Easdale () is one of the Slate Islands, in the Firth of Lorn, Scotland. Once the centre of the Scottish slate industry, there has been some recent island regeneration by the owners. This is one of the smallest of the inhabited islands of the Inner Hebrides and is home to traditional white-washed cottages and disused slate quarries. and is without cars or streetlights.

A ferry sails from Easdale to Ellenabeich on the nearby island of Seil (Gaelic: Saoil), which is separated from Easdale by only a narrow channel.

Etymology

In 1549, Donald Monro, "Dean of the Isles" wrote, in brief reference to Easdale, of an island "namit in the Erische Leid Ellan Eisdcalfe" However the derivation of "Eisdcalfe" and this word's etymological relationship to "Easdale" is not clear. Haswell-Smith (2004) notes that eas is Gaelic for "waterfall" and dal is Norse for "valley". Nonetheless, it is not clear why either description should apply to the island which is low lying and has no waterfalls. Similarly, Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland states that the first element is obscure, the second is the Norse dalr.

The Gaelic name, Èisdeal () or Eilean Èisdeal has a long vowel and local folk legend attributes this to a derivation from èist thall "listen to that yonder". It is not clear if this Èisdeal shares its derivation with Glen Ashdale/Gleann Èisdeal (Glen of Ash trees) on Arran.

Ellenabeich or Ellenbeich appears to be from the Gaelic Eilean nam Beathach () "island of the animals" but this may be a reflex of an earlier and homophonous form Eilean nam Beitheach "island of the birch trees". The last slate was cut in the 1950s and the once active quarries are now still pools which provide a safe haven for a wide variety of flora and bird life.

Nearby the former island Eilean-a-beithich once stood in the Easdale Sound between Easdale and Seil. It was quarried to a depth of below sea level leaving only the outer rim of the island. This was breached by the sea in 1881 and little visible sign of the island now remains. By the time of the 2022 census several other smaller islands were recorded as inhabited: Eilean Tioram, Badachro; Eilean dà Mhèinn, Loch Crinan; Eilean Loain, Loch Sween.

The island is owned by Jonathan Feigenbaum, who operates the Easdale Island Company; he succeeded his late father Clive Feigenbaum (the former chairman of Stanley Gibbons). Clive created local issues of stamps, and Jonathan has continued doing this.

In 2005 the local authority, Argyll and Bute Council, discussed plans to build a bridge between the island and Seil, linking the island to the mainland by road, despite there being no roads on Easdale.

Facilities and activities

The island is home to an award-winning museum owned and operated by Eilean Eisdeal, a development trust, Eilean Eisdeal spearheaded the renovation of the Easdale Island Community Hall, which provides a venue for a wide variety of events. According to Mike Scott of the Waterboys: "The Hall itself is magical. From the first sighting of its pyramid roof and arced frontispiece across the water to stepping off its stage at the end of the concert, it cast a spell on us."

The World Stone Skimming Championship has taken place annually in September on Easdale since 1997. In 2012 the event came under threat after Jonathan Feigenbaum requested £1,000 for using the slate quarry the championship uses. The competition only went ahead after the Press and Journal newspaper offered to pay the fee. A community buyout of the island by residents is now under consideration. Mike Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, said: "Not every community will achieve it and not every community should achieve it. But it is a live issue and becomes even more live in circumstances such as these."

Tourist accommodation is available on the island and nearby. The disused quarries have been described as "perfect for wild swimming".

<gallery>

Image:Easdale Pier.jpg|The decaying pier of Easdale quarry which was used to load the slate from the nearby quarries

Image:Easdale Entry - geograph.org.uk - 1038229.jpg|Easdale ferry terminal

Image:Easdale.jpg|A sea filled former quarry facing Ellenabeich

</gallery>

See also

  • List of islands of Scotland

References

;Notes

;Citations

;General references

  • Gillies, Patrick Hunter (1909) Netherlorn, Argyllshire, and its neighbourhood. Virtue.
  • Eilean Eisdeal
  • Easdale museum
  • Archive of easdalepeople.org.uk