Gairsay

Gairsay
Millburn Bay on Gairsay
Waters	Atlantic Ocean
Archipelago	Orkney
Geographical location	59 ° 5 '4 "  N , 2 ° 58' 33"  W Coordinates: 59 ° 5 '4 "  N , 2 ° 58' 33"  W.
length	3.2 km
width	1.6 km
surface	2.4 km²
Highest elevation	Ward of Gairsay 102  m
Residents	3 (2011) 1.3 inhabitants / km²
Farm on Gairsay

Gairsay ( Old Norse : Gáreksey - Garek's Insel) is an island in the Orkney in Scotland . In 2011 three people lived there. It is located in the Wide Firth, north of Mainland and belongs to the county of Rendall .

The island is about 3.2 km long and 1.6 km wide and 240 hectares in size. The highest point is 102 m high. Gairsay with the natural harbor Millburn Bay and the fertile plains has always been one of the most attractive islands in Orkney. The Langskaill pier in the east is said to have been a second landing point for the Vikings . On the island there are two Cairns and at least one Burnt Mound and Langskaill House, a ruined castle from the 17th century.

history

Ward of Gairsay - 102 m

Holm of Boray

In the Viking Age on Orkney , according to the Orkneyinga saga , the island was the home of Olaf Rolfson and Sweyn Asleifsson . He attacked the coasts of England , Scotland or Ireland twice a year with 80 men, who were otherwise farmers, and is said to have fallen in 1171 while trying to conquer Dublin . Sweyn's Castle has long been considered a Viking burial mound, but excavations have not confirmed this. In the 17th century, Sir William Craigie (1867–1957) built a mansion on Langskaill.

The island is surrounded by many islets, rocks, and skerries including Sweyn Holm, Holm of Rendall, Grass Holm, Holm of Boray, Taing Skerry, Boray Skerries, Skertours, and Little Seal Skerry, all of which are breeding grounds for various birds.

Trivia

A Gairsay resident's private postal service issued four postage stamps for the Queen of England's 70th birthday. However, these are stamps that are not listed in the usual catalogs on the subject of stamps and philately. In the published POSTAL SERVICES ACT 2000, the brands were approved for traffic between the archipelagos of the Mainlands. (Quote from the file: Resident (single family) paid £ 6 per week to make two collections of his own mail from the mainland. Lack of transport boats ferries etc ).

literature

• Charles Tait: The Orkney Guide Book. Edition 2.1. C. Tait, Kelton - St. Ola - Orkney 1999, ISBN 0-9517859-0-7 , p. 167.

Web links

Commons : Gairsay  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 2011 census data
2. ↑ Entry on Langskaill House  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
3. ↑ Unicorn's pictures of the stamps ( Memento of the original from February 3, 2010 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.