Ardtalla is a place name and estate in the southeast coastal area of Islay

Islay

-Prehistory:The earliest settlers on Islay were nomadic hunter-gatherers who arrived during the Mesolithic period after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice caps. In 1993 a flint arrowhead was found in a field near Bridgend dating from 10,800 BC, the earliest evidence of a human presence found so far...

, 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 name derives from Gaelic Àird, a "point", and talla, a now obsolete word for rock, not "high grave" as suggested by some. A well-defined track emanates from the Ardtalla Estate encountering coastal scenery and an Iron Age

Iron Age

The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...

 fort.

Historical perspective

According to Roger Redfern, Saint Columba

Saint Columba

-Saints:* Columba , Irish Christian saint who evangelized Scotland* Columba the Virgin, also known as Saint Columba of Cornwall* Columba of Sens* Columba of Spain* Columba of Terryglass* Sancta Columba -Schools:...

 landed nearby at Ardmore Point on his historic journey from Ireland around the Hebrides

Hebrides

The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...

. In Redfern's book, Walking in the Hebrides, he details scenic and historic elements in and around the Ardtalla Estate.

Recorded mention of Ardtalla traces back at least as far as the latter 18th century. As early as during the 18th century, the literature notes that local people on Islay did not consider Ardtalla a remote location, ostensibly due to the level of improvement of the coastal access road connecting Ardtalla to Port Ellen

Port Ellen

Port Ellen is a small town on the island of Islay, in Argyll, Scotland.Port Ellen is named after the wife of the founder, Frederick Campbell of Islay. Its previous name, Leòdamas, is derived from old Norse meaning "Leòd's Harbour"....

.

In music

Ardtalla has been the subject of musical compositions, notably including James McMillan

James McMillan

James McMillan may refer to:* James McMillan , founder of Fort Langley, British Columbia* James W. McMillan , Union officer during the American Civil War* James McMillan , U.S. Senator from Michigan...

's composition The Road to Ardtalla composed for chamber

Chamber music

Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...

 sextet

Sextet

A sextet is a formation containing exactly six members. It is commonly associated with vocal or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six similar or related objects are considered a single unit....

 in 1983 and premiered at the Manchester University Concert Hall at the Manchester University on October 6, 1987.