Castlebay
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Castlebay Scottish Gaelic Bàgh a 'Chaisteil |
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| Coordinates | 56 ° 57 ′ N , 7 ° 29 ′ W | ||
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| Post town | ISLE OF BARRA | ||
| ZIP code section | HS9 | ||
| prefix | 01871 | ||
| Part of the country | Scotland | ||
| Council area | Outer Hebrides | ||
| British Parliament | Na h-Eileanan to Iar | ||
| Scottish Parliament | Na h-Eileanan to Iar | ||
The village of Castlebay ( Gaelic : Bàgh a 'Chaisteil ) is the capital of the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland . It is located on the south coast of the island and overlooks a bay as well as nearby islands such as Vatersay .
Churches
The Catholic Church of Castlebay, The Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea, was built in 1886 on a hill above the town center. Like the priest's house a little downhill, it was designed by an architect from Oban , G. Woulfe Brenan. The north pediment of the church features a stained glass window depicting the Crucifixion , while the south pediment depicts Our Lady, Star of the Sea (i.e. St. Mary ). The church was renovated by the beginning of 2007.
traffic
The city is home to one of the island's major transport hubs - the main ferry pier. In the late 19th century, steam-powered ferries were already running the route between Castlebay and Oban, although the conditions were notorious. In the 1980s a roll-on-roll-off ferry terminal was built, allowing much larger ferries to call at Barra. Between 1989 and 1998 the MV Lord of the Isles operated daily between Oban, Castlebay and Lochboisdale on South Uist , sometimes with a stopover on the Isle of Mull . In 1998 it was replaced by the MV Clansman .
The island ring road, the A888, connects Castlebay with the rest of the island.
education
The Castlebay Community School (Gaelic: Sgoil Bhàgh a 'Chaisteil ) is located in the west of Castlebay. It is the only school on Barra that offers secondary education. Since 2007 the school has also been responsible for the English and Gaelic preschool in Castlebay, which means that it has offers for school children of all ages. In September 2007, a report severely criticized the relationships between secondary school employees and management, but praised primary school work.
Infrastructure
Castlebay is home to most of the island's shops. The main street, with the ferry terminal and the ring road, forms a square with several grocery stores and tourist buildings. In the west of the city there is a larger supermarket (The co-operative). There are also several hotels and a tourism information center. Castlebay is also the location of the RNLI Lifeboat Barra.
Kisimul Castle
Kisimul Castle is about a hundred meters from the ferry terminal in the center of the bay on which Castlebay is located. It is the ancestral home of Clan MacNeil , but is currently leased to Historic Scotland for a thousand years.
The earliest written record dates from the mid-16th century. Kisimul is located on a rocky island off the coast of Barra. It is surrounded by the sea and can only be reached by boat (every half an hour). A stone dam is only exposed at low tide. Kisimul has its own fresh water source.
Whiskey Galore!
.JPG)
In 1949, director Alexander "Sandy" Mackendrick shot the comedy Rejoice of Life (Original English title Whiskey Galore! ) On Barra and especially in Castlebay, which depicts a true story from 1941 on the nearby island of Eriskay . The novel was based on Compton Mackenzie , who lived on Barra for a few years.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Information from the Scottish Parliament
- ^ Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea Feature Page on Undiscovered Scotland. Undiscovered Scotland, accessed March 2, 2008 .
- ↑ "Sgoil Bhàgh a 'Chaisteil" ( Memento of the original from October 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Castlebay Community School. Accessed March 2, 2008.
- ^ Castlebay Community School (2008) (pdf; 67 kB) HM Inspectorate of Education. Accessed September 11, 2008.
- ^ "Castlebay (Bagh a Chaisteil)" Undiscovered Scotland. Accessed March 2, 2008.
