Hebrides

The Hebrides are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebrides.
These islands have a long history of occupation, and the culture of the inhabitants has been successively influenced by the cultures of Celtic-speaking, Norse-speaking, and English-speaking peoples. This diversity is reflected in the various names given to the islands, which are derived from the different languages that have been spoken there at various points in their history.
The Hebrides are where much of Scottish Gaelic literature and Gaelic music has historically originated. Today, the economy of the islands is dependent on crofting, fishing, tourism, the oil industry, and renewable energy. The Hebrides have less biodiversity than mainland Scotland, but a significant number of seals and seabirds.
The islands have a combined area of, and, as of 2011, a combined population of around 45,000.

Geology, geography and climate

The Hebrides have a diverse geology, ranging in age from Precambrian strata that are amongst the oldest rocks in Europe, to Paleogene igneous intrusions. Raised shore platforms in the Hebrides have been identified as strandflats, possibly formed during the Pliocene period and later modified by the Quaternary glaciations.
The Hebrides can be divided into two main groups, separated from one another by the Minch to the north and the Sea of the Hebrides to the south. The Inner Hebrides lie closer to mainland Scotland and include Islay, Jura, Skye, Mull, Raasay, Staffa and the Small Isles. There are 36 inhabited islands in this group. The Outer Hebrides form a chain of more than 100 islands and small skerries located about west of mainland Scotland. Among them, 15 are inhabited. The main inhabited islands include Lewis and Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, and Barra.
A complication is that there are various descriptions of the scope of the Hebrides. The Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland describes the Inner Hebrides as lying "east of the Minch". This definition would encompass all offshore islands, including those that lie in the sea lochs, such as Eilean Bàn, Lochalsh and Eilean Donan, which might not ordinarily be described as "Hebridean". However, no formal definition exists.
In the past, the Outer Hebrides were often referred to as the Long Isle. Today, they are also sometimes known as the Western Isles, although this phrase can also be used to refer to the Hebrides in general.
The Hebrides have a cool, temperate climate that is remarkably mild and steady for such a northerly latitude, due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. In the Outer Hebrides, the average temperature is 6 °C in January and 14 °C in the summer. The average annual rainfall in Lewis is, and there are between 1,100 and 1,200 hours of sunshine per annum. The summer days are relatively long, and May through August is the driest period.

Etymology

The earliest surviving written references to the islands were made circa 77 AD by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History: He states that there are 30 Hebudes, and makes a separate reference to Dumna, which Watson concluded refers unequivocally to the Outer Hebrides. About 80 years after Pliny the Elder, in 140–150 AD, Ptolemy writes that there are five Ebudes and Dumna. Later texts in classical Latin, by writers such as Gaius Julius Solinus, use the forms Hebudes and Hæbudes.
The name Ebudes may be pre-Celtic. Ptolemy calls Islay "Epidion", and the use of the letter "p" suggests a Brythonic or Pictish tribal name, Epidii, because the root is not Gaelic. Woolf has suggested that Ebudes may be "an Irish attempt to reproduce the word Epidii phonetically, rather than by translating it", and that the tribe's name may come from the root epos, meaning "horse". Watson also notes a possible relationship between Ebudes and the ancient Irish Ulaid tribal name Ibdaig, and also the personal name of a king Iubdán.
File:Loch Aineort - geograph.org.uk - 518727.jpg|thumb|South Uist is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides.
The names of other individual islands reflect their complex linguistic history. The majority are Norse or Gaelic, but the roots of several other names for Hebrides islands may have a pre-Celtic origin. Adomnán, a 7th-century abbot of Iona, records Colonsay as Colosus and Tiree as Ethica, and both of these may be pre-Celtic names. The etymology of Skye is complex and may also include a pre-Celtic root. Lewis is Ljoðhús in Old Norse. Various suggestions have been made as to possible meanings of the name in Norse, but the name is not of Gaelic origin, and the Norse provenance is questionable.
The earliest comprehensive written list of Hebridean island names was compiled by Donald Monro in 1549. This list also provides the earliest written reference to the names of some of the islands.
The derivations of all the inhabited islands of the Hebrides and some of the larger uninhabited ones are listed below.

Outer Hebrides

is the largest island in Scotland and the third largest of the British Isles, after Great Britain and Ireland. It incorporates Lewis in the north and Harris in the south, both of which are frequently referred to as individual islands, although they are joined by a land border. The island does not have a single common name in either English or Gaelic and is referred to as "Lewis and Harris", "Lewis with Harris", "Harris with Lewis" etc. For this reason it is treated as two separate islands below. The derivation of Lewis may be pre-Celtic and the origin of Harris is no less problematic. In the Ravenna Cosmography, Erimon may refer to Harris. This word may derive from the is similarly unclear.

Island	Derivation	Language	Meaning	Munro	Modern Gaelic name	Alternative Derivations	-
Baleshare	Am Baile Sear	Gaelic	east town		Baile Sear		-
Barra	Barrey	Gaelic + Norse	Finbar's island	Barray	Barraigh	Old Gaelic barr, a summit.	-
Benbecula	Peighinn nam Fadhla	Gaelic	pennyland of the fords		Beinn nam Fadhla	"little mountain of the ford" or "herdsman's mountain"	-
Berneray	Bjarnarey	Norse	Bjorn's island		Beàrnaraigh	bear island	-
Eriskay	Uruisg + ey	Gaelic + Norse	goblin or water nymph island	Eriskeray	Èirisgeigh	Erik's island	-
Flodaigh		Norse	float island		Flodaigh
Great Bernera	Bjarnarey	Norse	Bjorn's island	Berneray-Moir	Beàrnaraigh Mòr	bear island	-
Grimsay	Grímsey	Norse	Grim's island		Griomasaigh		-
Grimsay	Grímsey	Norse	Grim's island		Griomasaigh		-
Harris	Erimon?	Ancient Greek?	desert?	Harrey	na Hearadh	Ptolemy's Adru. In Old Norse, a Herred is a type of administrative district. Alternatives are the Norse haerri, meaning "hills" and Gaelic na h-airdibh meaning "the heights".	-
Lewis	Limnu	Pre-Celtic?	marshy	Lewis	Leòdhas	Ptolemy's Limnu is literally "marshy". The Norse Ljoðhús may mean "song house" – see above.	-
North Uist		English + Pre-Celtic?		Ywst	Uibhist a Tuath	"Uist" may possibly be "corn island" or "west"	-
Scalpay	Skalprey	Norse	scallop island	Scalpay of Harray	Sgalpaigh na Hearadh	-	-
Seana Bhaile		Gaelic	old township		Seana Bhaile		-
South Uist		English + Pre-Celtic?			Uibhist a Deas	See North Uist	-
Vatersay	Vatrsey?	Norse	water island	Wattersay	Bhatarsaigh	fathers' island, priest island, glove island, wavy island	-

Inner Hebrides

There are various examples of earlier names for Inner Hebridean islands that were Gaelic, but these names have since been completely replaced. For example, Adomnán records Sainea, Elena, Ommon and Oideacha in the Inner Hebrides. These names presumably passed out of usage in the Norse era, and the locations of the islands they refer to are not clear. As an example of the complexity: Rona may originally have had a Celtic name, then later a similar-sounding Norse name, and then still later a name that was essentially Gaelic again, but with a Norse "øy" or "ey" ending.

Island	Derivation	Language	Meaning	Munro	Modern Gaelic name	Alternative Derivations
Canna	Cana	Gaelic	porpoise island	Kannay	Eilean Chanaigh	possibly Old Gaelic cana, "wolf-whelp", or Norse kneøy, "knee island"
Coll	Colosus	Pre-Celtic			Colla	possibly Gaelic coll – a hazel
Colonsay	Kolbein's + ey	Norse	Kolbein's island	Colnansay	Colbhasa	possibly Norse for "Columba's island"
Danna	Daney	Norse	Dane island		Danna	Unknown
Easdale				Eisdcalfe	Eilean Èisdeal	Eas is "waterfall" in Gaelic and dale is the Norse for "valley". However the combination seems inappropriate for this small island. Also known as Ellenabeich – "island of the birches"
Eigg	Eag	Gaelic	a notch	Egga	Eige	Also called Eilean Nimban More – "island of the powerful women" until the 16th century.
Eilean Bàn, Lochalsh		Gaelic	white isle	Naban	Eilean Bàn
Eilean dà Mhèinn		Gaelic
Eilean Donan		Gaelic	island of Donnán of Eigg		Eilean Donnain
Eilean Shona		Gaelic + Norse	sea island		Eilean Seòna	Adomnán records the pre-Norse Gaelic name of Airthrago – the foreshore isle".
Eilean Tioram		Gaelic	dry island
Eriska	Erik's + ey	Norse	Erik's island
Erraid	Arthràigh?	Gaelic	foreshore island	Erray	Eilean Earraid
Gigha	Guðey	Norse	"good island" or "God island"	Gigay	Giogha	Various including the Norse Gjáey – "island of the geo" or "cleft", or "Gydha's isle".
Gometra	Goðrmaðrey	Norse	"The good-man's island", or "God-man's island"		Gòmastra	"Godmund's island".
Iona	Hí	Gaelic	Possibly "yew-place"	Colmkill		Numerous. Adomnán uses Ioua insula which became "Iona" through misreading.
Islay		Pre-Celtic		Ila		Various – see above
Isle of Ewe	Eo	English + Gaelic	isle of yew	Ellan Ew		possibly Gaelic eubh, "echo"
Jura	Djúrey	Norse	deer island	Duray	Diùra	Norse: Jurøy – "udder island"
Kerrera	Kjarbarey	Norse	Kjarbar's island		Cearrara	Norse: ciarrøy – "brushwood island" or "copse island"
Lismore	Lios Mòr	Gaelic	big garden/enclosure	Lismoir	Lios Mòr
Luing		Gaelic	ship island	Lunge	An t-Eilean Luinn	Norse: lyng – heather island or pre-Celtic
Lunga	Langrey	Norse	longship isle	Lungay	Lunga	Gaelic long is also "ship"
Muck	Eilean nam Muc	Gaelic	isle of pigs	Swynes Ile	Eilean nam Muc	Eilean nam Muc-mhara- "whale island". John of Fordun recorded it as Helantmok – "isle of swine".
Mull	Malaios	Pre-Celtic		Mull	Muile	Recorded by Ptolemy as Malaios possibly meaning "lofty isle". In Norse times it became Mýl.
Oronsay	Ørfirisey	Norse	ebb island	Ornansay	Orasaigh	Norse: "Oran's island"
Raasay	Raasey	Norse	roe deer island	Raarsay	Ratharsair	Rossøy – "horse island"
Rona	Hrauney or Ròney	Norse or Gaelic/Norse	"rough island" or "seal island"	Ronay	Rònaigh
Rum		Pre-Celtic		Ronin	Rùm	Various including Norse rõm-øy for "wide island" or Gaelic ì-dhruim – "isle of the ridge"
Sanday	Sandey	Norse	sandy island		Sandaigh
Scalpay	Skalprey	Norse	scallop island	Scalpay	Sgalpaigh	Norse: "ship island"
Seil	Sal?	Probably pre-Celtic	"stream"	Seill	Saoil	Gaelic: sealg – "hunting island"
Shuna	Unknown	Norse	Possibly "sea island"	Seunay	Siuna	Gaelic sidhean – "fairy hill"
Skye	Scitis	Pre-Celtic?	Possibly "winged isle"	Skye	An t-Eilean Sgitheanach	Numerous – see above
Soay	So-ey	Norse	sheep island	Soa Urettil	Sòdhaigh
Tanera Mor	Hafrarey	From, he-goat	Hawrarymoir	Tannara Mòr	Brythonic: Thanaros, the thunder god, island of the haven	-
Tiree	Tìr + Eth, Ethica	Gaelic + unknown	Unknown		Tiriodh	Norse: Tirvist of unknown meaning and numerous Gaelic versions, some with a possible meaning of "land of corn"
Ulva	Ulfey	Norse	wolf island		Ulbha	Ulfr's island