best local Mòds on the circuit, the Mull Fiddler's Rally also in September, and the traditional Mull Highland Games held every summer.
The fictional town of Torbay in Alistair MacLean's novel When Eight Bells Toll was based on Tobermory, and much of the 1971 movie was filmed in the town and other parts of Mull. The writer Saki gave the name to a talking cat in one of his most famous short stories and two well-loved children's TV series have made use of the town's name. Elisabeth Beresford called one of the Wombles Tobermory and, more recently, the town played host to its almost-namesake Balamory for 3 years (2002-2005). Other films made in the area include the 1945 Powell and Pressburger classic I Know Where I'm Going!.
In the children's animated feature, Nocturna, the Cat Shepherd's faithful cat is called Tobermory.
The CBeebies BBC Television series Balamory was filmed in the town between 2002 and 2005 (254 episodes).
Ferries sail between Tobermory and the mainland to Kilchoan on the peninsula of Ardnamurchan. In addition a summer seaplane service, operated by Loch Lomond Seaplanes from Tobermory to Glasgow city centre's Seaplane Terminal has operated since 2008.
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