The Inner Hebrides is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which experience a mild oceanic climate. The Inner Hebrides comprise 35 inhabited islands as well as 44 uninhabited islands with an area greater than . Skye, Mull, and Islay are the three largest, and also have the highest populations. The main commercial activities are tourism, crofting, fishing and whisky distilling. In modern times the Inner Hebrides have formed part of two separate local government jurisdictions, one to the north and the other to the south. Together, the islands have an area of about , and had a population of 18,948 in 2011. The population density is therefore about .
There are various important prehistoric structures, many of which pre-date the first written references to the islands by Roman and Greek authors. In the historic period the earliest known settlers were Picts to the north and Gaels in the southern kingdom of Dál Riada prior to the islands becoming part of the Suðreyjar kingdom of the Norse, who ruled for over 400 years until sovereignty was transferred to Scotland by the Treaty of Perth in 1266. Control of the islands was then held by various clan chiefs, principally the MacLeans, MacLeods and MacDonalds. The Highland Clearances of the 19th century had a devastating effect on many communities and it is only in recent years that population levels have ceased to decline.
Sea transport is crucial and a variety of ferry services operate to mainland Scotland and between the islands. The Gaelic language remains strong in some areas; the landscapes have inspired a variety of artists; and there is a diversity of wildlife.
Geography
The islands form a disparate archipelago. The largest islands are, from south to north, Islay, Jura, Mull, Rùm and Skye. Skye is the largest and most populous of all with an area of and a population of just over 10,000.Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 502–5Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 173
The southern group are in Argyll, an area roughly corresponding with the heartlands of the ancient kingdom of Dál Riata and incorporated into the modern unitary council area of Argyll and Bute. The northern islands were part of the county of Inverness-shire and are now in the Highland Council area.
Physical
The ten largest islands are as follows. IslandGaelic nameArea (ha)Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 30, 79, 130, 148 and 182 except estimates from Ordnance Survey maps as indicated.Population (2022)Highest pointHaswell-Smith (2004) and Ordnance Survey maps.Height (m)Ordnance Survey maps.Gaelic Speakers (2011) Coll Colla Ben Hogh Colonsay Colbhasa Carnan Eoin 20.2% (15) Eigg Eige An Sgurr Islay Beinn Bheigeir 19% (613) Jura Diùra Beinn an Òir Lismore Lios Mor Barr Mòr 26.9% (50) Mull Muile Ben More Raasay Ratharsair Dùn Caan 30.4% (48) Rùm Rùm Askival Skye An t-Eilean Sgitheanachor Eilean a' Cheò Sgurr Alasdair 29.4% (2,942) Tiree Tiriodh Ben Hynish 38.3% (250)
The geology and geomorphology of the islands is varied. Some, such as Skye and Mull, are mountainous, whilst others like Tiree are relatively low-lying. The highest mountains are the Cuillins of Skye, although peaks over are common elsewhere. Much of the coastline is machair, a fertile low-lying dune pastureland.McKirdy et al. (2007) p. 224 Many of the islands are swept by strong tides, and the Corryvreckan tide race between Scarba and Jura is one of the largest whirlpools in the world.The Corryvreckan is regularly cited as the third largest whirlpool of the world – see for example "Corryvreckan Whirlpool " Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 19 September 2009. Some sources suggest it is the second largest after the Moskstraumen.
There are various smaller archipelagoes including the Ascrib Islands, Crowlin Islands, Slate Islands, Small Isles, Summer Isles and Treshnish Islands.
The islands are shown to be important as a region of tidal mixing of coastal water.D. J. Ellett and A. Edwards, Oceanography and inshore hydrography of the Inner Hebrides, Cambridge University Press, 26 July 2012, link.
Human
The inhabited islands of the Inner Hebrides had a population of 18,257 at the 2001 census, and this grew to 18,948 in 2011. During the same period Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702."Scotland's 2011 census: Island living on the rise". BBC News. Retrieved 18 August 2013. There are a further 44 uninhabited Inner Hebrides with an area greater than . Records for the last date of settlement for the smaller islands are incomplete, but most of them were inhabited at some point during the Neolithic, Iron Age, Early Historic or Norse periods. In common with the other main island chains of Scotland, many of the smaller and more remote islands were abandoned during the 19th and 20th centuries, in some cases after continuous habitation since prehistoric times. These islands had been perceived as relatively self-sufficient agricultural economies,See for example Hunter (2000) pp. 152–158 but a view developed among both islanders and outsiders that the more remote islands lacked the essential services of a modern industrial economy.See for example Maclean (1977) Chapter 10: "Arcady Despoiled" pp. 125–35 However, the populations of the larger islands grew overall by more than 12% from 1981 to 2001.
The main commercial activities are tourism, crofting, fishing and whisky distilling (centred on Islay but also including Talisker in Skye, Isle of Jura Single Malt and Tobermory and Ledaig in Mull). Overall, the area is relatively reliant on primary industries and the public sector; there is a dependence on self-employment and micro-business, and most parts are defined by Highlands and Islands Enterprise as economically "Fragile Areas". However, the islands are well placed to exploit renewable energy, particularly onshore and offshore wind; and the Sleat peninsula of Skye is an example of a more economically robust area."Argyll and the Islands – economic profile". HIE. Retrieved 28 December 2010."Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross – economic profile'. HIE. Retrieved 28 December 2010."Growing fragile communities". HIE. Retrieved 28 December 2010. Some of the islands have development trusts that support the local economy."Directory of Members" DTA Scotland. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
Climate The influence of the Atlantic Ocean and the North Atlantic Current creates a mild oceanic climate. Temperatures are generally cool, averaging 6.5 °C (44 °F) in January and 15.4 °C (60 °F) in July at Duntulm on the Trotternish peninsula of Skye.See also "Weather Data for Staffin Isle of Skye" . carbostweather.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2008. Snow seldom lies at sea level and frosts are fewer than on the mainland. Winds are a limiting factor for vegetation: a speed of 128 km/h (80 mph) has been recorded; south-westerlies are the most common. Rainfall is generally high at between per annum, and the mountains and hills are wetter still.Murray (1966) p. 147."Regional mapped averages". Met Office. Retrieved 28 December 2010. Tiree is one of the sunniest places in the country and had 300 days of sunshine in 1975. Trotternish typically has 200 hours of bright sunshine in May, the sunniest month.Murray (1973) p. 79.For Islay data see "Islay weather and climate" http://www.islayinfo.com. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
Prehistory
The Hebrides were originally settled in the Mesolithic era and have a diversity of prehistoric sites. A flint arrowhead found in a field near Bridgend, Islay has been dated to 10,800 BC. This find may indicate the presence of a summer hunting party rather than permanent settlement.Moffat (2005) p. 42 Burnt hazelnut shells and microscopic charcoal found at Farm Fields, Kinloch on Rùm indicate a settlement of some kind and this is amongst the oldest evidence of occupation in Scotland.Edwards, Kevin J. and Whittington, Graeme "Vegetation Change" in Edwards & Ralston (2003) p. 70Occupation at this site is dated to 8590+/-95 uncorrected radiocarbon years BP. Edwards, Kevin J., and Mithen, Steven (Feb. 1995) "The Colonization of the Hebridean Islands of Western Scotland: Evidence from the Palynological and Archaeological Records," World Archaeology. 26. No. 3 p. 348. Retrieved 20 April 2008.Finlayson, Bill and Edwards, Kevin J. "The Mesolithic" in Edwards & Ralston (2003) p. 115
Evidence of large-scale Mesolithic nut processing, radiocarbon dated to circa 7000 BC, has been found in a midden pit at Staosnaig on Colonsay. The dig discovered the remains of hundreds of thousands of burned hazelnut shells"Mesolithic food industry on Colonsay" (June 1995) British Archaeology. No. 5. Retrieved 25 May 2008.Moffat (2005) pp. 91–2 and gives an insight into communal activity and forward planning in the period. The nuts were harvested in a single year and pollen analysis suggests that the hazel trees were all cut down at the same time. The scale of the activity, unparalleled elsewhere in Scotland, and the lack of large game on the island, suggests the possibility that Colonsay contained a community with a largely vegetarian diet for the time they spent on the island.
Three stone hearths and traces of red ochre found on Jura and dated to 6000 BC are the earliest stone-built structures found so far in Scotland.Moffat (2005) pp. 90–91.Mercer, John (1972) "Microlithic and Bronze Age camps, 75–26 ft OD, N Carn, Jura". Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. However, in general the Neolithic sites in the Inner Hebrides lack the scale and drama of those found in Orkney and the Western Isles. There are numerous Iron Age sites including the remains of Dun Ringill fort on Skye, which are similar in layout to that of both a broch and a complex Atlantic roundhouse. RCAHMS. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
Etymology
The earliest extant written reference to these islands appears in Pliny the Elder's Natural History, where he states that there are 30 "Hebudes". Ptolemy, writing about 80 years later, around AD 140–150 and drawing on the earlier naval expedition of Agricola, refers to the Ἐβοῦδαι ("Eboudai") ("Ebudes" or "Ebudae" in Latin translation) of which he writes that there were only five, thus possibly specifically meaning the Inner Hebrides.Breeze, David J. "The ancient geography of Scotland" in Ballin Smith and Banks (2002) pp. 11–13Watson (1926) pp. 40–41 Pliny probably took his information from Pytheas of Massilia who visited Britain sometime between 322 and 285 BC. It is possible that Ptolemy did so also, as Agricola's information about the west coast of Scotland was of poor quality.
Watson (1926) states that the meaning of Ptolemy's "Eboudai" is unknown and that the root may be pre-Celtic.Watson (1926) p. 38 Other early written references include the flight of the Nemed people from Ireland to "Domon and to Erdomon in the north of Alba", which is mentioned in the 12th century Lebor Gabála Érenn. Domon, meaning the "deep sea isle" refers to the Outer Hebrides and Erdomon, meaning "east of, on or near Domon" is thus the Inner Hebrides.
The individual island and place names in the Outer Hebrides have mixed Gaelic and Norse origins.Mac an Tàilleir (2003) various pages.
History
Dál Riata
Although Ptolemy's map identifies various tribes such as the Creones that might conceivably have lived in the Inner Hebrides in the Roman era, the first written records of life begin in the 6th century CE when the founding of the kingdom of Dál Riata is recorded.Nieke, Margaret R. "Secular Society from the Iron Age to Dál Riata and the Kingdom of Scots" in Omand (2006) p. 60 This encompassed roughly what is now Argyll and Bute and Lochaber in Scotland and County Antrim in Ireland.Lynch (2007) pp. 161 162.