Ness, Western Isles
Encyclopedia
Ness is the northernmost part of the Isle of Lewis, a community consisting of about 16 villages, including Lionel, Habost, Swainbost, Cross, North and South Dell, Cross Skigersta, Skigersta
, Eoradale, Adabrock, Port of Ness, Knockaird, Fivepenny and Eoropie. It is the most north-westerly community in the European Union
. Its most northerly point is the Butt of Lewis
. The name Ness
derives from the old Norse
for headland and many of the other place names in the area also have a Norse origin.
Ness is part of the Galson Estate which is owned by Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn (Galson Estate Trust) which is managed by 10 local trustees elected by the community. The hand-over took place on 12 January 2007.
Ness is accessible via the A857 road and is about 25 miles (40 km) by road from Stornoway. You can also reach Ness by walking across the moor from North Tolsta
in Back
to Skigersta. It is about 10 miles (16 km) and takes 6 hours at a leisurely pace.
Gaelic is the language of the community with 75% being able to speak it. Peat
cut from the moor, is used as a fuel for cooking and heating in many homes, but its use is on the decline. The 2001 Census
results show a resident population of just under a 1,000. In 1831 Ness had a population of just over 3,000.
Landmarks include the 13th-century Teampull Mholuaidh
in Eoropie and the small island of Dùn Èistean
which is the ancestral home of the Lewis Morrisons, which is now bridged and archaeological excavations have been taking place there.
Each year 10 men from Ness go out to the island of Sula Sgeir
in late August for two weeks to harvest around 2,000 young gannets known locally as Guga. The Guga is a Ness tradition and favourite.
A Ness boat builder called John F. Macleod from Port saved 40 lives following the sinking of the Iolaire
by managing to take a line to shore .
Ness is known for its Sgoth, a type of clinker built
skiff with a dipping lug
sail. The boats were used for line fishing until the early half of the twentieth century . There are several still in active use owned by community trusts which maintain them.
There is a cultural exchange programme between Ness and Connemara
.
alley. Lionel School also has a swimming pool which is open to the public when not in use by the school.
Skigersta
Skigersta is a village in the south east of Ness, Outer Hebrides in Scotland. There is a quay built in 1901 and a shingle beach. Skigersta was a location for fish curing in the 19th century with the ruins of the curing bothies still visible next to the river and a man made channel in the shoreline...
, Eoradale, Adabrock, Port of Ness, Knockaird, Fivepenny and Eoropie. It is the most north-westerly community in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. Its most northerly point is the Butt of Lewis
Butt of Lewis
The Butt of Lewis is the most northerly point of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. The headland, which lies in the North Atlantic, is frequently battered by heavy swells and storms.-Lighthouse:...
. The name Ness
Ness
- Places :* The Germanic word for promontory, found in Northern European placenames* Loch Ness, a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands** Loch Ness Monster, a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness...
derives from the old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
for headland and many of the other place names in the area also have a Norse origin.
Ness is part of the Galson Estate which is owned by Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn (Galson Estate Trust) which is managed by 10 local trustees elected by the community. The hand-over took place on 12 January 2007.
North Tolsta
North Tolsta is a village in the Scottish Outer Hebrides, on the east side of the Isle of Lewis. Tolsta is notable for its long sandy beach popular with surfers. The village of Bail' Ùr Tholastaidh is to the north and Glen Tholastaid to the south...
in Back
Back, Outer Hebrides
Back is a district and a village on the Isle of Lewis on the coast of Broadbay, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The road through Back commences at a road junction in Newmarket, north of Stornoway. It is a little touristed part of the Hebrides despite having some of the best beaches in Lewis, but...
to Skigersta. It is about 10 miles (16 km) and takes 6 hours at a leisurely pace.
Gaelic is the language of the community with 75% being able to speak it. Peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
cut from the moor, is used as a fuel for cooking and heating in many homes, but its use is on the decline. The 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
results show a resident population of just under a 1,000. In 1831 Ness had a population of just over 3,000.
Landmarks include the 13th-century Teampull Mholuaidh
Teampull Mholuaidh
St Moluag's church is a 13th Century temple in the village of Eoropie in Ness in the Isle of Lewis in Scotland.The church has a basic T shaped structure, with two small chapels on either side of the main body of the church. The southern chapel can only be accessed from outside...
in Eoropie and the small island of Dùn Èistean
Dùn Èistean
Dùn Èistean is a multi-period archaeological site on an inter- tidal sea stack on the north east coast of the Isle of Lewis, near the village of Knockaird in the area of Nis in the Western Isles of Scotland. It is accorded the status of traditional stronghold of Clan Morrison - once a highly...
which is the ancestral home of the Lewis Morrisons, which is now bridged and archaeological excavations have been taking place there.
Each year 10 men from Ness go out to the island of Sula Sgeir
Sula Sgeir
Sula Sgeir is a small, uninhabited Scottish island in the North Atlantic, west of North Rona...
in late August for two weeks to harvest around 2,000 young gannets known locally as Guga. The Guga is a Ness tradition and favourite.
A Ness boat builder called John F. Macleod from Port saved 40 lives following the sinking of the Iolaire
Iolaire
The Iolaire was an Admiralty yacht whose sinking on the 1 January 1919 in the Minch strait was one of the worst maritime disasters in United Kingdom waters during the 20th century...
by managing to take a line to shore .
Ness is known for its Sgoth, a type of clinker built
Clinker (boat building)
Clinker building is a method of constructing hulls of boats and ships by fixing wooden planks and, in the early nineteenth century, iron plates to each other so that the planks overlap along their edges. The overlapping joint is called a land. In any but a very small boat, the individual planks...
skiff with a dipping lug
Lugger
A lugger is a class of boats, widely used as traditional fishing boats, particularly off the coasts of France, Scotland and England. It is a small sailing vessel with lugsails set on two or more masts and perhaps lug topsails.-Defining the rig:...
sail. The boats were used for line fishing until the early half of the twentieth century . There are several still in active use owned by community trusts which maintain them.
There is a cultural exchange programme between Ness and Connemara
Connemara
Connemara is a district in the west of Ireland consisting of a broad peninsula between Killary Harbour and Kilkieran Bay in the west of County Galway.-Overview:...
.
School
Lionel School and Cross School are the schools in Ness. Cross is a primary school with 19 pupils. Lionel School is for primary and S1 and S2 and also has a Gaelic medium unit. Lionel School prides itself on its sporting prowess and pupils have won trophies for football, running, badminton and swimming. The school roll is 116.Sport
Football is the main sport with Ness FC playing their home matches on Fivepenny Machair. 'Spors Nis' is a new (2007) Community Sports Centre with all the modern facilities you would expect including a two lane 10 pin bowling10 Pin Bowling
10 Pin Bowling is a bowling sports game, developed by Morning Star Multimedia and published by Majesco Sales. The game was released in North America and Europe in 1999 for the Game Boy Color.-Reception:The game received negative reviews...
alley. Lionel School also has a swimming pool which is open to the public when not in use by the school.
Further reading
- Nis Aosmhor: The photographs of Dan Morrison, edited by Finlay Macleod, October 1997, Acair Ltd, ISBN 0861521137
External links
- Census results 2001 for Ness
- Comunn Eachdraidh Nis (Ness Historical Society)
- Cuan Ard Press (A Ness based publishing company)
- The Galson Estate Trust
- Lionel School
- Taigh Dhonnchaidh (Arts and Music Centre)
- Eoropie Tearoom
- sporsnis local sports centre