Ailsa Craig
Encyclopedia
Ailsa Craig is an island
of 219.69 acres in the outer Firth of Clyde
, Scotland
where blue hone granite
was quarried to make curling
stones. "Ailsa" is pronounced "ale-sa", with the first syllable stressed. The now uninhabited island is formed from the volcanic plug
of an extinct volcano.
The island was a haven for Catholics during the Scottish Reformation
in the 16th century, but is today a bird sanctuary, providing a home for huge numbers of gannet
s and an increasing number of puffins.
. Two miles (3 km) in circumference and rising to 1110 feet (338.3 m), the island consists entirely of the volcanic plug
of an extinct volcano that might have been active about 500 million years ago.
It is part of the administrative district of South Ayrshire
, in the ancient parish
of Dailly
.
The lighthouse
on its east coast faces the Scottish mainland, and a ruined keep
of uncertain origins is perched on the hillside above.
In 1590 the shipping of the Clyde was disrupted by pirates who were said to be Highlanders, quha lyis about Ailsay.
Ailsa Craig was a haven for Roman Catholics during the Scottish Reformation
. In 1597 the Catholic supporter Hugh Barclay of Ladyland
took possession of Ailsa Craig, which he was intent on using as a provisioning and stopping off point for a Spanish invasion which would re-establish the Catholic faith in Scotland. He was discovered by the Protestant minister Andrew Knox and thereafter either tried to escape or deliberately drowned himself in the sea off Ailsa Craig.
The island was used as a prison during the 18th-19th century.
In 1831, the twelfth earl of Cassillis became first Marquess of Ailsa
, taking the title from the Craig, which was his property.
From the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries, the island was quarried for its rare type of micro-granite
with riebeckite
(known as "Ailsite") which is used to make curling
stones. As of 2004, 60 to 70% of all curling stones in use were made from granite from the island. The floor of the Chapel of the Thistle in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh
is also made of this rock.
Ailsa Craig is now uninhabited, the lighthouse having been automated in 1990. Ailsa Craig and its lighthouse feature extensively in Peter Hill
's book Stargazing: Memoirs of a Young Lighthouse Keeper. Though quarry blasting is no longer allowed, loose granite rock from the island has been recently used for manufacture into curling stones by the Kays of Scotland company. The island is now a bird sanctuary, leased by the RSPB until 2050. Huge numbers of gannet
s nest here and following a pioneering technique to eradicate the island's imported population of rat
s a growing number of puffin
s are choosing to return to the Craig from nearby Glunimore
and Sheep
Islands.
The island belongs to the 8th Marquess of Ailsa, 19th Earl of Cassillis
. In May 2011 it was announced the island was for sale.
, Archdeacon of the Isles who referred to the rock as "Elsay" in the 16th century. The modern name of the island is an anglicisation of the Gaelic, Aillse Creag meaning "fairy
rock". An alternative Gaelic name is Creag Ealasaid meaning "Elizabeth's rock". The first element, Aillse may represent Allt Shasann, "cliff of the English", mentioned in the Book of Leinster
as Aldasain.
The island is sometimes known as "Paddy's Milestone", being approximately the halfway point of the sea journey from Belfast
to Glasgow
, a traditional route of emigration for many Irish
labourers coming to Scotland to seek work.
As a result of being the most conspicuous landmark in the channel between Ireland
and Scotland
, the island is known by a number of different names;
The Bass Rock
is sometimes nicknamed "the Ailsa Craig of the East", although its prominence in the Firth of Forth
is not as great as that of Ailsa Craig in the Firth of Clyde.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
of 219.69 acres in the outer Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
where blue hone granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
was quarried to make curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
stones. "Ailsa" is pronounced "ale-sa", with the first syllable stressed. The now uninhabited island is formed from the volcanic plug
Volcanic plug
A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic landform created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. When forming, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of pressure if volatile-charged magma is trapped beneath it, and this can sometimes lead to an...
of an extinct volcano.
The island was a haven for Catholics during the Scottish Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
in the 16th century, but is today a bird sanctuary, providing a home for huge numbers of gannet
Gannet
Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus, in the family Sulidae, closely related to the boobies.The gannets are large black and white birds with yellow heads. They have long pointed wings and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, with a wingspan of up...
s and an increasing number of puffins.
Geography
The island is located approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) west of GirvanGirvan
Girvan is a burgh in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of about 8000 people. Originally a fishing port, it is now also a seaside resort with beaches and cliffs. Girvan dates back to 1668 when is became a municipal burgh incorporated by by charter...
. Two miles (3 km) in circumference and rising to 1110 feet (338.3 m), the island consists entirely of the volcanic plug
Volcanic plug
A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic landform created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. When forming, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of pressure if volatile-charged magma is trapped beneath it, and this can sometimes lead to an...
of an extinct volcano that might have been active about 500 million years ago.
South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
, in the ancient parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Dailly
Dailly
Dailly is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located on the Water of Girvan, south of Maybole, and east of Old Dailly. "New Dailly", as it was originally known, was laid out in the 1760s as a coal-mining village...
.
The lighthouse
Ailsa Craig Lighthouse
The Ailsa Craig Lighthouse, located on Ailsa Craig, an island in the Firth of Clyde, just offshore from Girvan, South Ayrshire, Scotland, was completed in 1886, the construction being overseen by Thomas and David Stevenson....
on its east coast faces the Scottish mainland, and a ruined keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
of uncertain origins is perched on the hillside above.
History
Ailsa Craig was a haven for Roman Catholics during the Scottish Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
. In 1597 the Catholic supporter Hugh Barclay of Ladyland
Barony of Ladyland
The Barony of Ladyland was in the old feudal Baillerie of Cunninghame, near Kilbirnie in what is now North Ayrshire, Scotland.- The history of the Barony of Ladyland :...
took possession of Ailsa Craig, which he was intent on using as a provisioning and stopping off point for a Spanish invasion which would re-establish the Catholic faith in Scotland. He was discovered by the Protestant minister Andrew Knox and thereafter either tried to escape or deliberately drowned himself in the sea off Ailsa Craig.
The island was used as a prison during the 18th-19th century.
In 1831, the twelfth earl of Cassillis became first Marquess of Ailsa
Marquess of Ailsa
Marquess of Ailsa, of the Isle of Ailsa in the County of Ayr, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 10 September 1831 for Archibald Kennedy, 12th Earl of Cassillis. The title Earl of Cassillis had been created in 1509 for the 3rd Lord Kennedy. This title had been...
, taking the title from the Craig, which was his property.
From the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries, the island was quarried for its rare type of micro-granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
with riebeckite
Riebeckite
Riebeckite is a sodium-rich member of the amphibole group of silicate minerals, chemical formula [][Na2][32][2|Si8O22]. It forms a series with magnesioriebeckite. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system, usually as long prismatic crystals showing a diamond-shaped cross section, but also in...
(known as "Ailsite") which is used to make curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
stones. As of 2004, 60 to 70% of all curling stones in use were made from granite from the island. The floor of the Chapel of the Thistle in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
is also made of this rock.
Ailsa Craig is now uninhabited, the lighthouse having been automated in 1990. Ailsa Craig and its lighthouse feature extensively in Peter Hill
Peter Hill (writer)
Peter Hill is the author of Stargazing: Memoirs of a Young Lighthouse Keeper, a book describing his time as a lighthouse-keeper at the Pladda, Ailsa Craig and Hyskeir lighthouses in 1973. The book was published in 2003 by Canongate Books.-References:...
's book Stargazing: Memoirs of a Young Lighthouse Keeper. Though quarry blasting is no longer allowed, loose granite rock from the island has been recently used for manufacture into curling stones by the Kays of Scotland company. The island is now a bird sanctuary, leased by the RSPB until 2050. Huge numbers of gannet
Northern Gannet
The Northern Gannet is a seabird and is the largest member of the gannet family, Sulidae.- Description :Young birds are dark brown in their first year, and gradually acquire more white in subsequent seasons until they reach maturity after five years.Adults are long, weigh and have a wingspan...
s nest here and following a pioneering technique to eradicate the island's imported population of rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s a growing number of puffin
Puffin
Puffins are any of three small species of auk in the bird genus Fratercula with a brightly coloured beak during the breeding season. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among...
s are choosing to return to the Craig from nearby Glunimore
Glunimore Island
Glunimore Island is an uninhabited island around south east of the Kintyre peninsula, Scotland. It lies alongside Sanda Island and Sheep Island...
and Sheep
Sheep Island, Argyll and Bute
Sheep Island is a small island situated off the southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland.Sheep Island, along with Sanda Island and Glunimore Island, form a small group of islands approximately south of Kintyre at ....
Islands.
The island belongs to the 8th Marquess of Ailsa, 19th Earl of Cassillis
Archibald Kennedy, 8th Marquess of Ailsa
Archibald Angus Charles Kennedy, 8th Marquess of Ailsa , is a Scottish peer, the son of Archibald Kennedy, 7th Marquess of Ailsa.Lord Ailsa married Dawn Leslie Anne Keen in 1979; they have two children:...
. In May 2011 it was announced the island was for sale.
Etymology
An early reference to the rock is made by Sir Donald MonroDonald Monro (Dean)
Donald Monro was a Scottish clergyman, who wrote an early and historically valuable description of the Hebrides and other Scottish islands and enjoyed the honorific title of “Dean of the Isles”.-Origins:...
, Archdeacon of the Isles who referred to the rock as "Elsay" in the 16th century. The modern name of the island is an anglicisation of the Gaelic, Aillse Creag meaning "fairy
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
rock". An alternative Gaelic name is Creag Ealasaid meaning "Elizabeth's rock". The first element, Aillse may represent Allt Shasann, "cliff of the English", mentioned in the Book of Leinster
Book of Leinster
The Book of Leinster , is a medieval Irish manuscript compiled ca. 1160 and now kept in Trinity College, Dublin, under the shelfmark MS H 2.18...
as Aldasain.
The island is sometimes known as "Paddy's Milestone", being approximately the halfway point of the sea journey from Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, a traditional route of emigration for many Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
labourers coming to Scotland to seek work.
As a result of being the most conspicuous landmark in the channel between Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the island is known by a number of different names;
- A' Chreag: "the rock"
- Creag Alasdair: "Alasdair's rock"
- Ealasaid a' Chuain: "Elizabeth of the ocean"
- Alasan
- Carraig Alasdair: "Alasdair's Rock", (used in the Madness of Sweeney the tale of a legendary king of Ireland).
The Bass Rock
Bass Rock
The Bass Rock, or simply The Bass, , is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. It is approximately offshore, and north-east of North Berwick. It is a steep-sided volcanic rock, at its highest point, and is home to a large colony of gannets...
is sometimes nicknamed "the Ailsa Craig of the East", although its prominence in the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
is not as great as that of Ailsa Craig in the Firth of Clyde.
In the arts
In April 2009, Northern Irish singer/songwriter, Foy Vance, released the EP 'Portraits Of The Artist', which contained a song titled 'Portraits of Ailsa Craig'.External links
- Photo Tour of Trip to the Island
- Entry on the Maybole Home Page
- Ailsa Craig Index — computer-generated virtual panoramas
- Pictures of Ailsa Craig
