Taransay
| Taransay | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Waters | Atlantic Ocean |
| Archipelago | Outer Hebrides |
| Geographical location | 57 ° 53 '56 " N , 7 ° 2' 11" W |
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| length | 6.5 km |
| width | 4.8 km |
| surface | 14.8 km² |
| Highest elevation | Ben Raah 267 m |
| Residents | uninhabited |
| main place | Paible (historical) |
Taransay ( Scottish Gaelic Tarasaigh , , Old Norse Taransöy , German: "Taran's Island", probably after an Irish saint) is an island of about Scotland belonging Outer Hebrides .
geography
Taransay is about three kilometers west of Harris , the southern part of the twin island of Lewis and Harris . The island lies in front of the entrance to West Loch Tarbert Bay and is separated from Harris by the Sound of Taransay . Their area is 14.8 km². The island is around 6.5 kilometers long and up to 4.8 kilometers wide. The highest point is the Ben Raah (Scottish Gaelic Beinn Ra ) at 267 meters above sea level . Taransay is the largest Scottish island that is not permanently inhabited.
Taransay resembles a double island , but the southwestern peninsula Àird Vanish ( Àird Mhànais ) with the 99 meter high Bualabhal has less than a third of the area of the north-eastern main part. The two parts of the island consist of hills covered with heather , which are connected in the middle of the island by the sandy, flat tombolo - Isthmus Tràigh a Siar . The menhir Clach An Teampuill is located near the isthmus . The coast is formed by a sandy beach and Machair dunes. The rock is mainly gneiss and granite .
The island is administered by the Western Isles Council .
history
The island was inhabited from at least 300 AD. Christianity was introduced to the island around 650. In 900 Taransay was conquered by Vikings . In 1544 the "Taransay Massacre" took place by the Morrisons from the Isle of Lewis . Residents of the island of Berneray then took action against the Morrisons and executed them on a rock on Taransay. This rock was later called Sgeir Bhuailte (English Smitten Rock , German about "Rock of Visitation").
In the past Taransay belonged to the county of Inverness-shire .
On Taransay there were three villages Raa, Uidh and Paible ( Paibeil ), all on the main part of the island. Raa (Raah) was in the southeast, Uidh in the southwest near the isthmus, and Paible in the south. Rent increases in 1835 drove many residents off the island. In 1883 the possibilities to operate agriculture were further restricted by cultivation bans, so that more people left Taransay. In 1942 the island was completely depopulated, but was later repopulated. In 1961 there was only one family of five left in the village of Paible. She left the island in 1974, so that it was again uninhabited.
There were two churches in Paible. Men were buried in one and women in the other. The remains of Saint Keith's Chapel are still visible while Saint Taran's Chapel was destroyed by coastal erosion in the 1970s.
The British television series Castaway 2000 (German roughly: "Exposed 2000") was filmed on Taransay in the title year. From January 1, 2000, 36 people lived in isolation on the island. They had access to electricity and drinking water. As planned, 29 of them stayed on the island until the end of the year. The series was broadcast in numerous countries and was considered a "social experiment". Since then, tourists have been able to visit the island and live there. Every year since 2001, musicians who play the fiddle have met at the Taransay Fiddle Camp on Taransay .
Flora and fauna
The variety of species of plants is considerable. In addition to numerous species of birds, there are red deer and mice on Taransay. Between 2003 and 2004, American mink were hunted and endangered the populations of the ground-breeder .
Others
- The film The Rocket Post , which depicts the establishment of a rocket post on the fictional island of Scarp , was shot on Taransay in 2001, but was not released until 2006.
literature
- Bill Lawson: The Isle of Taransay: A Harris island in its historical setting . Bill Lawson Publications, 1997, ISBN 1-872598-27-7
Web links
- Information and photos of Taransay (English)
- Photos by Taransay
- The dun in the "Loch an Duin" on Taransay
Individual evidence
- ↑ Article on Fiddle Camp (English), accessed on February 25, 2010
- ^ The Rocket Post (2001 ), accessed February 26, 2010