Eilean Ruairidh Mòr Explained

Location Map:Scotland Ross and Cromarty
Coordinates:57.7°N -5.53°W
Gridreference:NG897733
Celtic Name:Eilean Ruairidh Mòr
Meaning Of Name:Island of Big Rory/Roderick
Area:38 ha[1]
Area Rank:(Freshwater: 10)
Highest Elevation:51 m
Population:0
Island Group:Loch Maree
Local Authority:Highland
References:[2]

Eilean Ruairidh Mòr is a forested island in Loch Maree, Wester Ross, Scotland. Its name was formerly anglicised as "Ellan-Rorymore".[3]

The island is owned by Forestry and Land Scotland, as is the Slattadale Forest on the southern shore of Loch Maree.[4] The islands in Loch Maree are among the least disturbed in Britain and are managed as a national nature reserve.[5]

History

Eilean Ruairidh Mòr was planted with pines in about 1815. There are remains of a subterranean circular structure,[3] similar to a Scandinavian dùn or burgh. The ancestors of the Mackenzies of Gairloch held it as a place of security from the attacks of the Macleods.[6]

Footnotes

57.7008°N -36.75°W

Notes and References

  1. http://www.argyll-yachtcharters.co.uk/Scottish%20Islands.pdf Rick Livingstone’s Tables of the Islands of Scotland
  2. 2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland
  3. Wilson, Rev. John The Gazetteer of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1882) Published by W. & A.K. Johnstone
  4. [Ordnance Survey]
  5. Web site: Loch Maree Islands National Nature Reserve. NatureScot. 8 September 2020.
  6. Web site: Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland. Electric Scotland. 15 December 2007.