Colonsay

<h2 id="geology">Geology</h2>
The <a href="/facts/Colonsay_Group/SmHwzuwh">Colonsay Group</a>, which takes its name from the island, is an estimated 5,000-metre-thick (16,000 ft) sequence of mildly <a href="/facts/Metamorphism/8eWHgy6K">metamorphosed</a> <a href="/facts/Neoproterozoic/89NsnsM1">Neoproterozoic</a> <a href="/facts/Sedimentary_rock/HQDCjrco">sedimentary rocks</a> that also outcrop on the islands of <a href="/facts/Islay/TnrfF5cA">Islay</a> and <a href="/facts/Oronsay,_Inner_Hebrides/nFHUA4re">Oronsay</a> and the surrounding seabed. The sequence has been correlated with the Grampian Group, the oldest part of the <a href="/facts/Dalradian/2bV2T6Fr">Dalradian Supergroup</a>. It includes the meta<a href="/facts/Wacke/Fx5p7h5a">wackes</a> of the Oronsay Greywacke Formation, the <a href="/facts/Sandstone/RP8B6fqL">sandstones</a> of the Dun Gallain Grit Formation, the metasandstones and meta<a href="/facts/Mudstone/KWLvUash">mudstones</a> of the Machrins Arkose, Kilchattan and Milbuie formations, the sandstones and <a href="/facts/Phyllite/lfS0Bzgx">phyllites</a> of the Kiloran Flags Formation and the phyllitic <a href="/facts/Semipelite/Co4R5JlE">semipelites</a> and <a href="/facts/Quartzite/8rNpCMrv">quartzites</a> of the Staosnaig Phyllite Formation. In the far north at the north end of Traigh Ban is an outcrop of the <a href="/facts/Orthogneiss/rUJYgBHu">orthogneiss</a> of the <a href="/facts/Palaeoproterozoic/gMS69p5r">Palaeoproterozoic</a> age Rhinns Complex named from the larger outcrop on nearby <a href="/facts/Islay/TnrfF5cA">Islay</a>.
<a href="/facts/Intrusive_rock/Wl6xaY1a">Intrusive</a> <a href="/facts/Igneous_rock/xeMJhUah">igneous rocks</a> are represented by <a href="/facts/Diorite/uBrcD9Gw">diorites</a> and <a href="/facts/Monzonite/MyYoBEcq">monzonites</a> of the 'North Britain Siluro-Devonian Calc-Alkaline Dyke Suite' seen at Scalasaig and Balnahard. <a href="/facts/Lamprophyre/1ygzzdF4">Lamprophyre</a> <a href="/facts/Dike_(geology)/jf8vsEHx">dykes</a>, assigned to the same suite are also frequently seen intruding the country rocks. Later intrusions took place during the early <a href="/facts/Palaeogene/CNsEpdA4">Palaeogene</a> period and consists of micro<a href="/facts/Gabbro/79gTqpyg">gabbro</a> dykes assigned to the North Britain Palaeogene Dyke Suite. The island is cut by numerous <a href="/facts/Fault_(geology)/0Fw2ladx">geological faults</a> many of which are aligned either NE-SW or ENE-WSW.
Superficial deposits consist largely of modern-day beach deposits, some <a href="/facts/Raised_beach/nEwGFVFI">raised marine deposits</a> and blown sand. There are also areas of glacial <a href="/facts/Till/Wv7pJAsD">till</a> of <a href="/facts/Pleistocene/0ya9eUp5">Pleistocene</a> age and of <a href="/facts/Peat/F0kJcsLt">peat</a> formed in the postglacial period.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1">1</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2">2</a>

<h2 id="geography">Geography</h2>
Although Colonsay appears bare and somewhat forbidding on approach from the sea, its landscape is varied, with several beautiful sandy beaches, and a sheltered and fertile interior, unusually well-wooded for a Hebridean island. It is linked by a <a href="/facts/Tide/zNstvWPv">tidal</a> <a href="/facts/Causeway/rxdAVmNz">causeway</a> (called The Strand) to <a href="/facts/Oronsay,_Inner_Hebrides/nFHUA4re">Oronsay</a>. The highest point on the island is Carnan Eoin, 143 m (469 ft) above sea level.

<h3>Climate</h3>
Colonsay has an <a href="/facts/Oceanic_climate/xUD1y78o">oceanic climate</a> (<a href="/facts/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification/VDcr86hF">Köppen</a>: Cfb).

<table><tbody><tr><th colspan="14">Climate data for Colonsay Homefield (9 m or 30 ft asl, averages 1991–2020)</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">Month</th><th scope="col">Jan</th><th scope="col">Feb</th><th scope="col">Mar</th><th scope="col">Apr</th><th scope="col">May</th><th scope="col">Jun</th><th scope="col">Jul</th><th scope="col">Aug</th><th scope="col">Sep</th><th scope="col">Oct</th><th scope="col">Nov</th><th scope="col">Dec</th><th scope="col">Year</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">Mean daily maximum °C (°F)</th><td>8.2(46.8)</td><td>8.0(46.4)</td><td>9.3(48.7)</td><td>11.3(52.3)</td><td>14.1(57.4)</td><td>15.8(60.4)</td><td>17.2(63.0)</td><td>17.3(63.1)</td><td>16.0(60.8)</td><td>13.0(55.4)</td><td>10.5(50.9)</td><td>8.8(47.8)</td><td>12.5(54.4)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Mean daily minimum °C (°F)</th><td>3.6(38.5)</td><td>3.3(37.9)</td><td>4.1(39.4)</td><td>5.3(41.5)</td><td>7.3(45.1)</td><td>9.6(49.3)</td><td>11.4(52.5)</td><td>11.7(53.1)</td><td>10.6(51.1)</td><td>8.1(46.6)</td><td>5.9(42.6)</td><td>4.0(39.2)</td><td>7.1(44.7)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Average rainfall mm (inches)</th><td>125.4(4.94)</td><td>99.2(3.91)</td><td>93.1(3.67)</td><td>65.6(2.58)</td><td>66.8(2.63)</td><td>74.4(2.93)</td><td>84.4(3.32)</td><td>93.3(3.67)</td><td>108.0(4.25)</td><td>132.2(5.20)</td><td>130.4(5.13)</td><td>134.7(5.30)</td><td>1,207.5(47.53)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm)</th><td>20.4</td><td>17.3</td><td>16.2</td><td>12.4</td><td>12.1</td><td>12.0</td><td>14.2</td><td>15.5</td><td>16.0</td><td>19.1</td><td>20.0</td><td>19.8</td><td>195.0</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Mean monthly <a href="/facts/Sunshine_duration/wVBusklh">sunshine hours</a></th><td>37.6</td><td>73.9</td><td>115.6</td><td>179.1</td><td>224.5</td><td>172.5</td><td>169.7</td><td>168.1</td><td>127.9</td><td>88.8</td><td>49.0</td><td>30.2</td><td>1,436.9</td></tr><tr><td colspan="14">Source: <a href="/facts/Met_Office/V0reszST">Met Office</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3">3</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

<h2 id="history">History</h2>

<h3>Mesolithic food industry</h3>
In 1995 evidence of large-scale <a href="/facts/Mesolithic/XTNS0x3r">Mesolithic</a> nut shelling, some 8,000 years ago, was found in a <a href="/facts/Midden/WhyFbjyq">midden</a> pit at Staosnaig on the island's sheltered east coast, in a large, shallow pit full of the remains of hundreds of thousands of burned <a href="/facts/Hazelnut/HH8ac3Qm">hazelnut</a> shells. Hazelnuts have been found on other Mesolithic sites, but rarely in such quantities or concentrated in one pit. The nuts were <a href="/facts/Radiocarbon_dating/qjNglhKP">radiocarbon dated</a> to 7720±110 <a href="/facts/Before_present/BywUcMvW">BP</a>, which <a href="/facts/Calibrated_years/qjNglhKP">calibrates</a> to c. 6000 BCE. Similar sites in Britain and its dependencies are known only at <a href="/facts/Farnham/9otrfK4L">Farnham</a> in <a href="/facts/Surrey/xTGvM5Vk">Surrey</a> and at Cass ny Hawin, near <a href="/facts/Ballasalla/20jB2mGs">Ballasalla</a> on the <a href="/facts/Isle_of_Man/HG7bYyA8">Isle of Man</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a>
This discovery gives an insight into communal activity and forward planning of the period. The nuts were harvested in a single year and <a href="/facts/Pollen_analysis/BYNoHNtq">pollen analysis</a> suggests that the <a href="/facts/Hazel/K0gposzR">hazel</a> trees were all cut down at the same time.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a> The scale of the activity, unparalleled elsewhere in Scotland, and the lack of large game on the island, suggests that Colonsay's inhabitants were largely vegetarian. The pit was originally on a beach close to the shore, and there were two smaller stone-lined pits, whose function remains obscure, a hearth, and a second cluster of pits.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a>

<h3>Early history</h3>

There are a variety of ruined hill forts on the island such as <a href="/facts/D%C3%B9n_Cholla/g0gEWJn8">Dùn Cholla</a> and <a href="/facts/D%C3%B9n_Meadhonach/Da4VfJQt">Dùn Meadhonach</a>. The 8th-century <a href="/facts/Riasg_Buidhe_Cross/ErKHXPQ2">Riasg Buidhe Cross</a> has been re-erected in the gardens of <a href="/facts/Colonsay_House/xjM1MhGE">Colonsay House</a>. <a href="/facts/St_Cathan%27s_Chapel/MHf02wT8">St Cathan's Chapel</a> may date from the 14th century. The ruins of the <a href="/facts/Chapel_of_St._Mary,_Colonsay/Nr2Lbe0U">Chapel of St Mary</a> are little more than foundations and may date to an even earlier period. in 1549 <a href="/facts/Donald_Monro_(priest)/wGRB4AYJ">Dean Monro</a> wrote that Colonsay was "seven myle lange from the northeist to the southwest, with twa myle bredthe, ane fertile ile guid for quhit fishing. It hath ane paroch kirke. This ile is bruikit be ane gentle capitane, callit M’Duffyhe, and pertened of auld to Clandonald of Kyntyre."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a>
A Viking grave at Kiloran Bay, including a boat and silver burial goods, was discovered in 1882 on land belonging to John MacNeil.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a>

<h3>Ownership</h3>
During the 18th century the lairds of the island were McNeils and included <a href="/facts/Archibald_Macneil_of_Colonsay/looIuNbA">Archibald MacNeil</a>. <a href="/facts/Colonsay_House/xjM1MhGE">Colonsay House</a> was first built by the McNeil family in 1722. In 1904 the estate of Colonsay was bought by <a href="/facts/Donald_Smith,_1st_Baron_Strathcona_and_Mount_Royal/jLHpwzBl">Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal</a> from the trustees of the late <a href="/facts/John_McNeill_(British_Army_officer)/epTPq9zz">Major-General Sir John Carstairs McNeill V.C.</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a> Since then Colonsay House has been the property of the <a href="/facts/Baron_Strathcona_and_Mount_Royal/71VTb93r">Barons Strathcona and Mount Royal</a> family. Colonsay House is currently occupied by <a href="/facts/Baron_Strathcona_and_Mount_Royal/71VTb93r">Alexander Howard, 5th Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal</a> and his family.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11">11</a>
Today, in addition to estate land, the ownership of Colonsay is a mixture of owner-occupied housing, social housing, public and community owned land and businesses, holiday homes and crofting land.

<h3>Services</h3>

A sub-post office was established in 1871 with mail conveyed to the island by the steamer Dunvegan Castle. A new post office was constructed in 1881 by the harbour in Scalasaig. In 1893 islanders petitioned the <a href="/facts/Postmaster_General_of_the_United_Kingdom/7Vm4HKqp">Postmaster-General</a> to provide a telegraph service to the islands. The islanders were unable to raise the £120 guarantee required by the Post Office. Later a new arrangement was agreed and a guarantee of £60 was provided. Telegraphic submarine cables were laid to <a href="/facts/Port_Askaig/fB9QzySE">Port Askaig</a> in Islay and connected with the mainland on 2 August 1897.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12">12</a> In 1905 a telephone was installed in <a href="/facts/Colonsay_House/xjM1MhGE">Colonsay House</a> requiring new poles and wires routed from the Post Office. Subscriber Trunk Dialling was introduced in 1974 and the old telephone exchange was made redundant.
The Scotland Hydro-Electric Board developed plans to provide the island with electricity, but this was dropped when local generation of electricity began in 1952 with a scheme funded by Colonsay Estate. Scalasaig, Glassaird, Kiloran and <a href="/facts/Colonsay_House/xjM1MhGE">Colonsay House</a> had local generators installed by Messrs Scott of Glasgow.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13">13</a>
In 1983 the island was connected to the <a href="/facts/National_Grid_(Great_Britain)/T6zuU4c2">National Grid</a> with a 11,000 volt 13.5 miles (21.7 km) long under-sea cable from Islay.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14">14</a>

<h2 id="present-day">Present day</h2>
The island's population was 124 as recorded by the <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom_Census_2011/0DyzduMs">2011 census</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15">15</a> an increase of nearly 15% since 2001 when there were 108 usual residents.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16">16</a> During the same period <a href="/facts/List_of_Scottish_islands/TkmbVDPf">Scottish island</a> populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17">17</a> Colonsay's main settlement is <a href="/facts/Scalasaig/o9EMp8K5">Scalasaig</a> (<a href="/facts/Scottish_Gaelic_language/KMI4MmzJ">Scottish Gaelic</a>: Sgalasaig) on the east coast.
Recently there has been a growth of <a href="/facts/Tourism/x47vNhHj">tourism</a> as the mainstay of the island's economy, with numerous holiday cottages, many of them owned and managed by the Isle of Colonsay Estate. The Colonsay Hotel, the only hotel on the island, is independently owned.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18">18</a>

The island has a tiny bookshop specialising in books of local interest; it is also the home of the House of Lochar publishing company specialising in Scottish history.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19">19</a> The hotel overlooks the harbour,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20">20</a> and there are also a cafe and bakery, a shop and post office. Colonsay's best known beach, Kiloran Bay, is a vast stretch of golden sands and draws locals and tourists alike while maintaining an isolated and peaceful atmosphere.
Colonsay Community Development Company, the local <a href="/facts/Development_trust/02gsdr72">development trust</a> is “engaged in a range of work which reflects a sustainable approach to the regeneration of our island”. Current projects include running the island's coal supply and only petrol pump, a major <a href="/facts/Rhododendron_ponticum/nSzkjN9q">Rhododendron ponticum</a> eradication programme and a feasibility study into the possibility of improving the harbour and surrounding area.

2007 saw the opening of the Colonsay Brewery, a <a href="/facts/Micro-brewery/olIC7Gcq">micro-brewery</a> that employs two people and offers three different products.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21">21</a> Colonsay is the smallest island in the world with its own brewery.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22">22</a> In 2016 the brewery launched a gin, called Wild Island Botanic Gin, distilled with hand-gathered wild botanicals from the island. It is distilled at Langley Distillery in a cooperation with master distiller Rob Dorset.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23">23</a> In February 2017 a company called Wild Thyme Spirits Ltd, started by husband and wife team Finlay and Eileen Geekie who moved to Colonsay from Oxfordshire in 2016,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24">24</a> brought out a product called Colonsay Gin. Initially distilled off the island, production moved to Colonsay in 2018.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25">25</a>
The nature of island life was exemplified by a story reported in 1993 that, at that time, the last recorded crime was <a href="/facts/Treachery_(law)/gm2paIuR">treachery</a> against the <a href="/facts/James_VI_and_I/mcmPE59x">king</a> in 1623.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26">26</a> In November 2006 a construction worker from <a href="/facts/Glasgow/hHUX44Ra">Glasgow</a> was arrested and confessed to theft by housebreaking, having entered an unlocked house and stolen £60 in cash. Media interest was stirred when it was reported that this was the first recorded crime since 2004 and the "first ever theft from a house".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27">27</a> The next reported crime was in 2013 involving vandalism to a car.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:28" href="#fn:28">28</a>
Colonsay may be the smallest island ever to host a <a href="/facts/Rugby_union/AJSbnB89">rugby</a> festival, all the more remarkable as there is no permanent rugby pitch.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:29" href="#fn:29">29</a>

<h2 id="transport">Transport</h2>
<a href="/facts/Caledonian_MacBrayne/rJoxEjJQ">Caledonian MacBrayne</a> ferries sail to <a href="/facts/Oban/2ouRDBpb">Oban</a> and, between April and October, to <a href="/facts/Kennacraig/7vyQh06D">Kennacraig</a> via <a href="/facts/Port_Askaig/fB9QzySE">Port Askaig</a> on <a href="/facts/Islay/TnrfF5cA">Islay</a>.
In 2006 the former grass airstrip was upgraded and provided with a hard surface in readiness for the introduction of a scheduled air service. <a href="/facts/Hebridean_Air_Services/GaXyLCb9">Hebridean Air Services</a> operates from <a href="/facts/Oban_Airport/rJYl1bzv">Oban Airport</a> and <a href="/facts/Islay_Airport/uwDyLcFv">Islay Airport</a> to <a href="/facts/Colonsay_Airport/ukRqGx7c">Colonsay Airport</a>.

<table><tbody><tr><th>Preceding station</th><th> </th><th><a href="/facts/Ferry/5ysqHULA">Ferry</a></th><th> </th><th>Following station</th></tr><tr><td rowspan="1"><a href="/facts/Oban_railway_station/qvPEN1qC">Oban</a></td><td> </td><td rowspan="1"><a href="/facts/Caledonian_MacBrayne/rJoxEjJQ">Caledonian MacBrayne</a>Ferry</td><td> </td><td rowspan="1"><a href="/facts/Port_Askaig/fB9QzySE">Port Askaig</a>(limited service)</td></tr></tbody></table>
<h2 id="the-arts">The arts</h2>
The 1945 film <a href="/facts/I_Know_Where_I%27m_Going!/q1yl33m1">I Know Where I'm Going!</a> directed by <a href="/facts/Michael_Powell_(director)/ftpxvW72">Michael Powell</a> and <a href="/facts/Emeric_Pressburger/y0K5uIH0">Emeric Pressburger</a> was principally shot on <a href="/facts/Isle_of_Mull/wKPBrFlE">Mull</a> and references the fictional "Isle of Kiloran", which was based on Colonsay.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:30" href="#fn:30">30</a> The American author <a href="/facts/John_McPhee/X5Vx92b9">John McPhee</a>, descended from a Colonsay emigrant, spent a summer on Colonsay, out of which was published The Crofter and the Laird in 1969.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:31" href="#fn:31">31</a>
In 2008, Colonsay hosted the first ever Ceòl Cholasa, the island's own folk festival. This has now become an annual event and has seen performances by numerous well-known artists including <a href="/facts/Phil_Cunningham_(folk_musician)/cfR0ShxS">Phil Cunningham</a> & <a href="/facts/Aly_Bain/EhXHXuH3">Aly Bain</a>, <a href="/facts/Karen_Matheson/gmy96Fhg">Karen Matheson</a>, and <a href="/facts/Karine_Polwart/dgqjb1sQ">Karine Polwart</a> as well as performances from local island musicians.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:32" href="#fn:32">32</a>
Since 2011 the island has held a three-week "Festival of Spring" annually in May. Its aim is to encourage tourism onto the island, with events and activities led by both local inhabitants and visiting guest "speakers/experts".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:33" href="#fn:33">33</a>
A similar event occurs every autumn, called "Connect with Colonsay", which runs over a three-week period in October.
In 2012 the island staged its first annual book festival which featured, amongst others, <a href="/facts/Alexander_McCall_Smith/M5HuCP7r">Alexander McCall Smith</a>, James Robertson, and Scots <a href="/facts/Makar/UCqj0K3s">Makar</a> <a href="/facts/Liz_Lochhead/JGN6THkK">Liz Lochhead</a>. The line up for 2013 was headed by crime writer <a href="/facts/Ian_Rankin/bbdXHp5H">Ian Rankin</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:34" href="#fn:34">34</a>

<h2 id="wildlife">Wildlife</h2>
The island is home to a herd of wild <a href="/facts/Goat/BrsPJmdX">goats</a>, and is known for its bird life including <a href="/facts/Black-legged_kittiwake/Qh8xQFDP">black-legged kittiwakes</a>, <a href="/facts/Great_cormorant/0GlLwq22">cormorants</a>, <a href="/facts/Common_guillemot/4XfgSyS9">guillemots</a>, <a href="/facts/Corncrake/edlHX5vy">corncrakes</a> and <a href="/facts/Golden_eagle/MrasUBNd">golden eagles</a>.
Colonsay and Oronsay are home to about 50 colonies of the European dark bee the <a href="/facts/Apis_mellifera_mellifera/vpuUYdoG">Apis mellifera mellifera</a>. The <a href="/facts/Scottish_Government/ettgIz7G">Scottish Government</a> introduced the Bee Keeping (Colonsay and Oronsay) Order 2013 to prevent cross breeding with other honeybees (<a href="/facts/Apis_mellifera/QGKeLH2g">Apis mellifera</a>) and to protect it from diseases common on the mainland. From 1 January 2014 it has been an offence to keep any other honeybee on either island. The Environment and climate Change Minister <a href="/facts/Paul_Wheelhouse/jJI8wT0H">Paul Wheelhouse</a> MSP said: "The Bee Keeping Order illustrates how our non-native species legislation can be used to protect our native wildlife. The order is a targeted measure to protect an important population of black bees on Colonsay from hybridisation with non-native bees" (the "non-native species legislation" was used because <a href="/facts/Apis_mellifera/QGKeLH2g">Apis mellifera</a> are considered to be non-native to Colonsay, but considered native to Scotland as it was the first honey bee to be introduced for use in <a href="/facts/Beekeeping/7mewsgqp">beekeeping</a> there).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:35" href="#fn:35">35</a> The bees on Colonsay are now referred to as the "Colonsay Dark Native Bee".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:36" href="#fn:36">36</a> They were collected from across Scotland in the previous thirty years, genetic analysis has shown Australian and New Zealand <a href="/facts/Apis_mellifera_ligustica/2hKf1PX5">A. m. ligustica</a> <a href="/facts/Introgression/8M4m4cae">introgression</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:37" href="#fn:37">37</a>

<h2 id="etymology">Etymology</h2>
Colonsay's name derives from <a href="/facts/Old_Norse/3dIvgsm5">Old Norse</a> and means "Kolbein's island"<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:38" href="#fn:38">38</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:39" href="#fn:39">39</a> (although Haswell-Smith offers "Columba's island").<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:40" href="#fn:40">40</a> In the 14th century the name was recorded as Coluynsay and by Dean Monro in the 16th century as Colvansay. The modern Gaelic is Colbhasa.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:41" href="#fn:41">41</a> Scalasaig also has a Norse derivation and means "Skali's bay".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:42" href="#fn:42">42</a>

<h2 id="notable-residents">Notable residents</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Donald_MacKinnon_(Celtic_scholar)/8CtNxsqF">Donald MacKinnon</a> was born in Kilchattan on Colonsay, in 1839. In 1882, he became the first person appointed to the Chair of Celtic Studies at Edinburgh University. Professor MacKinnon was born on Colonsay in 1839 and held the Celtic Chair from 1882 until his death at Balnahard, Colonsay, in 1914.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:43" href="#fn:43">43</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:44" href="#fn:44">44</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/John_Carstairs_McNeill/epTPq9zz">John McNeill</a>, recipient of the <a href="/facts/Victoria_Cross/abfXKEQl">Victoria Cross</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:45" href="#fn:45">45</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Danny_Alexander/DrDgs7Lg">Danny Alexander</a> the ex-<a href="/facts/Liberal_Democrats_(UK)/rzGyr41m">Liberal Democrat</a> <a href="/facts/Scottish_MPs/uS2JGxf8">Member of Parliament</a> for <a href="/facts/Inverness,_Nairn,_Badenoch_and_Strathspey_(UK_Parliament_constituency)/04XxX15d">Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey</a> grew up on Colonsay.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:46" href="#fn:46">46</a></li></ul>
<h2 id="gallery">Gallery</h2>

<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul>
<li>Scottish islands portal</li><li>Scotland portal</li><li>Engineering portal</li></ul>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Colonsay_Parish_Church,_Scalasaig/R9dlR8B5">Colonsay Parish Church, Scalasaig</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Colonsay,_Saskatchewan/fl7Crlxx">Colonsay, Saskatchewan</a>, a village in Canada that takes its name from the island.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:47" href="#fn:47">47</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/List_of_islands_of_Scotland/TkmbVDPf">List of islands of Scotland</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/List_of_lighthouses_in_Scotland/UHH5fxaU">List of lighthouses in Scotland</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/List_of_Northern_Lighthouse_Board_lighthouses/r2eyLrm1">List of Northern Lighthouse Board lighthouses</a></li></ul>
<h2 id="notes">Notes</h2>

<ul><li>Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=bXFwKl5gVqwC">The Scottish Islands</a>. Edinburgh: Canongate. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1-84195-454-7.</li>
<li>Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2003) <a href="http://www.parliament.scot/gd/visitandlearn/40900.aspx">Ainmean-àite/Placenames</a>. (pdf) <a href="/facts/Scottish_Parliament/IpB09xer">Pàrlamaid na h-Alba</a>. Retrieved 26 August 2012.</li></ul>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Donald_Monro_(dean)/wGRB4AYJ">Monro, Sir Donald</a> (1549) <a href="/facts/Description_of_the_Western_Isles_of_Scotland/mBVg5syu">Description of the Western Isles of Scotland</a>. William Auld. Edinburgh - 1774 edition.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/William_J._Watson/lBxuTJ7o">Watson, W. J.</a> (1994). The Celtic Place-Names of Scotland. Edinburgh; Birlinn. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 1841583235. First published 1926.</li></ul>
<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Colonsay.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Colonsay.

<ul><li><a href="http://www.island-at-the-edge.co.uk">Island at the Edge Colonsay produce website</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.colonsay.org.uk/">Island web site</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.corncrake.org.uk/">The Corncrake, Colonsay's newsletter</a></li>
<li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151115072618/http://www.colonsayestate.co.uk/">Colonsay Estate Website and Holiday Cottages</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
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<li id="fn:2">"Colonsay Sheet 35 Solid and Drift Edition". BGS large map images. British Geological Survey. Retrieved 5 February 2020. <a href="http://www.largeimages.bgs.ac.uk/iip/mapsportal.html?id=1002327" target="_blank">http://www.largeimages.bgs.ac.uk/iip/mapsportal.html?id=1002327</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">"Colonsay: Homefield (Argyll and Bute) UK climate averages". Met Office. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023. <a href="https://archive.today/20231108153713/https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcgx400cd" target="_blank">https://archive.today/20231108153713/https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcgx400cd</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">"Mesolithic food industry on Colonsay" (June 1995) British Archaeology. No. 5. Retrieved 25 May 2008. <a href="http://www.britarch.ac.uk/BA/ba5/ba5news.html" target="_blank">http://www.britarch.ac.uk/BA/ba5/ba5news.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Moffat, Alistair (2005) Before Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History. London. Thames & Hudson. p. 91–2. <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">Moffat, Alistair (2005) Before Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History. London. Thames & Hudson. p. 91–2. <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">"Mesolithic food industry on Colonsay" (June 1995) British Archaeology. No. 5. Retrieved 25 May 2008. <a href="http://www.britarch.ac.uk/BA/ba5/ba5news.html" target="_blank">http://www.britarch.ac.uk/BA/ba5/ba5news.html</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">Monro (1549) "Colnansay" no. 84 <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">"Revisiting one of Scotland's rarest Viking burials". BBC News. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-63920517" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-63920517</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:10">"Lord Strathcona buys Colonsay Estate". Strathearn Herald. Scotland. 3 September 1904. Retrieved 22 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive. <a href="https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002713/19040903/168/0007" target="_blank">https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002713/19040903/168/0007</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:11">"The Estate". Archived 6 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine colonsayestate.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2010. <a href="http://www.colonsayestate.co.uk/The-Estate.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.colonsayestate.co.uk/The-Estate.aspx</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:12">"Telegraph Between Jura, Colonsay, and the mainland". Dundee Evening Telegraph. Scotland. 3 August 1897. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive. <a href="https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000453/18970803/002/0002" target="_blank">https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000453/18970803/002/0002</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:13">"Electricity Comes to Colonsay". Oban Times and Argyllshire Advertiser. Scotland. 29 November 1952. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive. <a href="https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005085/19521129/123/0006" target="_blank">https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005085/19521129/123/0006</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:14">"Bright Sparks". Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser. Scotland. 14 October 1983. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive. <a href="https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002391/19831014/003/0003" target="_blank">https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002391/19831014/003/0003</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:15">National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
 <a href="/wiki/National_Records_of_Scotland" target="_blank">/wiki/National_Records_of_Scotland</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:16">General Register Office for Scotland (28 November 2003) Scotland's Census 2001 – Occasional Paper No 10: Statistics for Inhabited Islands. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
 <a href="http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/census/censushm/occpapers/occasional-paper-10/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/census/censushm/occpapers/occasional-paper-10/index.html</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:17">"Scotland's 2011 census: Island living on the rise". BBC News. Retrieved 18 August 2013. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23711202" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23711202</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:18">"Colonsay Hotel". Retrieved 22 March 2024. <a href="https://www.cateringscotland.com/sold-graham-and-sibbald-announce-the-sale-of-colonsay-hotel-isle-of-colonsay/" target="_blank">https://www.cateringscotland.com/sold-graham-and-sibbald-announce-the-sale-of-colonsay-hotel-isle-of-colonsay/</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:19">House of Lochar Publisher. "Mission Statement". Archived from the original on 22 June 2002. Retrieved 2 August 2007. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20020622141523/http://www.houseoflochar.com/sitefiles/mission.htm" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20020622141523/http://www.houseoflochar.com/sitefiles/mission.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:20">"Colonsay Hotel". Retrieved 2 August 2007. <a href="http://www.thecolonsay.com" target="_blank">http://www.thecolonsay.com</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:21">"Colonsay Brewery". Retrieved 24 April 2007. <a href="http://www.colonsaybrewery.co.uk" target="_blank">http://www.colonsaybrewery.co.uk</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:22">"Hebridean beer pioneers win battle of the tiny islands". Retrieved 24 February 2013. <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/hebridean-beer-pioneers-win-battle-of-the-tiny-islands-1-1038849" target="_blank">http://www.scotsman.com/news/hebridean-beer-pioneers-win-battle-of-the-tiny-islands-1-1038849</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:23">"Wild Island Gin – Proudly produced using hand foraged island botanicals". <a href="http://www.wildislandgin.com" target="_blank">http://www.wildislandgin.com</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:24">"About Us". <a href="https://www.wildthymespirits.com/about-us-i1" target="_blank">https://www.wildthymespirits.com/about-us-i1</a> <a href="#fnref:24" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:25">"Wild Thyme Spirits to move gin production home to the Isle of Colonsay". The Scottish Gin Society. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2024. <a href="https://www.thescottishginsociety.com/2018/06/11/wild-thyme-spirits-to-move-gin-production-home-to-the-isle-of-colonsay/" target="_blank">https://www.thescottishginsociety.com/2018/06/11/wild-thyme-spirits-to-move-gin-production-home-to-the-isle-of-colonsay/</a> <a href="#fnref:25" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:26">"Hebridean policeman's lot is a happy one". Herald Scotland. 21 June 1993. <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/hebridean-policeman-s-lot-is-a-happy-one-1.754403" target="_blank">http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/hebridean-policeman-s-lot-is-a-happy-one-1.754403</a> <a href="#fnref:26" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:27">Paterson. S. (10 November 2006). "Colonsay's first house thief is fined £400". The Herald newspaper. Glasgow. Retrieved 29 November 2006. <a href="http://www.islayblog.com/2006entries/20061110-colonsaycrime.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.islayblog.com/2006entries/20061110-colonsaycrime.shtml</a> <a href="#fnref:27" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:28">"First crime recorded on Colonsay for seven years". The Scotsman. 28 June 2013. <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/first-crime-recorded-on-colonsay-for-seven-years-1-2982499" target="_blank">http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/first-crime-recorded-on-colonsay-for-seven-years-1-2982499</a> <a href="#fnref:28" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:29">"Home" and "History" Archived 11 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Colonsay Rugby Festival. Retrieved 9 December 2013. <a href="http://www.colonsayrugbyfestival.com/" target="_blank">http://www.colonsayrugbyfestival.com/</a> <a href="#fnref:29" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:30">"Mull: I Know Where I'm Going" powell-pressburger.org. Retrieved 29 December 2009. Extract from Bruce, David (1996) Scotland the Movie. Polygon. <a href="http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/45_IKWIG/IKWIG18.html" target="_blank">http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/45_IKWIG/IKWIG18.html</a> <a href="#fnref:30" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:31">The Crofter and the Laird amazon.com Retrieved 7 February 2011. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Crofter-Laird-John-McPhee/dp/0374514658/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_11" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/Crofter-Laird-John-McPhee/dp/0374514658/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_11</a> <a href="#fnref:31" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:32">"Ceol Chòlasa" Archived 1 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine ceolcholasa.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2014. <a href="http://www.ceolcholasa.co.uk/Ceol_Cholasa/Welcome_3.html" target="_blank">http://www.ceolcholasa.co.uk/Ceol_Cholasa/Welcome_3.html</a> <a href="#fnref:32" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:33">"SpringFest Annually". http://www.colonsayspringfest.co.uk/ Retrieved 7 February 2017. <a href="http://www.colonsayspringfest.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.colonsayspringfest.co.uk/</a> <a href="#fnref:33" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:34">"Home". Colonsay Book Festival. Retrieved 5 September 2012. <a href="http://www.colonsaybookfestival.org.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.colonsaybookfestival.org.uk/</a> <a href="#fnref:34" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:35">"Colonsay and Oronsay to become honeybee havens". Edinburgh. Scotland on Sunday. Retrieved 7 October 2013. <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/colonsay-and-oronsay-to-become-honeybee-havens-1-3128377" target="_blank">http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/colonsay-and-oronsay-to-become-honeybee-havens-1-3128377</a> <a href="#fnref:35" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:36">Andrew Abrahams. "Colonsay Black Bee Reserve". snhbs.scot. Scottish native Honey Bee Society. Retrieved 1 May 2019. <a href="http://www.snhbs.scot/colonsay/" target="_blank">http://www.snhbs.scot/colonsay/</a> <a href="#fnref:36" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:37">Catherine Eleanor Thompson. "The health and status of the feral honeybee ( Apis mellifera sp ) and Apis mellifera mellifera population of the UK" (PDF). whiterose.ac.uk. The University of Leeds Faculty of Biological Sciences. Retrieved 1 May 2019. <a href="http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/5211/1/CorrectedThesis3.pdf" target="_blank">http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/5211/1/CorrectedThesis3.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:37" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:38">Mac Taillier (2003) p. 31 <a href="#fnref:38" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:39">Watson (1926) p. 84 <a href="#fnref:39" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:40">Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 52-53 <a href="#fnref:40" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:41">Watson (1926) p. 84 <a href="#fnref:41" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:42">Mac Taillier (2003) p. 103 <a href="#fnref:42" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
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<li id="fn:44">"Features". Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2013. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084312/http://archiveshub.ac.uk/features/0502mackinnon.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084312/http://archiveshub.ac.uk/features/0502mackinnon.html</a> <a href="#fnref:44" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
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<li id="fn:46">Dinwoodie, Robin (31 May 2010) "The boy from Colonsay takes on critical job at Treasury". Glasgow; The Herald. <a href="#fnref:46" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:47">Colonsay Home, archived from the original on 28 July 2007, retrieved 1 August 2007 <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070728205654/http://www.townofcolonsay.com/home.htm" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20070728205654/http://www.townofcolonsay.com/home.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:47" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

Colonsay open-in-new

Colonsay