A clachan (Irish: clochán in Irish pronounced as /ˈkl̪ˠɔxaːnˠ/ or Irish: clachan in Irish pronounced as /ˈkl̪ˠaxənˠ/; Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic: clachan in Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic pronounced as /ˈkʰl̪ˠaxan/; Manx: claghan in Manx pronounced as /ˈkʰlaxan/) is a small settlement or hamlet on the island of Ireland, the Isle of Man and Scotland.[1] Though many were originally kirktowns,[2] [3] today they are often thought of as small villages lacking a church, post office, or other formal building. It is likely that many date to medieval times or earlier – a cluster of small single-storey cottages of farmers and/or fishermen, invariably found on poorer land. They were often related to the rundale system of farming.
According to David Lloyd, the Great Famine in Ireland (1845–49) caused such disruption to the social system that the clachans there virtually disappeared;[4] many in the Scottish Highlands were victims of the Clearances. In some cases, they have evolved into holiday villages, or one or two houses have taken over, turning smaller houses into agricultural outhouses. Remains can be seen in many upland and coastal areas. Some are clustered in a dip in the landscape, to protect from Atlantic winds, but others stretch haphazardly along main roads.
The word is composed of two elements, clach/cloch meaning "stone" and the masculine diminutive suffix -an/-án. It originally denoted one of two things:
This should not be confused with the Scottish Gaelic plural of clach which is clachan "stones", a homonym.
In the meaning of "causeway", the most prominent example in Irish is the Giant's Causeway, known in Irish as Clochán an Aifir or Clochán na bhFomhórach.
In Scotland, clachans can be found in Argyll and Bute, Highland Perthshire and in the Highland Council region but also elsewhere, for example: