Editing Hebrides

{{Short description|Archipelago off the west coast of Scotland}}
{{other uses}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}

{{Infobox Scottish island
| GridReference= NF 96507 00992
| island group= Hebrides
| Image= File:Hebridesmap.png
| ImageCaption= The Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides
| Map= 
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| area km2= <!--or |area sqmi= or |area m2= or |area sqft= or |area acre= or |area ha= or |area=-->
| highest elevation= 
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| Population=     <!-- 2011 Census -->
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}}

The '''Hebrides''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɛ|b|r|ɪ|d|iː|z}} {{respell|HEB|rid|eez}}; {{langx|gd|Innse Gall}}, {{IPA|gd|ˈĩːʃə ˈkaul̪ˠ|pron}}; {{langx|non|Suðreyjar||Southern isles}}) are the largest [[archipelago]] in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the [[Scotland|Scottish]] mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the [[Inner Hebrides|Inner]] and [[Outer Hebrides]].

These islands have a long history of occupation (dating back to the [[Mesolithic]] period), and the culture of the inhabitants has been successively influenced by the cultures of [[Celtic language|Celtic-speaking]], [[Old Norse language|Norse-speaking]], and [[English language|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 {{cvt|7285|km2}}, and, {{as of|2011|lc=y}}, a combined population of around 45,000.<ref name="GRO">General Register Office for Scotland (28 November 2003) ''[http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/census/censushm/occpapers/occasional-paper-10.html Occasional Paper No 10: Statistics for Inhabited Islands]''. (pdf) Retrieved 22 January 2011. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122154733/http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/census/censushm/occpapers/occasional-paper-10.html |date=22 November 2011}}</ref>

==Geology, geography and climate==
[[File:Leaving Lochmaddy - geograph.org.uk - 929584.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Caledonian MacBrayne]] ferry [[MV Hebrides|MV ''Hebrides'']] leaving [[Lochmaddy]] for [[Skye]] ]]
{{Main|List of Inner Hebrides|List of Outer Hebrides}}

The Hebrides have a diverse [[geology]], ranging in age from [[Precambrian]] strata that are amongst the oldest rocks in Europe, to [[Paleogene]] [[igneous rock|igneous]] intrusions.<ref>Rollinson, Hugh (September 1997). [http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bsc/gday/1997/00000013/00000005/art00011 "Britain's oldest rocks"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606174151/http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bsc/gday/1997/00000013/00000005/art00011 |date=6 June 2011 }} ''Geology Today''. '''13''' no. 5 pp. 185–190.</ref><ref>Gillen, Con (2003). ''Geology and landscapes of Scotland''. Harpenden. Terra Publishing. Pages 44 and 142.</ref>{{refn|Rollinson (1997) states that the oldest rocks in Europe have been found "near Gruinard Bay" on the Scottish mainland. Gillen (2003) p. 44 indicates the oldest rocks in Europe are found "in the Northwest Highlands and Outer Hebrides". McKirdy, Alan Gordon, John & Crofts, Roger (2007) ''Land of Mountain and Flood: The Geology and Landforms of Scotland''. Edinburgh. Birlinn. p. 93 state of the [[Lewisian complex|Lewisian gneiss]] bedrock of much of the Outer Hebrides that "these rocks are amongst the oldest to be found anywhere on the planet". Other (non-geologist) sources sometimes claim that the rocks of Lewis and Harris are "the oldest in Britain", meaning that they are the oldest deposits of large bedrock. As Rollinson makes clear, Lewis and Harris is not the location of the oldest small outcrop.|group=Note}} Raised shore platforms in the Hebrides have been identified as [[strandflat]]s, possibly formed during the [[Pliocene]] period and later modified by the [[Quaternary glaciation]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dawson |first1=Alastair G. |last2=Dawson |first2=Sue |last3=Cooper |first3=J. Andrew G. |last4=Gemmell |first4=Alastair |last5=Bates |first5=Richard |date=2013 |title=A Pliocene age and origin for the strandflat of the Western Isles of Scotland: a speculative hypothesis |journal=[[Geological Magazine]] |volume=150 |issue=2 |pages=360–366 |doi=10.1017/S0016756812000568 |bibcode=2013GeoM..150..360D |s2cid=130965005}}</ref>

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, Scotland|Jura]], [[Skye]], [[Isle of Mull|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 [[Skerry|skerries]] located about {{cvt|70|km|mi|round=5}} 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 {{lang|gd|[[Eilean Bàn, Lochalsh|Eilean Bàn]]}} and {{lang|gd|[[Eilean Donan]]}}, which might not ordinarily be described as "Hebridean". However, no formal definition exists.<ref>Keay & Keay (1994) p. 507.</ref><ref>'' Encyclopædia Britannica'' (1978) states: "Hebrides – group of islands of the west coast of Scotland extending in an arc between 55.35 and 58.30 N and 5.26 and 8.40 W." These coordinates include [[Gigha]], [[St Kilda, Scotland|St Kilda]] and everything up to [[Cape Wrath]] – although not [[North Rona]].</ref>

In the past, the Outer Hebrides were often referred to as the ''Long Isle'' ({{langx|gd|An t-Eilean Fada}}). Today, they are also sometimes known as the ''Western Isles'', although this phrase can also be used to refer to the Hebrides in general.{{refn|Murray (1973) notes that "Western Isles" has tended to mean "Outer Hebrides" since the creation of the {{lang|gd|[[Na h-Eileanan an Iar (UK Parliament constituency)|Na h-Eileanan an Iar]]}} or Western Isles parliamentary constituency in 1918. Murray also notes that "Gneiss Islands" – a reference to the underlying geology – is another name used to refer to the [[Outer Hebrides]], but that its use is "confined to books".<ref>Murray (1973) p. 32.</ref>|group=Note}}

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&nbsp;°C (44&nbsp;°F) in January and 14&nbsp;°C (57&nbsp;°F) in the summer. The average annual rainfall in Lewis is {{cvt|1100|mm|in}}, and there are between 1,100 and 1,200 hours of sunshine ''[[wikt:per annum|per annum]]'' (13%). The summer days are relatively long, and May through August is the driest period.<ref>Thompson (1968) pp. 24–26.</ref>

==Etymology==
The earliest surviving written references to the islands were made circa 77&nbsp;AD by [[Pliny the Elder]] in his ''Natural History'': He states that there are 30 ''{{lang|la|Hebudes}}'', and makes a separate reference to ''{{lang|la|Dumna}}'', which [[William J. Watson|Watson]] (1926) concluded refers unequivocally to the Outer Hebrides. About 80 years after Pliny the Elder, in 140–150&nbsp;AD, [[Ptolemy]] (drawing on accounts of the naval expeditions of {{lang|la|[[Gnaeus Julius Agricola|Agricola]]}}) writes that there are five ''{{lang|la|Ebudes}}'' (possibly meaning the Inner Hebrides) and ''{{lang|la|Dumna}}''.<ref name="Breeze">Breeze, David J. "The ancient geography of Scotland" in Smith and Banks (2002) pp. 11–13.</ref><ref name="Watson">Watson (1994) pp. 40–41</ref><ref name="W38">Watson (1994) p. 38</ref> Later texts in classical [[Latin language|Latin]], by writers such as {{lang|la|[[Gaius Julius Solinus|Solinus]]}}, use the forms ''{{lang|la|Hebudes}}'' and ''{{lang|la|Hæbudes}}''.<ref>Louis Deroy & Marianne Mulon (1992) ''{{lang|fr|Dictionnaire de noms de lieux}}'', Paris: Le Robert, article "Hébrides".</ref>

The name ''{{lang|la|Ebudes}}'' (used by Ptolemy) may be pre-Celtic.<ref name="W38"/> Ptolemy calls Islay "{{lang|grc-Latn|Epidion}}",<ref name=W37>Watson (1994) p. 37.</ref> and the use of the letter "p" suggests a [[Celtic Britons|Brythonic]] or Pictish tribal name, {{lang|cel|[[Epidii]]}},<ref>Watson (1994) p. 45.</ref> because the root is not Gaelic.<ref name="G2487">Gammeltoft, Peder "Scandinavian Naming-Systems in the Hebrides – A Way of Understanding how the Scandinavians were in Contact with Gaels and Picts?" in Ballin Smith ''et al'' (2007) p. 487.</ref> [[Alex Woolf|Woolf]] (2012) has suggested that ''{{lang|la|Ebudes}}'' may be "an Irish attempt to reproduce the word ''{{lang|cel|Epidii}}'' phonetically, rather than by translating it", and that the tribe's name may come from the root ''{{lang|xtg|epos}}'', meaning "horse".<ref name=woolf>[[Alex Woolf|Woolf, Alex]] (2012) [https://www.academia.edu/1502702/Ancient_Kindred_Dal_Riata_and_the_Cruthin ''Ancient Kindred? Dál Riata and the Cruthin''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160802043628/http://www.academia.edu/1502702/Ancient_Kindred_Dal_Riata_and_the_Cruthin |date=2 August 2016 }}. Academia.edu. Retrieved 21 January 2015.</ref> Watson (1926) also notes a possible relationship between ''{{lang|la|Ebudes}}'' and the ancient Irish [[Ulaid]] tribal name ''{{lang|sga|Ibdaig}}'', and also the personal name of a king {{lang|sga|Iubdán}} (recorded in the ''[[Silva Gadelica]]'').<ref name="W38"/>

[[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.<ref name=W38 /> [[Adomnán]], a 7th-century abbot of Iona, records Colonsay as ''Colosus'' and Tiree as ''Ethica'', and both of these may be pre-Celtic names.<ref name=W85>Watson (1994) p. 85-86.</ref> The [[etymology of Skye]] is complex and may also include a pre-Celtic root.<ref name=G2487/> Lewis is ''{{lang|non|Ljoðhús}}'' in Old Norse. Various suggestions have been made as to possible meanings of the name in Norse (for example, "song house"),<ref>{{lang|ga|Mac an Tàilleir}} (2003) p. 80.</ref> but the name is not of Gaelic origin, and the Norse provenance is questionable.<ref name=G2487/>

The earliest comprehensive written list of Hebridean island names was compiled by [[Donald Monro (Dean)|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 ===
[[Lewis and Harris]] is the largest island in Scotland and the third largest of the [[British Isles]], after Great Britain and Ireland.<ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 262.</ref> 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.<ref>Thompson (1968) p. 13.</ref> The derivation of Lewis may be pre-Celtic (see above) and the origin of Harris is no less problematic. In the [[Ravenna Cosmography]], ''Erimon'' may refer to Harris<ref name="Roman Map of Britain"/> (or possibly the Outer Hebrides as a whole). This word may derive from the {{langx|grc|ἐρῆμος}} ({{lang|grc-Latn|erimos}} "desert".<ref>Megaw, J.V. S. and SIMPSON, D.A. (1960) "[http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/PSAS.../94_062_078.pdf A short cist burial on North Uist and some notes on the prehistory of the Outer Isles in the second millennium BC"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719033248/http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/PSAS.../94_062_078.pdf |date=19 July 2011 }} (pdf) p. 72 Proc Soc Antiq Scot. archaeologydataservice.ac.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2011.</ref> The origin of [[Uist]] ({{langx|non|Ívist}}) is similarly unclear.<ref name=G2487/>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Island
! Derivation
! Language
! Meaning
! Munro (1549)
! style="width:10%;" | Modern Gaelic name
! Alternative Derivations
|-
| [[Baleshare]]
| ''{{lang|mga|Am Baile Sear}}''
| Gaelic
| east town<ref name=HS236>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 236.</ref>
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Baile Sear}}''
|
|-
| [[Barra]]
| ''{{lang|non|Barrey}}''{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=68}}
| Gaelic + Norse
| Finbar's island<ref name=MaT17>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 17.</ref>
| Barray
| ''{{lang|gd|Barraigh}}''
| [[Old Irish|Old Gaelic]] ''barr'', a summit.{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=68}}
|-
| [[Benbecula]]
| ''{{lang|mga|Peighinn nam Fadhla}}''
| Gaelic
| [[pennyland]] of the fords<ref name="MaT19">{{lang|gd|Mac an Tàilleir}} (2003) p. 19.</ref>
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Beinn nam Fadhla}}''
| "little mountain of the ford" or "herdsman's mountain"<ref name=HS236/>
|-
| [[Berneray, North Uist|Berneray]]
| ''{{lang|non|Bjarnarey}}''{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=68}}
| Norse
| Bjorn's island<ref name=MaT19/>
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Beàrnaraigh}}''
| bear island<ref name=HS236/>
|-
| [[Eriskay]]
| ''{{lang|mga|Uruisg}}'' + ''{{lang|non|ey}}''
| Gaelic + Norse
| goblin or water nymph island<ref name=HS236/>
| Eriskeray
| ''{{lang|gd|Èirisgeigh}}''
| Erik's island<ref name=HS236/><ref name="autogenerated3">{{lang|gd|Mac an Tàilleir}} (2003) p. 46.</ref>
|-
| [[Flodaigh]]
|
| Norse
| float island<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 50.</ref>
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Flodaigh}}''
|
|-
| [[Fraoch-eilean]]
|
| Gaelic
| heather island
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Fraoch-eilean}}''
|
|-
| [[Great Bernera]]
| ''{{lang|non|Bjarnarey}}''{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=68}}
| Norse
| Bjorn's island<ref name=HS287>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 218.</ref>
| Berneray-Moir
| ''{{lang|gd|Beàrnaraigh Mòr}}''
| bear island<ref name=HS287/>
|-
| [[Grimsay]]{{refn|There are two inhabited islands called "Grimsay" or ''{{lang|gd|Griomasaigh}}'' that are joined to Benbecula by a road causeway, one to the north at {{gbmapping|NF855572}} and one to the south east at {{gbmapping|NF831473}}.|group=Note}}
| {{lang|non|Grímsey}}
| Norse
| Grim's island<ref name=HS236/>
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Griomasaigh}}''
|
|-
| [[Grimsay, South East Benbecula|Grimsay]]{{refn|See above note.|group=Note}}
| {{lang|non|Grímsey}}
| Norse
| Grim's island<ref name=HS236/>
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Griomasaigh}}''
|
|-
| [[Harris, Outer Hebrides|Harris]]
| {{lang|grc-Latn|Erimon}}?<ref name="Roman Map of Britain">[http://www.romanmap.com/htm/nomina/insula/Eirimon.htm "The Roman Map of Britain Maiona (Erimon) 7 Lougis Erimon Isles of Harris and Lewis, Outer Hebrides "] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127115218/http://romanmap.com/htm/nomina/insula/Eirimon.htm |date=27 November 2013 }} romanmap.com. Retrieved 1 February 2011.</ref>
| Ancient Greek?
| desert?
| Harrey
| ''{{lang|gd|na Hearadh}}''
| Ptolemy's {{lang|grc-Latn|Adru}}. In [[Old Norse language|Old Norse]] (and in [[icelandic language|modern Icelandic]]), a ''{{lang|non|[[Herred|Hérað]]}}'' is a type of administrative district.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{lang|gd|Mac an Tàilleir}} (2003).</ref> Alternatives are the Norse ''{{lang|non|haerri}}'', meaning "hills" and Gaelic ''{{lang|mga|na h-airdibh}}'' meaning "the heights".<ref name=HS287/>
|-
| [[Isle of Lewis|Lewis]]
| {{lang|grc-Latn|Limnu}}
| Pre-Celtic?
| marshy
| Lewis
| ''{{lang|gd|Leòdhas}}''
| Ptolemy's {{lang|grc-Latn|Limnu}} is literally "marshy". The Norse ''{{lang|non|Ljoðhús}}'' may mean "song house" – see above.<ref name=G2487/><ref name=autogenerated2 />
|-
| [[North Uist]]
|
| English + Pre-Celtic?<ref name=G2487/>
|
| Ywst
| ''{{lang|gd|Uibhist a Tuath}}''
| "Uist" may possibly be "corn island"<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 116.</ref> or "west"<ref name=HS287 />
|-
| [[Scalpay, Outer Hebrides|Scalpay]]
| ''{{lang|non|Skalprey}}''<ref name=HS287/>
| Norse
| scallop island<ref name=HS287/>
| Scalpay of Harray
| ''{{lang|gd|Sgalpaigh na Hearadh}}''
|
|-
| [[South Uist]]
|
| English + Pre-Celtic?
|
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Uibhist a Deas}}''
| See North Uist
|-
| [[Vatersay]]
|{{lang|non|Vatrsey}}?{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=80}}
| Norse
| water island<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 117.</ref>
| Wattersay
| ''{{lang|gd|Bhatarsaigh}}''
| fathers' island, priest island, glove island, wavy island<ref name=HS287 />
|}

=== 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.<ref>Watson (1994) p. 93.</ref> As an example of the complexity: [[South Rona|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.<ref>Gammeltoft (2010) pp. 482, 486.</ref> (See [[South Rona|Rona]], below.)
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Island
! Derivation
! Language
! Meaning
! Munro (1549)
! style="width:10%;" | Modern Gaelic name
! Alternative Derivations
|-
| [[Canna, Scotland|Canna]]
| ''{{lang|mga|Cana}}''
| Gaelic
| porpoise island<ref name=HS143>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 143.</ref>
| Kannay
| ''{{lang|ga|Eilean Chanaigh}}''
| possibly Old Gaelic ''{{lang|sga|cana}}'', "wolf-whelp", or Norse ''{{lang|non|kneøy}}'', "knee island"<ref name=HS143/>
|-
| [[Coll]]
| ''Colosus''
| Pre-Celtic
|
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Colla}}''
| possibly Gaelic ''{{lang|gd|coll}}'' – a [[hazel]]<ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 118.</ref>
|-
| [[Colonsay]]
| {{lang|non|Kolbein's}} + {{lang|non|ey}}
| Norse<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 31.</ref>
| Kolbein's island
| Colnansay
| ''{{lang|ga|Colbhasa}}''
| possibly Norse for "Columba's island"<ref name=autogenerated4>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 52.</ref>
|-
| [[Danna, Scotland|Danna]]
|{{lang|non|Daney}}{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=69}}
| Norse
| [[Danes|Dane]] island{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=69}}
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Danna}}''
|Unknown<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 38.</ref>
|-
| [[Easdale]]
|
|
|
| Eisdcalfe
| ''{{lang|mga|Eilean Èisdeal}}''
| ''{{lang|gd|Eas}}'' is "waterfall" in Gaelic and ''{{lang|non|dale}}'' is the Norse for "valley".<ref>[http://www.pbenyon1.plus.com/Misc/Etymology.html "Etymology of British place-names"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909233045/http://www.pbenyon1.plus.com/Misc/Etymology.html |date=9 September 2013}} Pbenyon. Retrieved 13 February 2011.</ref> However the combination seems inappropriate for this small island. Also known as ''{{lang|mga|Ellenabeich}}'' – "island of the birches"<ref name=HS76>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 76.</ref>
|-
| [[Eigg]]
| ''{{lang|mga|Eag}}''
| Gaelic
| a notch<ref>Watson (1994) p. 85.</ref>
| Egga
| ''{{lang|gd|Eige}}''
| Also called ''{{lang|mga|Eilean Nimban More}}'' – "island of the powerful women" until the 16th century.<ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 134.</ref>
|-
| {{lang|gd|[[Eilean Bàn, Lochalsh|Eilean Bàn]]}}
|
| Gaelic
| white isle
| Naban
| ''{{lang|gd|Eilean Bàn}}''
|
|-
| {{lang|gd|[[Eilean dà Mhèinn]]}}
|
| Gaelic
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Eilean Donan]]
|
| Gaelic
| island of {{lang|mga|[[Donnán of Eigg|Donnán]]}}
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Eilean Donnain}}''
|
|-
| [[Eilean Shona]]
|
| Gaelic + Norse
| sea island<ref name=MaT105/>
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Eilean Seòna}}''
| Adomnán records the pre-Norse Gaelic name of ''{{lang|sga|Airthrago}}'' – the foreshore isle".<ref>Watson (1994) p. 77.</ref>
|-
| [[Eilean Tioram]]
|
| Gaelic
| dry island
|
|
|
|-
| [[Eriska]]
| {{lang|non|Erik's}} + {{lang|non|ey}}
| Norse
| Erik's island<ref name=autogenerated3 />
|
| {{sort|Aoraisge|''{{lang|gd|Aoraisge}}''}}
|
|-
| [[Erraid]]
| ''{{lang|sga|Arthràigh}}''?
| Gaelic
| foreshore island<ref name=MaT105/>
| Erray
| ''{{lang|gd|Eilean Earraid}}''
|
|-
| [[Gigha]]
| ''{{lang|non|Guðey}}''<ref>''{{lang|non|[[Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar]]}}'', {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20120714180840/http://sagnanet.is/saganet/?MIval=/NextPage&Manuscript=100128&imgpage=598 § 328, line 8]}} Retrieved 2 February 2011.</ref>{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=71}}
| Norse
| "good island" or "God island"<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 72.</ref>
| Gigay
| ''{{lang|gd|Giogha}}''
| Various including the Norse ''{{lang|non|Gjáey}}'' – "island of the [[geo (landscape)|geo]]" or "cleft", or "Gydha's isle".<ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 32.</ref>
|-
| [[Gometra]]
| {{lang|non|Goðrmaðrey}}<ref name=gillies>Gillies (1906) p. 129. "Gometra, from N., is ''{{lang|non|gottr}}'' + ''{{lang|non|madr}}'' + ''{{lang|non|ey}}''."</ref>
| Norse
| "The good-man's island", or "God-man's island"<ref name=gillies/>
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Gòmastra}}''
| "Godmund's island".<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) pp. 58–59.</ref>{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=71}}
|-
| [[Iona]]
| ''{{lang|mga|Hí}}''
| Gaelic
| Possibly "[[Taxus baccata|yew]]-place"
| Colmkill
| {{sort|I Chaluim Chille|''{{lang|gd|Ì Chaluim Chille}}''}}
| Numerous. Adomnán uses ''{{lang|la|Ioua insula}}'' which became "Iona" through misreading.<ref>Watson (1926) p. 87.</ref>
|-
| [[Islay]]
|
| Pre-Celtic
|
| Ila
| {{sort|Ile|''{{lang|gd|Ìle}}''}}
| Various – see above
|-
| [[Isle of Ewe]]
| ''{{lang|sga|Eo}}''<ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 185.</ref>
| English + Gaelic
| isle of yew
| Ellan Ew
| 
| possibly Gaelic ''{{lang|sga|eubh}}'', "echo"
|-
| [[Jura, Scotland|Jura]]
| ''{{lang|non|Djúrey}}''{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=69}}
| Norse
| deer island<ref name=HS47>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 47.</ref>
| Duray
| ''{{lang|gd|Diùra}}''
| Norse: ''{{lang|non|Jurøy}}'' – "udder island"<ref name=HS47/>
|-
| [[Kerrera]]
| ''{{lang|non|Kjarbarey}}''{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=74}}
| Norse
| Kjarbar's island<ref name=HS84>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 84.</ref>
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Cearrara}}''
| Norse: ''{{lang|non|ciarrøy}}'' – "brushwood island"<ref name=HS84/> or "copse island"<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 69.</ref>
|-
| [[Lismore, Scotland|Lismore]]
| ''{{lang|gd|Lios Mòr}}''
| Gaelic
| big garden/enclosure<ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 109.</ref>
| Lismoir
| ''{{lang|gd|Lios Mòr}}''
|
|-
| [[Luing]]
|
| Gaelic
| ship island<ref name=HS70>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 70.</ref>
| Lunge
| ''{{lang|gd|An t-Eilean Luinn}}''
| Norse: ''{{lang|non|lyng}}'' – heather island<ref name=HS70/> or pre-Celtic<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 83.</ref>
|-
| [[Lunga, Firth of Lorn|Lunga]]
| ''{{lang|non|Langrey}}''
| Norse
| longship isle<ref name=HS65>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 65.</ref>
| Lungay
| ''{{lang|gd|Lunga}}''
| Gaelic ''{{lang|non|long}}'' is also "ship"<ref name=HS65/>
|-
| [[Muck, Scotland|Muck]]
| ''{{lang|gd|Eilean nam Muc}}''
| Gaelic
| isle of pigs<ref name=HS132>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 132.</ref>
| Swynes Ile
| ''{{lang|gd|Eilean nam Muc}}''
| ''{{lang|gd|Eilean nam Muc-mhara}}''- "whale island". John of Fordun recorded it as ''Helantmok'' – "isle of swine".<ref name=HS132/>
|-
| [[Isle of Mull|Mull]]
| ''Malaios''
| Pre-Celtic<ref name=G2487/>
|
| Mull
| ''{{lang|gd|Muile}}''
| Recorded by Ptolemy as {{lang|grc-Latn|Malaios}}<ref name=W37 /> possibly meaning "lofty isle".<ref name=W38/> In Norse times it became ''{{lang|non|Mýl}}''.<ref name=G2487/>
|-
| [[Oronsay, Inner Hebrides|Oronsay]]
|{{lang|non|Ørfirisey}}{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=83}}
| Norse
| ebb island<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 93.</ref>
| Ornansay
| ''{{lang|gd|Orasaigh}}''
| Norse: "Oran's island"<ref name=autogenerated4 />
|-
| [[Raasay]]
| ''{{lang|non|Raasey}}''
| Norse
| roe deer island<ref name=HS161>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 161.</ref>
| Raarsay
| ''{{lang|gd|Ratharsair}}''
| ''{{lang|non|Rossøy}}'' – "horse island"<ref name=HS161/>
|-
| [[South Rona|Rona]]
| ''{{lang|non|Hrauney}}'' or ''{{lang|non|Ròney}}''
| Norse or Gaelic/Norse
| "rough island" or "seal island"
| Ronay
| ''{{lang|gd|Rònaigh}}''
|
|-
| [[Rùm|Rum]]
|
| Pre-Celtic<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 102.</ref>
|
| Ronin
| ''{{lang|gd|Rùm}}''
| Various including Norse ''{{lang|non|rõm-øy}}'' for "wide island" or Gaelic ''{{lang|gd|ì-dhruim}}'' – "isle of the ridge"<ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 138.</ref>
|-
| [[Sanday, Inner Hebrides|Sanday]]
| ''{{lang|non|Sandey}}''{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=77}}
| Norse
| sandy island<ref name=HS143/>
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Sandaigh}}''
|
|-
| [[Scalpay, Inner Hebrides|Scalpay]]
| ''{{lang|non|Skalprey}}''{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=78}}
| Norse
| scallop island<ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 153.</ref>
| Scalpay
| ''{{lang|gd|Sgalpaigh}}''
| Norse: "ship island"<ref name=M103>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 103.</ref>
|-
| [[Seil]]
| ''Sal''?
| Probably pre-Celtic<ref name=M104>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 104.</ref>
| "stream"<ref name=HS76 />
| Seill
| ''{{lang|gd|Saoil}}''
| Gaelic: ''{{lang|mga|sealg}}'' – "hunting island"<ref name=HS76/>
|-
| [[Shuna, Slate Islands|Shuna]]
| Unknown
| Norse
| Possibly "sea island"<ref name=MaT105>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 105.</ref>
| Seunay
| ''{{lang|gd|Siuna}}''
| Gaelic ''{{lang|mga|sidhean}}'' – "fairy hill"<ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 63.</ref>
|-
| [[Skye]]
| ''Scitis''<ref>[http://www.kmatthews.org.uk/Ravenna_Cosmography/group34.html "Group 34: islands in the Irish Sea and the Western Isles 1"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508202101/http://www.kmatthews.org.uk/Ravenna_Cosmography/group34.html |date=8 May 2021 }} kmatthews.org.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2008.</ref>
| Pre-Celtic?
| Possibly "winged isle"<ref>Munro, D. (1818) ''Description of the Western Isles of Scotland called Hybrides, by Mr. Donald Munro, High Dean of the Isles, who travelled through most of them in the year 1549.'' Miscellanea Scotica, 2. Quoted in Murray (1966) p. 146.</ref>
| Skye
| ''{{lang|gd|An t-Eilean Sgitheanach}}''
| Numerous – see above
|-
| [[Soay, Skye|Soay]]
| ''{{lang|non|So-ey}}''
| Norse
| sheep island
| Soa Urettil
| ''{{lang|gd|Sòdhaigh}}''
|
|-
| [[Tanera Mòr|Tanera Mor]]
| ''{{lang|non|Hafrarey}}''{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=72}}
| From {{langx|non|hafr}}, he-goat
| Hawrarymoir(?)
| ''{{lang|gd|Tannara Mòr}}''
| Brythonic: ''{{lang|cel|Thanaros}}'', the thunder god,<ref name=HS195/> island of the haven<ref name=HS195>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 195.</ref>
|-
| [[Tiree]]
| ''Tìr'' + ''Eth'', ''Ethica''
| Gaelic + unknown
| Unknown<ref name=W85/>
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Tiriodh}}''
| Norse: ''{{lang|non|Tirvist}}'' of unknown meaning and numerous Gaelic versions, some with a possible meaning of "land of corn"<ref name=W85/>
|-
| [[Ulva]]
| {{lang|non|Ulfey}}{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=80}}
| Norse
| wolf island<ref name=HS102>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 102.</ref>{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=80}}
|
| ''{{lang|gd|Ulbha}}''
| Ulfr's island<ref name=HS102/>
|}

=== Uninhabited islands ===
[[File:Dubh artach.jpg|350px|right|thumb|''{{lang|gd|Dhu Heartach}} Lighthouse, During Construction'' by [[Sam Bough]] (1822–1878)]]
The names of uninhabited islands follow the same general patterns as the inhabited islands. (See the list, below, of the ten largest islands in the Hebrides and their outliers.)

The [[St Kilda, Scotland#Origin of names|etymology of the name "St Kilda"]], a small archipelago west of the Outer Hebrides, and the name of its main island, "[[Hirta]]," is very complex. No [[saint]] is known by the name of Kilda, so various other theories have been proposed for the word's origin, which dates from the late 16th century.<ref>Buchanan (1983) Pages 2–6.</ref> Haswell-Smith (2004) notes that the full name "St Kilda" first appears on a Dutch map dated 1666, and that it may derive from the Norse phrase ''{{lang|non|sunt kelda}}'' ("sweet wellwater") or from a mistaken Dutch assumption that the spring ''{{lang|gd|Tobar Childa}}'' was dedicated to a saint. (''{{lang|gd|Tobar Childa}}'' is a [[list of tautological place names|tautological placename]], consisting of the [[Scottish Gaelic language|Gaelic]] and [[Old Norse|Norse]] words for ''well'', i.e., "well well").<ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 314–25.</ref> Similarly unclear is the origin of the Gaelic for "Hirta", ''{{lang|gd|Hiort}}'', ''{{lang|gd|Hirt}}'', or ''{{lang|gd|Irt}}''<ref>Newton, Michael Steven. The Naughty Little Book of Gaelic: All the Scottish Gaelic You Need to Curse, Swear, Drink, Smoke and Fool around. Sydney, Nova Scotia: Cape Breton UP, 2014.</ref> a name for the island that long pre-dates the name "St Kilda". Watson (1926) suggests that it may derive from the Old Irish word ''{{lang|sga|hirt}}'' ("death"), possibly a reference to the often lethally dangerous surrounding sea.<ref>Watson (1994) p. 97.</ref> Maclean (1977) notes that an [[Icelanders' sagas|Icelandic saga]] about an early 13th-century voyage to Ireland refers to "the islands of ''{{lang|non|Hirtir}}''", which means "stags" in Norse, and suggests that the outline of the island of Hirta resembles the shape of a [[stag]], speculating that therefore the name "Hirta" may be a reference to the island's shape.<ref>Maclean (1977) page 33.</ref>

The etymology of the names of small islands may be no less complex and elusive. In relation to {{lang|gd|[[Dubh Artach]]}}, [[Robert Louis Stevenson]] believed that "black and dismal" was one translation of the name, noting that "as usual, in Gaelic, it is not the only one."<ref>Stevenson (1872) p. 10.</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Island
! Derivation
! Language
! Meaning
! Munro (1549)
! Alternatives
|-
| [[Ceann Ear]]
| ''{{lang|gd|Ceann Ear}}''
| Gaelic
| east headland
|
|-
| [[Hirta]]
| ''Hirt''
| Possibly Old Irish
| death
| Hirta
| Numerous – see above
|-
| [[Mingulay]]
| ''{{lang|non|Miklaey}}''{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=76}}
| Norse
| big island<ref>Buxton (1995) p. 33.</ref>{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=76}}
| Megaly
| "Main hill island".<ref name=M87>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 87</ref> Murray (1973) states that the name "appropriately means Bird Island".<ref>Murray (1973) p. 41.</ref>
|-
| [[Pabbay, Harris|Pabbay]]
| {{lang|non|Papaey}}{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=76}}
| Norse
| priest island<ref name=M94>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 94.</ref>
| Pabay
|  
|-
| [[Ronay]]
| 
| Norse
| rough island<ref name=M101>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 101.</ref>
| 
|-
| [[Sandray]]
| ''{{lang|non|Sandray}}''<ref>Buxton (1995) p. 158.</ref>
| Norse
| sand island<ref name=M103 />
| Sanderay
| beach island{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=77}}
|-
| [[Scarba]]
|
| Norse
| cormorant island<ref name=M104 />
| Skarbay
|{{lang|non|Skarpey}}, sharp or infertile island{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=78}}
|-
| [[Scarp, Scotland|Scarp]]
| ''{{lang|non|Skarpoe}}''<ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) p 285.</ref>
| Norse
| "barren"<ref name=M104/> or "stony"
| Scarpe
|
|-
| [[Taransay]]
| 
| Norse
| Taran's island<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 111.</ref>
| Tarandsay
|{{lang|non|Haraldsey}}, Harold's island{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=72}}
|-
| [[Wiay, Uist|Wiay]]
| {{lang|non|Búey}}{{sfn|Gammeltoft|2006|p=69}}
| Norse
| From {{lang|non|bú}}, a settlement
|
| Possibly "house island"<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 118.</ref>
|}

==History==
{{Main|Inner Hebrides|Outer Hebrides|History of the Outer Hebrides}}

=== Prehistory ===
[[File:Callanish standing stones 1.jpg|right|thumb|[[Callanish Stones|Callanish stone circle]]]]
The Hebrides were settled during the [[Mesolithic|Mesolithic era]] around 6500&nbsp;BC or earlier, after the climatic conditions improved enough to sustain human settlement. Occupation at a site on {{lang|gd|[[Rùm]]}} is dated to 8590 ±95 uncorrected radiocarbon years [[Before Present|BP]], which is amongst the oldest evidence of occupation in Scotland.<ref>Edwards, Kevin J. and Whittington, Graeme "Vegetation Change" in Edwards & Ralston (2003) p. 70.</ref><ref>Edwards, Kevin J., and Mithen, Steven (Feb. 1995) [https://www.jstor.org/pss/124921 "The Colonization of the Hebridean Islands of Western Scotland: Evidence from the Palynological and Archaeological Records,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222121320/https://www.jstor.org/stable/124921 |date=22 December 2022 }} ''World Archaeology''. '''26'''. No. 3. p. 348. Retrieved 20 April 2008.</ref> There are many examples of structures from the [[Neolithic]] period, the finest example being the [[Callanish Stones|standing stones at Callanish]], dating to the 3rd millennium BC.<ref>Li, Martin (2005) [https://books.google.com/books?id=SKvBKzuwuo8C&dq=date+of+callanish+stones&pg=RA2-PA509 ''Adventure Guide to Scotland''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222121320/https://books.google.com/books?id=SKvBKzuwuo8C&pg=RA2-PA509&lpg=RA2-PA509&dq=date+of+callanish+stones&source=web&ots=4EAMDPGS3e&sig=Q1uZ5xEkW2iVuWhI2iBLPb8clH8 |date=22 December 2022 }}. Hunter Publishing. p. 509.</ref> [[Cladh Hallan]], a [[Bronze Age]] settlement on South Uist is the only site in the UK where prehistoric [[Mummy|mummies]] have been found.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/excavations_techniques/mummies_cladhhallan_01.shtml "Mummification in Bronze Age Britain"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110128141100/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/excavations_techniques/mummies_cladhhallan_01.shtml |date=28 January 2011 }} BBC History. Retrieved 11 February 2008.</ref><ref>[http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/research/cladh-hallan "The Prehistoric Village at Cladh Hallan"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125060538/http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/research/cladh-hallan |date=25 November 2016 }}. University of Sheffield. Retrieved 21 February 2008.</ref>

=== Celtic era ===
{{main|Dál Riata}}
In 55&nbsp;BC, the Greek historian [[Diodorus Siculus]] wrote that there was an island called ''[[Hyperborea]]'' (which means "beyond the North Wind"), where a round temple stood from which the moon appeared only a little distance above the earth every 19 years. This may have been a reference to the stone circle at Callanish.<ref>See for example Haycock, David Boyd. [http://www.newtonproject.sussex.ac.uk/texts/viewtext.php?id=OTHE00024&mode=normalized "Much Greater, Than Commonly Imagined."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226101259/http://www.newtonproject.sussex.ac.uk/texts/viewtext.php?id=OTHE00024&mode=normalized|date=26 February 2009}} [[Newton Project|The Newton Project]]. Retrieved 14 March 2008.</ref>

A traveller called Demetrius of Tarsus related to [[Plutarch]] the tale of an expedition to the west coast of Scotland in or shortly before 83&nbsp;AD. He stated it was a gloomy journey amongst uninhabited islands, but he had visited one which was the retreat of holy men. He mentioned neither the [[druids]] nor the name of the island.<ref>Moffat, Alistair (2005) ''Before Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History''. London. Thames & Hudson. pp. 239–40.</ref>

The first written records of native life begin in the 6th century AD, when the founding of the kingdom of [[Dál Riata]] took place.<ref>Nieke, Margaret R. "Secular Society from the Iron Age to Dál Riata and the Kingdom of Scots" in Omand (2006) p. 60.</ref> This encompassed roughly what is now [[Argyll and Bute]] and [[Lochaber]] in Scotland and [[County Antrim]] in Ireland.<ref name="OxfordCompanion1">Lynch (2007) pp. 161 162.</ref> The figure of [[Columba]] looms large in any history of Dál Riata, and his founding of a monastery on [[Iona]] ensured that the kingdom would be of great importance in the spread of Christianity in northern Britain. However, Iona was far from unique. [[Lismore, Scotland|Lismore]] in the territory of the Cenél Loairn, was sufficiently important for the death of its abbots to be recorded with some frequency and many smaller sites, such as on [[Eigg]], [[Hinba]], and [[Tiree]], are known from the annals.<ref>Clancy, Thomas Owen "Church institutions: early medieval" in Lynch (2001).</ref>

North of Dál Riata, the Inner and Outer Hebrides were nominally under [[Picts|Pictish]] control, although the historical record is sparse. Hunter (2000) states that in relation to King [[Bridei I of the Picts]] in the sixth century: "As for Shetland, Orkney, Skye and the Western Isles, their inhabitants, most of whom appear to have been Pictish in culture and speech at this time, are likely to have regarded Bridei as a fairly distant presence."<ref name=Hunt44>Hunter (2000) pp. 44, 49.</ref>

=== Norwegian control ===
[[File:Kingdom of Mann and the Isles-en.svg|thumb|right|The [[Kingdom of the Isles]] about the year 1100]]
{{main|Kingdom of the Isles}}
[[Viking]] raids began on Scottish shores towards the end of the 8th century, and the Hebrides came under Norse control and settlement during the ensuing decades, especially following the success of [[Harald I of Norway|Harald Fairhair]] at the [[Battle of Hafrsfjord|Battle of {{lang|non|Hafrsfjord|nocat=y}}]] in 872.<ref>Hunter (2000) p. 74.</ref><ref>Rotary Club (1995) p. 12.</ref> In the Western Isles [[Ketill Flatnose]] may have been the dominant figure of the mid 9th century, by which time he had amassed a substantial island realm and made a variety of alliances with other [[Norsemen|Norse]] leaders. These princelings nominally owed allegiance to the Norwegian crown, although in practice the latter's control was fairly limited.<ref>Hunter (2000) p. 78.</ref> Norse control of the Hebrides was formalised in 1098 when [[Edgar of Scotland]] formally signed the islands over to [[Magnus III of Norway]].<ref name=H102>Hunter (2000) p. 102.</ref> The Scottish acceptance of Magnus III as King of the Isles came after the Norwegian king had conquered [[Orkney]], the Hebrides and the [[Isle of Man]] in a swift campaign earlier the same year, directed against the local Norwegian leaders of the various island petty kingdoms. By capturing the islands Magnus imposed a more direct royal control, although at a price. His [[skald]] Bjorn Cripplehand recorded that in Lewis "fire played high in the heaven" as "flame spouted from the houses" and that in the Uists "the king dyed his sword red in blood".<ref name=H102/>{{refn|Thompson (1968) provides a more literal translation: "Fire played in the fig-trees of Liodhus; it mounted up to heaven. Far and wide the people were driven to flight. The fire gushed out of the houses".<ref name="auto">Thompson (1968) p. 39.</ref>|group=Note}}

The Hebrides were now part of the [[Kingdom of the Isles]], whose rulers were themselves vassals of the Kings of Norway. This situation lasted until the partitioning of the Western Isles in 1156, at which time the Outer Hebrides remained under Norwegian control while the Inner Hebrides broke out under [[Somerled]], the [[Norse-Gael]] kinsman of the Manx royal house.<ref>[https://thevikingworld.pbworks.com/The-Kingdom-of-Mann-and-the-Isles "The Kingdom of Mann and the Isles"] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121217163834/https://thevikingworld.pbworks.com/The-Kingdom-of-Mann-and-the-Isles |date=17 December 2012 }} The Viking World. Retrieved 6 July 2010.</ref>

Following the ill-fated [[Scottish–Norwegian War|1263 expedition]] of [[Haakon IV of Norway]], the Outer Hebrides and the Isle of Man were yielded to the Kingdom of Scotland as a result of the 1266 [[Treaty of Perth]].<ref>Hunter (2000) pp. 109–111.</ref> Although their contribution to the islands can still be found in personal and place names, the archaeological record of the Norse period is very limited. The best known find is the [[Lewis chessmen]], which date from the mid 12th century.<ref>Thompson (1968) p. 37.</ref>

=== Scottish control ===
[[File:Kisimul Castle.jpg|thumb|[[Kisimul Castle]], the ancient seat of [[Clan MacNeil]], [[Castlebay]], [[Barra]]]]
As the Norse era drew to a close, the Norse-speaking princes were gradually replaced by Gaelic-speaking [[Scottish clan|clan]] chiefs including the [[Clan MacLeod|MacLeods]] of Lewis and Harris, [[Clan Donald]] and [[Clan MacNeil|MacNeil of Barra]].<ref name="auto"/><ref>Rotary Club (1995) pp. 27, 30.</ref>{{refn|The transitional relationships between Norse and Gaelic-speaking rulers are complex. The ''{{lang|gd|Gall-Ghàidhels}}'' who dominated much of the Irish Sea region and western Scotland at this time were of joint Gaelic and Scandinavian origin. When Somerled wrested the southern Inner Hebrides from [[Godred II Olafsson|Godred the Black]] in 1156, this was the beginnings of a break with nominal Norse rule in the Hebrides. Godred remained the ruler of Mann and the Outer Hebrides, but two years later Somerled's invasion of the former caused him to flee to Norway. Norse control was further weakened in the ensuring century, but the Hebrides were not formally ceded by Norway until 1266.<ref>Gregory (1881) pp. 13–15, 20–21.</ref><ref>Downham (2007) pp. 174–75.</ref> The transitions from one language to another are also complex. For example, many Scandinavian sources from this period of time typically refer to individuals as having a Scandinavian first name and a Gaelic by-name.<ref>Gammeltoft, Peder "Scandinavian Naming-Systems in the Hebrides: A Way of Understanding how the Scandinavians were in Contact with Gaels and Picts?" in Ballin Smith ''et al'' (2007) p. 480.</ref>|group=Note}} This transition did little to relieve the islands of internecine strife although by the early 14th century the MacDonald [[Lord of the Isles|Lords of the Isles]], based on Islay, were in theory these chiefs' feudal superiors and managed to exert some control.<ref>Hunter (2000) pp. 127, 166.</ref>

The Lords of the Isles ruled the Inner Hebrides as well as part of the Western Highlands as subjects of the King of Scots until [[John of Islay, Earl of Ross|John MacDonald]], fourth Lord of the Isles, squandered the family's powerful position. A rebellion by his nephew, [[Alexander of Lochalsh]] provoked an exasperated [[James IV of Scotland|James IV]] to forfeit the family's lands in 1493.<ref>Oram, Richard "The Lordship of the Isles: 1336–1545" in Omand (2006) pp. 135–38.</ref>

In 1598, King [[James VI and I|James VI]] authorised some [[Fife Adventurers|"Gentleman Adventurers" from Fife]] to civilise the "most barbarous Isle of Lewis".<ref name=RC12>Rotary Club (1995) pp. 12–13.</ref> Initially successful, the colonists were driven out by local forces commanded by Murdoch and Neil MacLeod, who based their forces on {{lang|gd|[[Bearasaigh]]}} in {{lang|gd|[[Loch Ròg]]}}. The colonists tried again in 1605 with the same result, but a third attempt in 1607 was more successful and in due course [[Stornoway]] became a [[Burgh of barony|Burgh of Barony]].<ref name=RC12/><ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 312.</ref> By this time, Lewis was held by the Mackenzies of [[Kintail]] (later the [[Earl of Seaforth|Earls of Seaforth]]), who pursued a more enlightened approach, investing in [[fishing]] in particular. The Seaforths' royalist inclinations led to Lewis becoming garrisoned during the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]] by [[Oliver Cromwell|Cromwell]]'s troops, who destroyed the old castle in Stornoway.<ref name=R42>Thompson (1968) pp. 41–42.</ref>

===Early British era===
[[File:Clachan Bridge.jpg|thumb|[[Clachan Bridge]] between the mainland of [[Great Britain]] and [[Seil]], also known as the "Bridge across the Atlantic", was built in 1792.<ref>Murray (1977) p. 121.</ref>]]
With the implementation of the [[Treaty of Union]] in 1707, the Hebrides became part of the new [[Kingdom of Great Britain]], but the clans' loyalties to a distant monarch were not strong. A considerable number of islesmen "came out" in support of the Jacobite [[Earl of Mar]] in the [[Jacobite rising of 1715|1715]] and again in the [[Jacobite Rising of 1745|1745]] rising including Macleod of [[Dunvegan]] and [[Clan MacLea|MacLea]] of Lismore.<ref>[http://www.castlescotland.net/the-castles/d/dunvegan.html "Dunvegan"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604044350/http://www.castlescotland.net/the-castles/d/dunvegan.html |date=4 June 2013 }} castlescotland.net Retrieved 17 January 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.clanmclea.co.uk/Donald_Livingstone.htm "Incidents of the Jacobite Risings – Donald Livingstone"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716140636/http://www.clanmclea.co.uk/Donald_Livingstone.htm |date=16 July 2011 }} clanmclea.co.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2011.</ref> The aftermath of the decisive [[Battle of Culloden]], which effectively ended Jacobite hopes of a Stuart restoration, was widely felt.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/union/trails_union_culloden.shtml "The Battle of Culloden"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208150310/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/union/trails_union_culloden.shtml |date=8 December 2019 }} BBC. Retrieved 16 January 2011.</ref> The British government's strategy was to estrange the clan chiefs from their kinsmen and turn their descendants into English-speaking landlords whose main concern was the revenues their estates brought rather than the welfare of those who lived on them.<ref name=H195>Hunter (2000) pp. 195–96, 204–06.</ref> This may have brought peace to the islands, but in the following century it came at a terrible price. In the wake of the rebellion, the clan system was broken up and islands of the Hebrides became a series of landed estates.<ref name=H195/><ref>Hunter (2000) pp. 207–08.</ref>

The early 19th century was a time of improvement and population growth. Roads and quays were built; the [[slate]] industry became a significant employer on [[Easdale]] and surrounding islands; and the construction of the [[Crinan Canal|Crinan]] and [[Caledonian Canal|Caledonian]] canals and other engineering works such as [[Clachan Bridge]] improved transport and access.<ref>Duncan, P. J. "The Industries of Argyll: Tradition and Improvement" in Omand (2006) pp. 152–53.</ref> However, in the mid-19th century, the inhabitants of many parts of the Hebrides were devastated by the [[Highland Clearances|Clearances]], which destroyed communities throughout the [[Highlands and Islands]] as the human populations were evicted and replaced with sheep farms.<ref>Hunter (2000) p. 212.</ref> The position was exacerbated by the failure of the islands' [[kelp]] industry that thrived from the 18th century until the end of the [[Napoleonic Wars]] in 1815<ref>Hunter (2000) pp. 247, 262.</ref><ref>Duncan, P. J. "The Industries of Argyll: Tradition and Improvement" in Omand (2006) pp. 157–58.</ref> and large scale emigration became endemic.<ref>Hunter (2000) p. 280.</ref>

As {{lang|gd|[[Iain Mac Fhearchair]]}}, a Gaelic poet from [[South Uist]], wrote for his countrymen who were obliged to leave the Hebrides in the late 18th century, emigration was the only alternative to "sinking into slavery" as the Gaels had been unfairly dispossessed by rapacious landlords.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Newton |first1=Michael |title=Highland Clearances Part 3 |url=https://virtualgael.wordpress.com/2013/11/25/highland-clearances-3/ |website=The Virtual Gael |access-date=7 January 2017 |archive-date=29 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229101022/https://virtualgael.wordpress.com/2013/11/25/highland-clearances-3/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> In the 1880s, the "[[Camastianavaig|Battle of the Braes]]" involved a demonstration against unfair land regulation and eviction, stimulating the calling of the [[Napier Commission]]. Disturbances continued until the passing of the 1886 [[Crofters' Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886|Crofters' Act]].<ref>Hunter (2000) pp. 308–23.</ref>

==Language==
[[File:Scots Gaelic speakers in the 2011 census.png|thumb|220px|right|Geographic distribution of Gaelic speakers in Scotland (2011)]]
The residents of the Hebrides have spoken a variety of different languages during the long period of human occupation.

It is assumed that [[Pictish language|Pictish]] must once have predominated in the northern Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides.<ref name=Hunt44/><ref>Watson (1994) p. 65.</ref> The [[Scottish Gaelic]] language arrived from [[Ireland]] due to the growing influence of the kingdom of [[Dál Riata]] from the 6th century AD onwards, and became the dominant language of the southern Hebrides at that time.<ref>Armit, Ian "The Iron Age" in Omand (2006) p. 57.</ref><ref name=Woolf95>Woolf, Alex "The Age of the Sea-Kings: 900–1300" in Omand (2006) p. 95.</ref> For a few centuries, the military might of the ''{{lang|gd|[[Norse-Gaels|Gall-Ghàidheil]]}}'' meant that Old Norse was prevalent in the Hebrides. North of {{lang|gd|[[Ardnamurchan]]}}, the place names that existed prior to the 9th century have been all but obliterated.<ref name=Woolf95/> The Old Norse name for the Hebrides during the [[Viking]] occupation was ''{{lang|non|Suðreyjar}}'', which means "Southern Isles"; in contrast to the ''{{lang|non|Norðreyjar}}'', or "[[Northern Isles]]" of Orkney and [[Shetland]].<ref>Brown, James (1892) [http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/james-b-james-brown-johnston/place-names-of-scotland-ala/page-4-place-names-of-scotland-ala.shtml "Place-names of Scotland"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710164954/http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/james-b-james-brown-johnston/place-names-of-scotland-ala/page-4-place-names-of-scotland-ala.shtml |date=10 July 2011 }} p. 4 ebooksread.com. Retrieved 13 February 2011.</ref>

South of {{lang|gd|Ardnamurchan}}, Gaelic place names are more common,<ref name=Woolf95/> and after the 13th century, Gaelic became the main language of the entire Hebridean archipelago. Due to [[Scots language|Scots]] and [[English language|English]] being favoured in government and the educational system, the Hebrides have been in a state of [[diglossia]] since at least the 17th century. The [[Highland Clearances]] of the 19th century accelerated the [[language shift]] away from Scottish Gaelic, as did increased migration and the continuing lower status of [[Gaels|Gaelic speakers]].<ref name="Local Studies">{{cite web |last1=Duwe |first1=Kurt C. |title=Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic) Local Studies |url=http://www.linguae-celticae.org/GLS_english.htm |website=Linguae Celticae |date=17 May 2005 |access-date=7 January 2017 |archive-date=29 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229110410/http://www.linguae-celticae.org/GLS_english.htm |url-status=usurped }}</ref> Nevertheless, as late as the end of the 19th century, there were significant populations of monolingual Gaelic speakers, and the Hebrides still contain the highest percentages of Gaelic speakers in Scotland. This is especially true of the Outer Hebrides, where a slim majority speak the language.<ref name="Local Studies" /><ref>{{lang|gd|Mac an Tàilleir, Iain}} (2004) {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20101207211745/http://www.linguae-celticae.org/dateien/Gaelic_1901-2001.ppt "1901–2001 Gaelic in the Census"]}} (PowerPoint) Linguae Celticae. Retrieved 1 June 2008.</ref> The Scottish Gaelic college, {{lang|gd|[[Sabhal Mòr Ostaig]]}}, is based on Skye and Islay.<ref>{{lang|gd|[http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/A-Cholaiste/index_gd.html "A' Cholaiste"]}}. UHI. Retrieved 30 May 2011.</ref>

Ironically, given the status of the Western Isles as the last Gaelic-speaking stronghold in Scotland, the Gaelic language name for the islands – ''{{lang|gd|Innse Gall}}'' – means "isles of the foreigners"; from the time when they were under Norse colonisation.<ref>Hunter (2000) p. 104.</ref>

==Modern economy==
[[File:Ellenabeich - geograph.org.uk - 95384.jpg|thumb|right|Sea-filled [[slate]] quarries on [[Seil]] (foreground) and [[Easdale]] in the [[Slate Islands, Scotland|Slate Islands]]]]
For those who remained, new economic opportunities emerged through the export of cattle, commercial fishing and tourism.<ref>Hunter (2000) p. 292.</ref> Nonetheless, emigration and military service became the choice of many<ref>Hunter (2000) p. 343.</ref> and the archipelago's populations continued to dwindle throughout the late 19th century and for much of the 20th century.<ref>Duncan, P. J. "The Industries of Argyll: Tradition and Improvement" in Omand (2006) p. 169.</ref><ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 47, 87.</ref> Lengthy periods of continuous occupation notwithstanding, many of the smaller islands were abandoned.<ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 57, 99.</ref>

There were, however, continuing gradual economic improvements, among the most visible of which was the replacement of the traditional thatched [[blackhouse]] with accommodation of a more modern design<ref>[http://www.isle-of-lewis.com/history/blackhouses.htm "Blackhouses"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100119035350/http://www.isle-of-lewis.com/history/blackhouses.htm |date=19 January 2010 }}. isle-of-lewis.com Retrieved 17 January 2011.</ref> and with the assistance of [[Highlands and Islands Enterprise]] many of the islands' populations have begun to increase after decades of decline.<ref name=GRO/> The discovery of substantial deposits of [[North Sea oil]] in 1965 and the [[renewable energy in Scotland|renewables sector]] have contributed to a degree of economic stability in recent decades. For example, the [[Arnish yard]] has had a chequered history but has been a significant employer in both the oil and renewables industries.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7136490.stm |title=Yard wins biggest wind tower job |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=10 December 2007 |access-date=6 January 2011}}</ref>

The widespread immigration of mainlanders, particularly non-Gaelic speakers, has been a subject of controversy.<ref name="academia">{{citation |jstor=20622703 |title=Ideology, Affect, and Socialization in Language Shift and Revitalization: The Experiences of Adults Learning Gaelic in the Western Isles of Scotland |url=https://www.academia.edu/367456 |last1=McEwan-Fujita |first1=Emily |journal=Language in Society |year=2010 |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=27–64 |doi=10.1017/S0047404509990649 |s2cid=145694600}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Charles Jedrej |author2=Mark Nuttall |title=White Settlers: Impact/Cultural |date=1996 |page=117 |publisher=Routledge |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iXbdAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA106 |access-date=25 January 2017 |isbn=9781134368501}}</ref>

Agriculture practised by crofters remained popular in the 21st century in the Hebrides; crofters own a small property but often share a large common grazing area. Various types of funding are available to crofters to help supplement their incomes, including the "Basic Payment Scheme, the suckler beef support scheme, the upland sheep support scheme and the Less Favoured Area support scheme". One reliable source discussed the Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme (CAGS) in March 2020:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/business-management/how-small-scale-crofters-in-scotland-survive-the-challenges |title=How small-scale crofters in the Hebrides survive the challenges. |date=27 March 2020}}</ref><blockquote>the scheme "pays up to £25,000 per claim in any two-year period, covering 80% of investment costs for those who are under 41 and have had their croft less than five years. Older, more established crofters can get 60% grants".</blockquote>

==Media and the arts==
===Music===
[[File:Scotland-Staffa-Fingals-Cave-1900.jpg|right|thumb|Entrance to [[Fingal's Cave]], [[Staffa]]]]
Many contemporary Gaelic musicians have roots in the Hebrides, including vocalist and multi-instrumentalist [[Julie Fowlis]] (North Uist),<ref name="Thistle">{{cite web |title=Julie Fowlis |work=Thistle and Shamrock |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=22 May 2013 |url=https://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/186500705/thistle-and-shamrock-julie-fowlis |access-date=10 June 2013}}</ref> [[Catherine-Ann MacPhee]] (Barra), [[Kathleen MacInnes]] of the band [[Capercaillie (band)|Capercaillie]] (South Uist), and [[Ishbel MacAskill]] (Lewis). All of these singers have composed their own music in Scottish Gaelic, with much of their repertoire stemming from Hebridean vocal traditions, such as ''{{lang|gd|[[puirt à beul]]}}'' ("mouth music", similar to Irish [[lilting]]) and ''{{lang|gd|òrain luaidh}}'' ([[waulking song]]s). This tradition includes many songs composed by little-known or anonymous poets, well-before the 1800s, such as "{{lang|gd|[[Fear a' bhàta]]}}", "{{lang|gd|[[Ailein duinn]]}}", "{{lang|gd|[[Hùg Air A' Bhonaid Mhòir|Hùg air a' bhonaid mhòir]]}}" and "{{lang|gd|[[Alasdair Mac Colla#Alasdair Mac Colla|Alasdair mhic Cholla Ghasda]]}}". Several of [[Runrig]]'s songs are inspired by the archipelago; Calum and {{lang|gd|Ruaraidh Dòmhnallach}} were raised on North Uist<ref name="imdb">{{IMDb name|id=1069730|name=Calum MacDonald}}. Retrieved 15 April 2017.</ref> and Donnie Munro on Skye.<ref>[http://www.donniemunro.co.uk/bio.htm "Donnie Munro: Biography"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530191658/http://donniemunro.co.uk/bio.htm |date=30 May 2014}} donniemunro.co.uk. Retrieved 5 April 2007.</ref>

===Literature===
The Gaelic poet {{lang|gd|[[Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair]]}} spent much of his life in the Hebrides and often referred to them in his poetry, including in ''{{lang|gd|[[An Airce]]}}'' and ''{{lang|gd|[[Birlinn Chlann Raghnaill]]}}''.<ref>[[John Lorne Campbell]], "[[Canna, Scotland|Canna]]: The Story of a Hebridean Island," [[Oxford University Press]], 1984, pages 104–105.</ref> The best known Gaelic poet of her era, {{lang|gd|Màiri Mhòr nan Òran}} ([[Mary MacPherson]], 1821–98), embodied the spirit of the land agitation of the 1870s and 1880s. This, and her powerful evocation of the Hebrides—she was from Skye—has made her among the most enduring Gaelic poets.<ref name=MacDonald2001pp255-7>J. MacDonald, "Gaelic literature" in M. Lynch, ed., ''The Oxford Companion to Scottish History'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), {{ISBN|0-19-211696-7}}, pp.&nbsp;255–7.</ref> [[Allan MacDonald (poet)|Allan MacDonald]] (1859–1905), who spent his adult life on [[Eriskay]] and [[South Uist]], composed hymns and verse in honour of the Blessed Virgin, the Christ Child, and the Eucharist. In his secular poetry, MacDonald praised the beauty of Eriskay and its people. In his [[verse drama]], ''{{lang|gd|Parlamaid nan Cailleach}}'' (''The Old Wives' Parliament''), he lampooned the gossiping of his female parishioners and local marriage customs.<ref>''School of Scottish Studies''. (1967) University of Edinburgh. '''11–12''' p. 109.</ref>

In the 20th century, [[Murdo Macfarlane]] of Lewis wrote ''{{lang|gd|[[Cànan nan Gàidheal]]}}'', a well-known poem about the Gaelic revival in the Outer Hebrides.<ref>{{cite web |title=Làrach nam Bàrd |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/alba/foghlam/larachnambard/am_bard/murchadh_macpharlain.shtml |publisher=[[BBC Alba]]}}</ref> [[Sorley MacLean]], the most respected 20th-century Gaelic writer, was born and raised on [[Raasay]], where he set his best known poem, ''{{lang|gd|[[Hallaig]]}}'', about the devastating effect of the [[Highland Clearances]].<ref>[http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/poetry/story/0,6000,850690,00.html MacLean, Sorley (1954) ''Hallaig''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830060812/http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/poetry/story/0,6000,850690,00.html |date=30 August 2008 }}. Gairm magazine. Translation by Seamus Heaney (2002). Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2011.</ref> {{lang|gd|[[Angus Peter Campbell|Aonghas Phàdraig Caimbeul]]}}, raised on South Uist and described by MacLean as "one of the few really significant living poets in Scotland, writing in any language" ([[West Highland Free Press]], October 1992)<ref name="anguspetercampbell">{{cite web |url=http://www.anguspetercampbell.co.uk/biography |publisher=[[Angus Peter Campbell]] |title=Angus Peter Campbell &#124; Aonghas Phadraig Caimbeul – Fiosrachadh/Biog |access-date=15 April 2017 |archive-date=2 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102171923/http://www.anguspetercampbell.co.uk/biography |url-status=dead}}</ref> wrote the Scottish Gaelic-language novel ''{{lang|gd|[[An Oidhche Mus do Sheòl Sinn]]}}'' which was voted in the Top Ten of the 100 Best-Ever Books from Scotland.

Virginia Woolf's ''To The Lighthouse'' is set on the Isle of Skye, part of the Inner Hebrides.

===Film===
*The area around [[Sgurr Dearg|the Inaccessible Pinnacle of {{lang|gd|Sgurr Dearg|nocat=y}}]] of [[Skye]] provided the setting for the Scottish Gaelic feature film ''[[Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle]]'' (2006).<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q2749603|title=Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle (2007)}}</ref> The script was written by the actor, novelist, and poet [[Angus Peter Campbell|Aonghas Phàdraig Chaimbeul]], who also starred in the movie.<ref name="anguspetercampbell"/>
*''{{lang|gd|An Drochaid}}'', an hour-long documentary in Scottish Gaelic, was made for [[BBC Alba]] documenting the battle to remove tolls from the Skye bridge.<ref>{{cite web |title=An Drochaid / The Bridge Rising |url=http://mediaco-op.net/projects/bbc-alba-creative-scotland-an-drochaid-a-bridge-too-far |website=Media Co-op |access-date=25 January 2017 |date=January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202044647/http://mediaco-op.net/projects/bbc-alba-creative-scotland-an-drochaid-a-bridge-too-far |archive-date=2 February 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=An Drochaid |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pkpb0 |publisher=[[BBC Alba]] |access-date=25 January 2017}}</ref>
*The 1973 film, ''[[The Wicker Man]]'', is set on the fictional Hebridean island of Summerisle. The filming itself took place in Galloway and Skye<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-15 |title=How The Wicker Man changed the face of horror |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-wicker-man-christopher-lee-edward-woodward-horror-b422172.html |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Wicker Man – The Various Versions of "The Wicker Man" |url=https://www.steve-p.org/wm/ |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=steve-p.org}}</ref>
*''[[I Know Where I'm Going!]]'' (1945) is set on and was filmed on locations on [[Isle of Mull|Mull]] and the whirlpool in the [[Gulf of Corryvreckan]].<ref>{{Citation |title=I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) – IMDb |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037800/reference/ |access-date=2024-02-18}}</ref>

===Video games===
*The 2012 exploration adventure game [[Dear Esther]] by developer [[The Chinese Room]] is set on an unnamed island in the Hebrides.
*The Hebrides are featured in the 2021 video game ''[[Battlefield 2042]]'' as the setting of the multiplayer map Redacted, which was introduced into the game in October 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://videogames.si.com/features/battlefield-2042-season-6-preview|title=Battlefield 2042 is getting overhauled for Season 6: Dark Creations|date=5 October 2023|website=Sports Illustrated Video Games|access-date=23 October 2023}}</ref>

===Influence on visitors===
*[[J.M. Barrie]]'s ''Marie Rose'' contains references to Harris inspired by a holiday visit to [[Amhuinnsuidhe Castle|{{lang|gd|Amhuinnsuidhe|nocat=y}} Castle]] and he wrote a screenplay for the [[Peter Pan (1924 film)|1924 film adaptation]] of ''[[Peter and Wendy|Peter Pan]]'' whilst on {{lang|gd|[[Eilean Shona]]}}.<ref>[http://culturehebrides.com/hebrideans/visitors/ "Famous Visitors to the Islands – ''{{lang{{!}}gd{{!}}Luchd-tadhail Ainmeil{{!}}nocat=y}}''"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021017093503/http://www.culturehebrides.com/hebrideans/visitors/ |date=17 October 2002 }} Culture Hebrides. Retrieved 26 July 2008.</ref><ref>Thomson, Gordon (28 May 2009) [http://www.newstatesman.com/books/2009/06/orwell-jura-barnhill-island "The house where Big Brother was born"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231200137/http://www.newstatesman.com/books/2009/06/orwell-jura-barnhill-island |date=31 December 2010 }} ''New Statesman''. Retrieved 11 July 2011.</ref><ref>Bold, Alan (29 December 1983) [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=98FAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8aUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2729,5009759&dq=jura+barnhill+orwell&hl=en The Making of Orwell's 1984] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924022916/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=98FAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8aUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2729,5009759&dq=jura+barnhill+orwell&hl=en |date=24 September 2015 }} ''The Glasgow Herald''.</ref><ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 130.</ref>
*''[[Hebrides Overture|The Hebrides]]'', also known as ''Fingal's Cave'', is a famous overture composed by [[Felix Mendelssohn]] while residing on these islands, while [[Granville Bantock]] composed the ''Hebridean Symphony''.
*[[Enya]]'s song "Ebudæ" from ''[[Shepherd Moons]]'' is named after the Hebrides (see [[#Etymology|below]]).<ref>[http://www.pathname.com/enya/shepherd_moons.html#ebudae "Translations for Shepherd Moons"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613104351/http://www.pathname.com/enya/shepherd_moons.html#ebudae |date=13 June 2011 }}. pathname.com. Retrieved 20 May 2011.</ref>
*The 1973 British horror film ''[[The Wicker Man (1973 film)|The Wicker Man]]'' is set on the fictional Hebridean island of Summerisle.<ref>[http://www.steve-p.org/wm/ "The various versions of The Wicker Man"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512082427/http://www.steve-p.org/wm/ |date=12 May 2013 }}. Steve Philips. Retrieved 18 June 2013.</ref>
*The 2011 British romantic comedy ''[[The Decoy Bride]]'' is set on the fictional Hebrides island of Hegg.<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q3545595|title=The Decoy Bride}}</ref>

==Natural history==
In some respects the Hebrides lack biodiversity in comparison to mainland Britain; for example, there are only half as many mammalian species.<ref>Murray (1973) p. 72.</ref> However, these islands provide breeding grounds for many important [[seabird]] species including the world's largest colony of [[northern gannet]]s.<ref>[http://www.kilda.org.uk/frame2.htm "Seabirds"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603050143/http://www.kilda.org.uk/frame2.htm |date=3 June 2013 }}. National Trust for Scotland. Retrieved 20 July 2013.</ref> Avian life includes the [[corn crake|corncrake]], [[red-throated diver]], [[rock dove]], [[black-legged kittiwake|kittiwake]], [[black guillemot|tystie]], [[Atlantic puffin]], [[common goldeneye|goldeneye]], [[golden eagle]] and [[white-tailed eagle|white-tailed sea eagle]].<ref>[[#FFD69|Fraser Darling (1969)]] p. 79.</ref><ref>[http://www.duntulmcastle.co.uk/skye_wildlife.php "Trotternish Wildlife"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191741/http://www.duntulmcastle.co.uk/skye_wildlife.php |date=29 October 2013 }} Duntulm Castle. Retrieved 25 October 2009.</ref> The latter was re-introduced to Rùm in 1975 and has successfully spread to various neighbouring islands, including Mull.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news |last=Watson |first=Jeremy |date=12 October 2006 |title=Sea eagle spreads its wings... |location=Edinburgh |newspaper=Scotland on Sunday}}</ref> There is a small population of [[red-billed chough]] concentrated on the islands of [[Islay]] and [[Colonsay]].<ref>Benvie (2004) p. 118.</ref>

[[Red deer]] are common on the hills and the [[grey seal]] and [[common seal]] are present around the coasts of Scotland. Colonies of seals are found on [[Oronsay, Inner Hebrides|Oronsay]] and the Treshnish Isles.<ref>[http://www.snh.gov.uk/protecting-scotlands-nature/protected-species/which-and-how/mammals/seal-protection/ "Protected mammals – Seals"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920135905/http://www.snh.gov.uk/protecting-scotlands-nature/protected-species/which-and-how/mammals/seal-protection/ |date=20 September 2017}}. Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 6 March 2011.</ref><ref>Murray (1973) pp. 96–98.</ref> The rich freshwater streams contain [[brown trout]], [[Atlantic salmon]] and [[Eurasian water shrew|water shrew]].<ref>[[#FFD69|Fraser Darling (1969)]] p. 286.</ref><ref>[http://www.trout-salmon-fishing.com/scotland-skye.htm "Trout Fishing in Scotland: Skye"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129122049/http://www.trout-salmon-fishing.com/scotland-skye.htm |date=29 January 2018 }} Trout & Salmon Fishing. Retrieved 29 March 2008.</ref> Offshore, [[minke whale]]s, [[orca]]s, [[basking shark]]s, [[porpoise]]s and [[dolphin]]s are among the sealife that can be seen.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/strategy/trends/SNH_Trends_sea.pdf |title=Trends – The Sea |publisher=Scottish Natural Heritage |access-date = 1 January 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120225051340/http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/strategy/trends/SNH_Trends_sea.pdf |archive-date = 25 February 2012 |url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>[http://www.whalewatchingtrips.co.uk/species.htm "Species List"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180602015619/http://www.whalewatchingtrips.co.uk/species.htm |date=2 June 2018}}. www.whalewatchingtrips.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2010.</ref>
[[File:Benbecula Ruabhal View.jpg|thumb|right|The open landscapes of [[Benbecula]]]]
Heather moor containing [[Calluna|ling]], [[Erica cinerea|bell heather]], [[Erica tetralix|cross-leaved heath]], [[Myrica gale|bog myrtle]] and [[fescue]]s is abundant and there is a diversity of Arctic and alpine plants including [[Sagina|Alpine pearlwort]] and [[Minuartia|mossy cyphal]].<ref>Slack, Alf "Flora" in [[#Slesser70|Slesser (1970)]] pp. 45–58.</ref>

[[Loch Druidibeg]] on South Uist is a [[national nature reserve (United Kingdom)|national nature reserve]] owned and managed by [[Scottish Natural Heritage]]. The reserve covers 1,677 hectares across the whole range of local habitats.<ref>[http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/nnr/large_print/Loch%20Druidibeg.pdf "Loch Druidibeg National Nature Reserve: Where Opposites Meet".] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205902/http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/nnr/large_print/Loch%20Druidibeg.pdf |date=3 March 2016 }} (pdf) SNH. Retrieved 29 July 2007.</ref> Over 200 species of flowering plants have been recorded on the reserve, some of which are nationally scarce.<ref>[http://www.isle-of-south-uist.co.uk/attractions-south-uist.htm "South Uist and Eriskay attractions"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114203456/http://www.isle-of-south-uist.co.uk/attractions-south-uist.htm |date=14 January 2015 }} isle-of-south-uist.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2010.</ref> South Uist is considered the best place in the UK for the aquatic plant [[Najas flexilis|slender naiad]], which is a [[European Protected Species]].<ref>[http://www.jncc.gov.uk/protectedsites/SACselection/species.asp?FeatureIntCode=S1833 "Higher plant species: 1833 Slender naiad"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013171830/http://www.jncc.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACselection/species.asp?FeatureIntCode=S1833 |date=13 October 2010 }} JNCC. Retrieved 29 July 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1994/Uksi_19942716_en_10.htm "Statutory Instrument 1994 No. 2716 "] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090518044124/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1994/Uksi_19942716_en_10.htm |date=18 May 2009 }} Office of Public Sector Information. Retrieved 5 July 2010.</ref>

[[European hedgehog|Hedgehogs]] are not native to the Outer Hebrides—they were introduced in the 1970s to reduce garden pests—and their spread poses a threat to the eggs of ground nesting wading birds. In 2003, Scottish Natural Heritage undertook culls of hedgehogs in the area although these were halted in 2007 due to protests. Trapped animals were relocated to the mainland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thehedgehog.co.uk/campaign.htm |title=Campaign to stop the slaughter of over 5000 Hedgehogs on the Island of Uist |publisher=Epping Forest Hedgehog Rescue |access-date=1 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060827031217/http://www.thehedgehog.co.uk/campaign.htm |archive-date=27 August 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ross |first=John |date=21 February 2007 |title=Hedgehogs saved from the syringe as controversial Uist cull called off |location=Edinburgh |work=[[The Scotsman]]}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
*[[List of islands of Scotland]]
*[[Scottish island names]]
*[[Geology of Scotland]]
*[[Timeline of prehistoric Scotland]]
*[[Fauna of Scotland]]
*[[New Hebrides]]
*[[Languages of Scotland]]
*[[Goidelic substrate hypothesis]]
*[[Insular Celtic languages]]
*[[Canadian Boat-Song]]
*[[Duncan Campbell (revivalist)#Lewis Awakening|The Lewis Awakening (Religious Revival)]]
{{Div col end}}

==References and footnotes==
===Notes===
{{reflist|group=Note}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}
{{refbegin}}

===General references===
*Ballin Smith, B. and Banks, I. (eds) (2002) ''In the Shadow of the Brochs, the Iron Age in Scotland''. Stroud. Tempus. {{ISBN|0-7524-2517-X}}
*Ballin Smith, Beverley; Taylor, Simon; and Williams, Gareth (2007) ''West over Sea: Studies in Scandinavian Sea-Borne Expansion and Settlement Before 1300''. Leiden. Brill.
*Benvie, Neil (2004) ''Scotland's Wildlife''. London. Aurum Press. {{ISBN|1-85410-978-2}}
*Buchanan, Margaret (1983) ''St Kilda: a Photographic Album''. W. Blackwood. {{ISBN|0-85158-162-5}}
*Buxton, Ben. (1995) ''Mingulay: An Island and Its People''. Edinburgh. Birlinn. {{ISBN|1-874744-24-6}}
*Downham, Clare "England and the Irish-Sea Zone in the Eleventh Century" in Gillingham, John (ed) (2004) ''Anglo-Norman Studies XXVI: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 2003''. Woodbridge. Boydell Press. {{ISBN|1-84383-072-8}}
*{{Cite book |author1=Fraser Darling, Frank |author2=Boyd, J. Morton |year=1969 |title=The Highlands and Islands |series=The New Naturalist |location=London |publisher=Collins |ref=FFD69|author1-link=Frank Fraser Darling}} First published in 1947 under title: ''Natural history in the Highlands & Islands''; by F. Fraser Darling. First published under the present title 1964.
* {{cite book|chapter=Scandinavian influence on Hebridean island names|first=Peder|last=Gammeltoft|year=2006|title=Names through the Looking-Glass|editor-last1=Gammeltoft|editor-first1=Peder|editor-first2= Bent|editor-last2=Jorgenson|publisher=C.A. Reitzels Forlag|location=Copenhagen|isbn=8778764726}}
*Gammeltoft, Peder (2010) "[http://www.medievalists.net/2011/01/18/shetland-and-orkney-island-names-%E2%80%93-a-dynamic-group/ Shetland and Orkney Island-Names – A Dynamic Group] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723204137/http://www.medievalists.net/2011/01/18/shetland-and-orkney-island-names-%E2%80%93-a-dynamic-group/ |date=23 July 2011 }}". ''Northern Lights, Northern Words''. Selected Papers from the FRLSU Conference, Kirkwall 2009, edited by Robert McColl Millar.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20111122154733/http://gro-scotland.gov.uk/census/censushm/occpapers/occasional-paper-10.html "Occasional Paper No 10: Statistics for Inhabited Islands"]. (28 November 2003) General Register Office for Scotland. Edinburgh. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
*Gillies, Hugh Cameron (1906) ''The Place Names of Argyll''. London. David Nutt.
*[[Donald Gregory|Gregory, Donald]] (1881) ''The History of the Western Highlands and Isles of Scotland 1493–1625.'' Edinburgh. Birlinn. 2008 reprint – originally published by Thomas D. Morrison. {{ISBN|1-904607-57-8}}
*{{Haswell-Smith}}
*[[James Hunter (historian)|Hunter, James]] (2000) ''Last of the Free: A History of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland''. Edinburgh. Mainstream. {{ISBN|1-84018-376-4}}
*Keay, J. & Keay, J. (1994) ''Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland''. London. HarperCollins.
*Lynch, Michael (ed) (2007) ''Oxford Companion to Scottish History''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-923482-0}}.
*{{Gaelic Placenames}}
*Maclean, Charles (1977) ''Island on the Edge of the World: the Story of St. Kilda''. Edinburgh. Canongate {{ISBN|0-903937-41-7}}
*[[Donald Monro (Dean)|Monro, Sir Donald]] (1549) [https://web.archive.org/web/20070313003106/http://www.appins.org/martin.htm ''A Description Of The Western Isles of Scotland'']. Appin Regiment/Appin Historical Society. Retrieved 3 March 2007. First published in 1774.
*[[W. H. Murray|Murray, W. H.]] (1966) ''The Hebrides''. London. Heinemann.
*Murray, W.H. (1973) ''The Islands of Western Scotland.'' London. Eyre Methuen. {{ISBN|0-413-30380-2}}
*Omand, Donald (ed.) (2006) ''The Argyll Book''. Edinburgh. Birlinn. {{ISBN|1-84158-480-0}}
*[[Ordnance Survey]] (2009) [https://web.archive.org/web/20100122045621/http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/getamap/ "Get-a-map"]. Retrieved 1–15 August 2009.
*Rotary Club of Stornoway (1995) ''The Outer Hebrides Handbook and Guide''. Machynlleth. Kittiwake. {{ISBN|0-9511003-5-1}}
*[[Malcolm Slesser|Slesser, Malcolm]] (1970) ''The Island of Skye''. Edinburgh. [[Scottish Mountaineering Club]].
*Steel, Tom (1988) ''The Life and Death of St. Kilda''. London. Fontana. {{ISBN|0-00-637340-2}}
*Stevenson, Robert Louis (1995) ''The New Lighthouse on the Dhu Heartach Rock, Argyllshire''. California. Silverado Museum. Based on an 1872 manuscript and edited by Swearingen, R.G.
*Thompson, Francis (1968) ''Harris and Lewis, Outer Hebrides''. Newton Abbot. David & Charles. {{ISBN|0-7153-4260-6}}
*[[William J. Watson|Watson, W. J.]] (1994) ''The Celtic Place-Names of Scotland''. Edinburgh. Birlinn. {{ISBN|1-84158-323-5}}. First published 1926.
*{{Cite book |last=Woolf |first=Alex |title=From Pictland to Alba, 789&ndash;1070 |year=2007 |series=The New Edinburgh History of Scotland |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |location=Edinburgh |isbn=978-0-7486-1234-5}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{oscoor gbx|NF 96507 00992}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
{{Commons category|Hebrides}}

{{coord|57|00|N|07|00|W|region:GB_type:isle|display=title}}

*[http://www.virtualhebrides.com/ Hebrides/Western Isles Guide]
*[http://ssa.nls.uk/search.cfm?search_sort_order=Film.dateRelease%2CFilm.name&search_sort_direction=ASC&search_term=hebrides&search_fields=6&search_join_type=AND&search_fuzzy=yes&videos_only=1&search_mode=Advanced&submit=Search+%3E%3E%3E National Library of Scotland: SCOTTISH SCREEN ARCHIVE] (selection of archive films about the Hebrides)
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Hebrides, The|short=x}}

{{Hebrides}}
{{Islands of Scotland}}
{{British Isles}}
{{Portal bar|Scotland|Scottish islands|Geography|Ecology|Environment}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hebrides}}
[[Category:Hebrides| ]]
[[Category:Former Norwegian colonies]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of Scotland]]
[[Category:Scottish toponymy]]
[[Category:Kingdom of Norway (872–1397)]]