Ardnamurchan
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Ardnamurchan (
From 1930 to 1975 Ardnamurchan also gave its name to a
Geography
Strictly speaking, Ardnamurchan covers only the peninsula beyond the villages of Salen (in the south) and Acharacle (in the north), but nowadays the term is also used more generally to include the neighbouring districts of Sunart, Ardgour, Morvern, and even Moidart[citation needed] (which was part of the former county of Inverness-shire, not Argyll).
Geology
The north western corner of Ardnamurchan consists of a lopolith (previously interpreted as a ring dyke) that has been exposed at the surface.[1] Evidence for such a structure can be identified from the phenocrysts in the rock exposures around the area of interest which show plagioclase crystals aligned towards the centre of the complex, an alignment caused by magmatic flow within a lopolith. Relatively small areas of lava that were ejected onto the surface are found in some parts of the peninsula, close to the inner edges of the area of interest. The sub-concentric rings of the geologic structure can easily be seen in satellite photographs and on topographic maps, though they are less obvious on the ground. At least seven other similar complexes of the same tectonic episode exist along the west coast of Britain, and these are popular sites for many university geological training courses.
History
Adomnan records in one instance that Columba prophesied to his companions the death of Kings Báetán mac Muirchertaig and Eochaid mac Domnaill before news arrived the same day at a place called 'paradise bay' to tell them the news. In the second instance, which is said to have occurred in an unnamed rocky spot in the interior, the parents of a boy brought their child to Columba to be baptized but no water could be found, and Columba prayed to God and water miraculously came out of a nearby rock and he prophesied that the child would live a sinful life and later be a saint.[2]
In the third instance, which took place at a spot Adomnan called 'Sharp bay', there was a wicked man named Ioan mac Conaill maic Domnaill who was related to the
Donaldson[3] identifies "Buarblaig" (now referred to as Bourblaige, about 5 miles (8 kilometres) east of Kilchoan on the other side of Ben Hiant, grid reference NM546623[4]) with Muribulg, where the Annals of Tigernach record a battle between the Picts and the Dalriads in 731.[3] It may also be the 'Muirbole Paradisi' mentioned by Adomnán.[4] Although its stone foundations still remain, the village of Bourblaige no longer exists, as it was destroyed in the Highland Clearances in the early 19th century.[5]
According to early twentieth-century tradition in Ardnamurchan, two battles were fought in the bays between Gortenfern (
In 2011, a
Settlements
The population of the whole peninsula is around 2,000. Historically part of the former
Villages in Ardnamurchan:
- Acharacle (Àth Tharracail)
- Achnaha (Achadh na h-Àtha)
- Glenborrodale (Gleann Bhorghdail)
- Kilchoan (Cille Chòmhghain)
- Kilmory (Cill Mhóire)
- Laga (Làga)
- Ockle (Ocal)
- Portuairk (Port Uairce)
- Salen (An t-Sàilean)
- Sanna (Sanna)
Scottish Gaelic
Ardnamurchan has one of the highest concentrations of Scottish Gaelic speakers on the mainland, with 19.3% of the local population able to speak the language. The peninsula is also home to an annual Mòd, an eisteddfod-like festival and series of contests celebrating the Gaelic language, its culture, music, and literature.[9]
Ardnamurchan has also been the home to a number of important figures in Scottish Gaelic literature.
Prior to his involvement in the
Dr
Economy
Culture
The peninsula has its own shinty team, Ardnamurchan Camanachd.
Fauna and scenery
Rare species such as the
]Ardnamurchan is wild and unspoiled. Ardnamurchan Point, adjacent to the most westerly point on the British mainland, has a lighthouse and a view from a sheer rock face of the open Atlantic Ocean. The northern part of Ardnamurchan forms part of the Morar, Moidart and Ardnamurchan National Scenic Area,[13] one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure their protection by restricting certain forms of development.[14]
Famous people
- The FRSE(1927–98) bought a house there after surveying the area in the 1950s.
- The button box accordion player, Fergie MacDonald, is from the area.
- The preacher J. Douglas MacMillan came from Ardnamurchan.
- The cameraman, CBeebies presenter and Strictly contestant Hamza Yassin has lived in the area for 12 years[15]
See also
Notes and references
- ^ B. O'Driscoll, V.R. Troll, R.J. Reavy and P. Turner; 2005, The Great Eucrite intrusion of Ardnamurchan, Scotland: Reevaluating the ring-dike concept, Geology, v. 34 no. 3 p. 189-192
- ^ a b Adomnan of Iona. Life of St Columba. (trans. by Richard Sharpe) Penguin books, 1995
- ^ OCLC 858596051.
- ^ a b "Site Record for Ardnamurchan, Bourblaige". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ "Ardnamurchan, Bourblaige". ScotlandsPlaces. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
- S2CID 251800892. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2018 – via Archaeology Data Service.
- ^ "Site Record for Ardnamurchan, Gortenfern, Sgeir A' Chaolais; Gorten Bay". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2009. The bays of Cul na Croise and Camas an Lighe are in grid reference NM6269.
- ^ "Ardnamurchan Viking boat burial discovery 'a first'". BBC News Highlands & Islands. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ Ardnamurchan Mòd Remembers Stalwart Archived 27 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine by Neil Bo Finlayson, The Oban Times, 21 June 2018.
- ISBN 9780859766203. Archivedfrom the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
- ^ An Dotair MacLachlainn. "Somhairle MacGill-Eain Air-loidhne". www.sorleymaclean.org. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
- ISBN 978-1-78027-401-0.
- ^ "National Scenic Areas - Maps". SNH. 20 December 2010. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ^ "National Scenic Areas". Scottish Natural Heritage. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ^ "'I'd rather face a polar bear than step on the dancefloor': Strictly's Hamza Yassin on salsa, Scotland and singledom". the Guardian. 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.