Editing Castlebay (section)

==Community==
{{Unsourced|section|date=January 2022}}
Castlebay is home to the majority of shops on the island. The main street forms a square with the ferry terminal and the ring road, and features several grocery shops, a bank, post office, and tourist information centre. There is a larger supermarket to the west of the village, having opened in October 2009.  There are also several hotels in the village, plus the island's medical centre, a petrol station and the police station.

===Church===
Our Lady, Star of the Sea, a Roman Catholic church, was opened in 1888 on a mound overlooking the town centre. It was designed by an architect from Oban, G. Woulfe Brenan, along with a house further down the slope for the priest to reside in. The northern gable of the church features a stained glass window depicting the [[Crucifixion]], and the southern gables depict [[Our Lady, Star of the Sea]]. Renovation works on the church were completed in early 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barracatholic.co.uk/church-buildings/castlebay|title=The Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea|publisher=Roman Catholic Diocese of Argyll and the Isles|accessdate=1 March 2013}}</ref>

===Education===
The [[Castlebay Community School]] ({{langx|gd|Sgoil Bhàgh a’ Chaisteil}}), is located on the western side of Castlebay. It is the only source of secondary education on Barra. Since 2007, the school has had responsibility for the Castlebay preschool (both the English and the Gaelic Medium),<ref>[http://www.castlebayschool.org.uk/html/school_information/about_our_school.htm "Sgoil Bhàgh a’ Chaisteil"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018160623/http://www.castlebayschool.org.uk/html/school_information/about_our_school.htm |date=18 October 2007 }} Castlebay Community School. Retrieved 2 March 2008.</ref> meaning that with its Primary School division it caters for all ages of school children. 

Since 1992 Castlebay High School has provided full secondary school facilities. Until then Barra pupils studying for Highers had to board in Stornoway and attend school there.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Castlebay Feature Page on Undiscovered Scotland|url=https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/barra/castlebay/index.html|access-date=2022-01-16|website=www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk}}</ref> 

In September 2007, the school received an [[Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education|HMIE]] report negatively criticised relationships among the secondary school's staff and management, but praised those in the primary school.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/22_01_08_castlebayreport.pdf ''Castlebay Community School''] (2008) (pdf) HM Inspectorate of Education. Retrieved 11 September 2008.</ref> 

In September 2022 the Island received £1 million for Gaelic development at the Castlebay education and health hub.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=EdTech Hub |first=EdTech Hub |date=2021-01-01 |title=Facilitating Education Through SMS: A Focus on Education for Girls |doi=10.53832/edtechhub.0059 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.53832/edtechhub.0059|url-access=subscription }}</ref>