Religion in the Outer Hebrides
The
The Outer Hebrides are also home to some of Britain's most important pre-Christian religious sites. The most significant is the Callanish Stones on the isle of Lewis, which are notable megalithic sites dating back some 5000 years.[4]
Catholicism in the Outer Hebrides
Current status
The
Civil Parish | Council Area | % Catholic |
---|---|---|
South Uist | Na h-Eileanan Siar | 90 |
Barra | Na h-Eileanan Siar | 81.5 |
Port Glasgow | Inverclyde | 49.8 |
Old Monkland |
City of Glasgow | 46.3 |
Greenock | Inverclyde | 41.0 |
History
From the earliest period to the Reformation
Little is known of the history of Catholicism in the Outer Hebrides prior to the 11th century. Christianity came to the region via the Irish. The Church had been established in Ireland no later than 400. Irish chieftains established the Kingdom of
Supposedly St. Barr (or
Norsemen began raiding the Hebrides in the 790s, with the most famous being the sacking of Iona Abbey and the murder of 68 monks there in 806.[8] Due to repeated attacks, the abbey was abandoned by 825 and all the Hebrides gradually fell under the control of pagan Vikings. For roughly two centuries Celtic Christians were forced to live under pagan rule. It seems that the Church throughout the Hebrides turned again to Ireland as Viking control had cut the region off from the rest of Scotland. The Norse converted, at least nominally, to Christianity in the eleventh century and the southernmost of the Western Isles were placed under the newly created Diocese of Sodor and Man (later the Diocese of the Isles).[citation needed]
The thirteenth century saw both the Church and the state in the Outer Hebrides begin shifting from Norse to Scottish rule. The first bishops from outside the Kingdom of the Isles sat in the bishop's chair of the Diocese of the Isles in the mid-13th century. Following the Treaty of Perth in 1266, all the Western Isles came under the formal rule of the King of Scotland, although real authority was exercised by the chief of the MacDonalds as Lord of the Isles.[citation needed]
The Church in the Hebrides remained part of the Diocese of the Isles until the Reformation. A 16th century description says this diocese was "the most scattered, and also one of the poorest, in the pre-Reformation Church [in] Scotland".[9] Few priests were present to serve the Church here, and those who did serve in the region secured their positions by clan ties rather than by piety, and were more interested in church income than in spreading the faith. On the eve of the Reformation, the Bishop of the Isles sent his relative Fr. Donald Munro to make an inventory of all the prominent parishes of the diocese. This document, Description of the Western Isles of Scotland, was written in 1549, and is the oldest known description of the Outer Hebrides. At the time there was one parish church on Barra and five on the islands of North Uist, Benbecula, and South Uist combined. Vatersay had a chapel.[citation needed]
Religion in Lewis
Religion is important in Lewis, with much of the population belonging to one of five
The Christian Sabbath is generally observed but some shops and licensed premises are open on Sunday. Since 2002, there is a scheduled air service to mainland Scotland and since July 2009 a limited ferry service on Sunday.[citation needed]
Stornoway Sabbath
Stornoway, like the northern (Protestant) Hebrides as a whole, has a tradition of adherence to the Christian Sabbath (Sundays). As Stornoway has most of the island's services, shops and businesses, it undergoes the most visible change on a Sunday and is often seen as a focal point for the issue.[citation needed]
In recent years more transport services have begun operating on a Sunday. The first Sunday air service began in October 2002 and was met by protests from church groups under the banner of the
Ferry travel on Sundays from Lewis and Harris started when Caledonian MacBrayne (Calmac) introduced a Sunday service for the Sound of Harris ferry.[18] The introduction of this service was not directly met with protests, but an opposing petition was signed by a significant majority of the local (South Harris) population[citation needed].
It was announced on 14 July 2009 that Calmac would begin regular Sunday sailings from 19 July 2009.[19] Before this, they would operate additional sailings on Sundays if several previous sailings had been cancelled, to clear the backlog of traffic. Calmac said that they took legal advice that not implementing Sunday sailings would be against human rights law.[19] Objections on religious grounds were raised to Calmac's decision to start Sunday ferries.[20]
There are still marked differences between Sundays on Lewis and Harris and those elsewhere in Britain[
Hotels and restaurants are generally open along with most bars (some with shorter opening periods). A single Stornoway petrol station, Engebret, and its associated shop, is open from 11 am to 4 pm. Another shop is open at Great Bernera. Sunday newspapers are not available, as distributors will not work on Sundays.[citation needed]
Polls
A poll conducted in 2000 showed slightly more than 60% of islanders in favour of having ferry and air travel available on Sundays, though a still larger majority wanted a referendum on such matters – something that has not taken place. The same poll showed a clear majority against the opening of shops on Sunday.[21]
Religion in Harris
Harris has a largely
References
- ^ Wilson, Neil (2013). Lonely Planet Scotland (Seventh ed.). Lonely Planet. p. 406.
- ^ "Psalm singing - Songs - Scotland's Songs". Archived from the original on 2012-04-02.
- ^ Shields, Tom (10 March 1982). "Island the Reformation did not reach". Glasgow Herald: 9. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ "Calanais Standing Stones". Historic Scotland. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ National Records of Scotland, 2011 Census, Table Number KS209SCb
- ^ "Cille Bharra: Western Isles (Barra), Scotland". Saints and Stones. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ Bellesheim, Alphons (1887). History of the Catholic Church of Scotland. William Blackwood and Sons. p. 80.
- )
- ^ Munro, Ed (2009) [1549]. Munro's Western Isles of Scotland and Genealogies of the Clans. Clearfield. p. 13.
- ^ Stornoway Free Church of Scotland and High Free Church, Stornoway
- ^ Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), Stornoway
- ^ Stornoway Associated Presbyterian Church
- ^ Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland - Stornoway Congregation
- ^ Stornoway St Columba's, Stornoway Martin's Memorial and Stornoway High
- ^ Permission Granted in Stornoway
- ^ 60 Years Workshops
- ^ "BBC". BBC News. 27 October 2002. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ "BBC". BBC News. 9 April 2006. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ a b "BBC Scotland News". BBC News. 14 July 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ "Sunday ferry makes first sailing". BBC News. 19 July 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Sunday ferries sail closer" (16 March 2000) BBC. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
- ^ "Hebrides 2002"Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
- ^ Sunday's last stand on Lewis and Harris
- ^ Seenan, Gerard (10 April 2006) "Fury at ferry crossing on Sabbath" The Guardian. Retrieved 3 August 2008.