Colonsey

The name of the island comes from the Old Norse language and means "island of Colbein." In the chronicles of the XIV century, it is recorded as Coluynsay , the XVI century - as Colvansay .

Kolonsay Island is conventionally oval, stretched from north-northeast to south-south-west, its length is about 13 kilometers, the maximum width is up to 4.8 kilometers, the highest point is 143 meters above sea level. Directly from the south, the island of Oronsei adjoins Colonse, separated from it by watts , that is, the islands are separated by water only at high tide. The closest land to the east is Jura Island (about 14 km), to the north is the Isle of Mull (about 17 km), from the west is an open ocean with the exception of the cliff , on which the lighthouse is installed.

Archaeological researches of 1995 discovered several pits on the island, in a large number filled with burnt hazel shells. Radiocarbon analysis showed that the age of the shell dates back to 7720 ± 110 BC. Apparently, the way of life of local residents was significantly different from other inhabitants of the present Scotland, in particular, the Colonians, most likely, were vegetarians ^[1] .

On the island, discovered several remnants of ancient settlements. Found there in 1870, the Riasg Buidhe Cross (VII – VIII centuries) was cleaned and reinstalled. Of interest are the remains of the about (about the XIV century) ^[2] In 1549, the priest left the description of the island.

C Colonseus, the clan McPhee and the branch of the clan Macnil occur . Starting from Colonel , the last clan owned the island from the beginning of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, they built the in 1722 In 1904, this house was transferred to the new owner of the island, Baron Strathcon and Mount Royal , now the House belongs to his descendants ^[3] .

In 1993, the permanent population of the island was 102 people ^[4] , in 2001 - 108 people, in 2011 - 144, that is, the population growth over 10 years was more than 33% (for comparison: over the same period, the population growth in all the islands of Scotland was only 4% ^[5] ). As of January 2014, the island’s official website reports 135 inhabitants. At the same time, at the end of the 19th century, the total population of the islands of Colonsay and Oronsei was almost 400 people ^[6] .

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  Riasg Buidhe Cross

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  View of Oronsay Island

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  During low tide, you can move from Colonseus to Oronsey by land.

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There is virtually no crime on the island: as of 1993, the last crime that happened here is considered treason to King James I in 1623 ^[4] .

In 2006, a worker from Glasgow was arrested, who confessed to burglary: he entered an unlocked house and stole £ 60. It was the first crime on the island in two years and the first in its history related to the theft from home. The following crime happened only in 2013: A local land’s Land Rover pierced all four tires, causing damage of £ 500 ^[7] .

Most likely, Colonsay is the smallest island in the world among those that held rugby festivals, while the island does not even have a permanent field for this game ^[8] .

Since 2008, the folklore festival Ceòl Cholasa has been held on the island annually. In addition to local musicians and musicians from nearby islands, such celebrities as , , , ^[9] performed at the festival.

Since 2012, an annual book festival has been held on the island, with such famous writers as Alexander McCall Smith and being the guests ^[10] .

The largest settlement and the only port of the island is with a population of about 120 inhabitants. All tourists arriving on the island by ferry or by air, the first thing is sure to get here. There is a school, two churches, an 18-hole golf course ^[6] , a shop, a post office, a medical assistant, a small brewery (since 2007, this way Kolonsay has become the smallest island in the world with its own brewery ^[11] ; it employs 10% of the entire able-bodied population of the island - Chris and Bob ^[12] ), a hotel (built in 1750) ^[13] and a cafe ^[14] .

The island serves the airport of the same name - flights twice a week to Oban ^[15] .

The 1945 film “I Know Where I'm Going!” Was filmed mainly on the nearby Isle of Mull , in the tape mentioned the fictional island of Kiloran, which in fact was Colonsay ^[16] .

Wild goats live in large numbers on the island, and the summer cows , cormorants , guillemots , coriostles , and golden eagles inhabit. Fifty honeybee colonies of Apis mellifera mellifera are located on the Colonsea. Due to the fact that this species disappears on the mainland, the Scottish government took special control over the breeding of Apis mellifera mellifera ^[17] .

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  The only hotel on the island, pub and cafe

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  Fortification Dùn Eibhinn

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  "Standing Stone" Clan McPhee

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  Lake

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  War memorial

• Scotland Islands List
• Little Colonsay is a desert island in the same area.
• - an essay by , published in 1549.

• The official website of the island (eng.)
• Town of Colonsay
• Kolonsay Island (English) on english.turkcebilgi.com
• Colonsay and his ships (English) on the site colonsay.info