COLONSAY 



ONE OF THE HEBRIDES 



CHAPTER I 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION 



THE islands of Colonsay and Oransay and the neighbouring 

 islands of Islay, Jura, and Scarba, with their islets, constitute 

 the group of the South Inner Hebrides. Colonsay and 

 Oransay were formerly jointly known as Eilean Tarsuinn 

 (or the cross-lying island), so designated, it would seem, 

 from an exaggerated notion of their oblique position with 

 relation to the Sound of Islay. In the Old Statistical 

 Account it is mentioned, but erroneously, that they are 

 named after two saints, Colon and Oran. 



Colonsay (Gaelic, Colasa) is 9 miles long, and averages 3 

 in breadth; with Oransay, the length is 12 miles. Situated 

 in lat. 56 5' N., long. 6 15' W., the island is distant by sea 

 from Greenock about 110 miles and from Oban about 38. 

 In striking contrast to the opposite island of Jura, whose 

 Paps rise steeply from the Atlantic to a height of 2571 feet, 

 and the more distant Mull, where Ben Mor attains an 

 altitude of 3169 feet, Colonsay is low-lying; Carnan Eoin, 

 its highest hill, not exceeding 470 feet above sea-level. 

 The channel that separates it from the nearest islands 

 varies in breadth from 8 to 20 miles, widening from south 



