List of Iona place-names beginning with 'E'
Earrann Dhubh na Maol
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Field
Grid reference: NM2822823809
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 10m
Elements: G earrann + G dubh + en (Am) Maol
Translation: 'black/dark portion of (Am) Maol'
Earrann Mhòr
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV), Iona (IOX)
Classification: Field
Grid reference: NM2886124895
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 16m
Elements: G earrann + G mòr
Translation: 'big portion'
Description:
The word earrann ‘a portion, a share (of land)’ appears in four Iona place-names. This is the most northerly, on low ground to the east of Dun Ì. The other three are in a cluster in the low-laying farmland in the area of Sligineach and Ruanaich. Their distribution raises interesting questions about the use of earrann in a more intensively farmed or densely populated area as part of the division of responsibilities among different farming families or households. We may compare the use of earrann on Iona (where it is essentially used as a field-name generic) with other parts of Scotland, where it appears on a larger scale. In a blog published as part of the Place-Names of the Galloway Glens project, Gilbert Márkus discusses this: ‘Why do earrann-names form clusters?’.
Earrann NicLachlainn
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Field
Grid reference: NM2762823567
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 17m
Elements: G earrann + pn NicLachlainn
Translation: 'portion of NicLachlainn (Lachlan's daughter)'
Eilean a’ Chaolais
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV), Iona (IOX)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2637524249
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 2m
Elements: G eilean + G an + G caolas
Translation: 'island of the strait'
Eilean a’ Chlàrsaich
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV), Iona (IOX)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2634124444
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 4m
Elements: G eilean + G an + G clàrsair or G clàrsach
Translation: ‘Island of the harpist/minstrel’ or ‘island of the harp’
Description:
In spite of its ‘island’ element, this place-name refers to a piece of ground on the mainland of Iona, not a separate island. It may be an ‘island’ only in the sense of being a piece of drier ground rising above what are normally marshy surroundings. Reeves’ map shows it about 50 metres inland from the shore and notes (1857, 428 n.) ‘Chlarsair—a round knoll in [the farm of] Culbhuirg’. The Ritchies in 1930 show the name written along the shoreline on the north side of Port Bàn.
If we adopt Reeves’ version of the name, Eilean a’ Chlarsair, this is ‘island of the harpist’. We have not found any story or information that might explain the origin of the name. Ritchie (map) and subsequent maps show it as Eilean a’ Chlarsaich ‘island of the harp’. As this is the current name on the Iona Community map, still in use, this is the head-name, but Eilean a’ Chlarsair may be the more ‘correct’ one.
Note that none of the maps shows an accent on the specific element, which should be clàrsair or clàrsach.
Eilean Annraidh
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2970626471
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 1m
Elements: G eilean +
Eilean Breac
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2766522408
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 1m
Elements: G eilean + G breac
Translation: 'speckled island'
Eilean Carbaid
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2878724144
Certainty: 1
Altitude: m
Elements: G eilean + G carbad
Translation: ?'island of (the) chariot/wagon'
Eilean Carrach
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV), Iona (IOX)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2784422512
Certainty: 1
Altitude: m
Elements: G eilean + G carrach
Translation: ‘rough or rocky island’
Description:
A group of several sea rocks located on the south-east coastline, its name denoting ‘rough island’ or ‘rocky island’. It is one of three islands, along with Eilean Mòr and Sgeir Ruadh, described by Dugald MacArthur (TAD ID 84012, part 2 18:10) as notable for being Ross of Mull granite intrusions. These islands have been interpreted as the ‘westernmost exposure’ of Ross of Mull Granite (McAteer et al. 2014, p. 145).
OS Name Books description: ‘A rocky island in the sound of Iona. About ¼ of a mile north east of Druim Dùghaill. Sig: “Rocky Island” In this parish.’
Eilean Chalbha
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV), Iona (IOX)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2803226192
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 3m
Elements: G eilean + en Calbha
Translation: ‘island of Calbha’
Description:
A rocky island off the northern Iona coastline. It contains an original Old Norse name which almost certainly represents *Kálfey ‘calf-isle’ with ON kálfr + ON ey. The OS Name Books describe it as a ‘small rocky island accessible at low water, situated on the west side of the north east end of Iona, Sig: “Island of the Headland,”’ (OS1/2/37/45). The first edition OS map gives Eilean Cailbhe, a spelling which may have been influenced by its Mull counterpart, An Calbh ~ Calve Island (NM5233054580), which is more frequently attested with an -e ending. At any rate, this has been amended to Eilean Chalbha on the second edition map, a spelling more consistent with other recorded forms of the Iona name.
Parallel place-names originally coined in Old Norse can be found across Scotland and Scandinavia, typically referring to a smaller island off the coast of a larger one (in this case, Iona). According to Watson (1926, p. 455) Norse ‘Kálfey, “calf-isle” is always in Gaelic Calbha’ and Nicolaisen (1976, p. 126) proposed that names like Calva and Soay may refer to grazing practices relating to lambs, goats and calves, but that in some instances, ‘Calva seems to mean a small island off a larger one’. Although the name could conceivably refer to an island used for cattle grazing, or where calving took place, the latter seems more likely here.
Much later, G eilean was added to the original ON *Kálfey, forming Eilean Chalbha, which is what the island is now usually called. It is possible that the name Calbha existed in a Gaelic-speaking context before eilean was added, but its early development is opaque. At any rate, by the time it first appears in our sources, on Blaeu’s Atlas (1654) as Yl. Chalua, eilean had already been added.
Our geographically closest parallel example, Calve Island off the coast of Mull, is discussed by Alasdair Whyte who argues that the name may have been interpreted as a form of G cailbhe ‘a partition’ (2021 and forthcoming). Other instances of *Kálfey are discussed by Gammeltoft (2006, p. 82) who argues that Calbhaigh (NF809127) north of Èirisgeigh ~ Eriskay refers to ‘a small island situated close to a larger island’.
The name has been incorporated into a Gaelic context in multiple ways. In Sutherland we have Calbha Mòr (NC163369) and Calbha Beag (NC155368), but also An Calbh (NC159365), a headland which forms part of Calbha Beag. It is worth noting that this, along with An Calbh in Mull, is given in the OS Name Books as ‘headland’ (OS1/2/73/65; OS1/33/18/31). There is also a Calbh Mòr (NH668109) in the parish of Moy & Dalarossie in Inverness-shire, given in the OS Name Books (OS1/17/3/59) as ‘the large headland’. Intriguingly, this last example is not a coastal feature and seems to refer to an elevation, placing it in a slightly different context from other examples which are likely derived from an original Norse *Kálfey. Based on this, there may be indications that An Calbh may have taken on an appellative meaning in a Gaelic context with the meaning of ‘headland’.
At this point, it is also worth mentioning that there is evidence for *Kálfey taking on a similar appellative meaning in its original Scandinavian context. There are numerous instances of ‘calf-islands’ which denote a smaller island attached to a larger one, including Kalvön in Sweden and Kalvøen in Norway (see Rygh NG vol. 13, pp. 191, 196, 333, 357 for further examples). Cleasby-Vigfusson note that kálfr is used metaphorically to refer to ‘a small island near a large one’ citing the Calf of Man (Manar-kálfr) as one example.
The name Calbha has also been transferred to multiple features in the northern part of Iona, including the croft of Calva, Dùn Chalbha, Liana Chalbha and Maol Chalbha (for which see entries). Dugald MacArthur notes that both Eilean Chalbha and Rèidh-Eilean ‘went with Calva’ (TAD ID 84465 9:10; 21:40).
Eilean Dìdil
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2617024227
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 6m
Elements: G eilean +
Eilean Dubh
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM3035025239
Certainty: 1
Altitude: m
Elements: G eilean + G dubh
Translation: 'black/dark island'
Eilean Dubh
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2619121415
Certainty: 1
Altitude: m
Elements: G eilean + G dubh
Translation: 'black/dark island'
Eilean Dùnagan
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV), Iona (IOX)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2849223650
Certainty: 1
Altitude: m
Elements: G eilean + en *Dùnagan
Translation: ?‘island of *Dùnagan’
Description:
A sea rock near the coastline opposite from Cladh nan Druineach. Dugald MacArthur gives the names Eilean Dùnagan and Port Eilean Dùnagan, noting that Eilean Dùnagan is quite a landmark when you pass it by boat (TAD ID 84012 part 1 24:38). It seems plausible that Eilean Dùnagan contains an existing name, *Dùnagan. The nearby Port Dùnagan may also contain the same existing name, but there are indications that the name of the port may have been derived from Eilean Dùnagan since it is sometimes referred to as Port Eilean Dùnagan (see Port Dùnagan).
Although the translations provided by Reeves and Munro Fraser imply a plural form, another possibility might be an interpretation with G dùn + G -ag (diminutive suffix) + G -an ‘place of’ (for further discussion of these suffices see Cox 2022, pp. 107-9). Rather than heaps or hillocks, we might be dealing with an original name denoting ‘Place of (the) little heap/mound/hillock’. Alternatively, the name may not contain an existing name, and Eilean Dùnagan represents the earliest form of the name, in which case the specific element might contain dùn with a double diminutive ending, -ag + -an (see Watson 1904, p. xxxviii).
It is not entirely clear what such an original name would refer to. One possibility is the island itself. Although it is not immediately obvious that dùn would be applied to a small sea rock, the shape of the rock in question is rather dùn-shaped and this may be the most likely interpretation. It is worth noting that, as discussed by Simon Taylor (PNF 5, p. 359), despite its original meaning of ‘hill, defensive hill, fortification’ in Old Gaelic, ‘in Scottish Gaelic it developed a series of secondary meanings such as “hill, hillock, heap, tower”’. On the other hand, Eilean Dùnagan is adjacent to Cladh nan Druineach and this may be the ‘heap’ or ‘hillock’ which the name originally denoted. Although Cladh nan Druineach is now largely invisible as a landscape feature, the original outlines can be seen on LiDAR data, and the feature would likely have been more prominent in the past. A final possibility might be that the specific element represents a personal name, Dúnácan, an attested personal name in medieval sources (eDIL s.v. Dunacan). Without further evidence, all these interpretations are possibilities, but it seems most likely that the element dùn is in reference to the shape of the island the name refers to.
The name was also at some point transferred to a house, recorded in the Oban Visitors’ Register of 1897, therein referred to as Dùnagan (MacArthur 1990, p. 249). No trace of the name can be found on maps and it is not entirely clear which house it refers to.
Eilean Lùcais
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV), Iona (IOX)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2671821544
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 2m
Elements: G eilean + pn Lùcas
Translation: ‘Luke’s island’
Description:
A rocky islet off the south-east coast of Iona near An Àird. Dugald MacArthur (TAD ID 84012, part 2 14:15) describes Eilean Lucais and Sloc Bò Phàidein as being located ‘off the point’ (An Àird). It is described in the OS Name Books (OS1/2/77/149) as ‘a rock situate immediately beside “Rudha na Carraig-geiré” and about 1/8 of a mile S.E. of “Eilean Port na Caraich”’.
It is not known who the eponymous Lùcas (Luke) was, but MacLucas was a common surname in Iona during the 19th century, when the name was first recorded. It is therefore worth considering the possibility that the name represents a contracted form of *Eilean ’ic Lucais. A similar process has been suggested for other island names, e.g. Cùl Phàil (q.v.), perhaps named for someone called MacPhail.
There were two or three MacLucas households on Iona from the mid-19th till early 20th centuries; they mostly lived in the village, plying various trades. One, John, was a fisherman, said to have come to Iona from Gometra, and he frequently appears as one of the local authorities in the OS Name Books. It is possible that the islet’s name derives from an incident or to do with his boat or that he found those waters especially good for fish or shellfish.
With this name and other similar ones, it is good to be aware of the potential for various boating incidents to give rise to the commemoration of individuals in place-names. Take for instance the account of a boating incident in the Sound of Iona in 1899 involving another MacLucas: Dugald MacLucas, fisherman, and his stepson had anchored close to Iona, but as they headed back to Mull their boat capsized and they ‘struggled for nearly half an hour before they were rescued’ (The Oban Times 1899 Saturday 10 June). Although this incident cannot be connected with the name Eilean Lucais, post-dating our earliest form by close to half a century, it gives an indication of the type of events which may give rise to similar place-names.
Finally, we should briefly consider the possibility that the name refers to the saint, Luke the Evangelist (Lùcas in Gaelic). But, considering how uncommon dedications to this saint are in Scottish place-names generally, it is difficult to see why the saint would be commemorated here.
Eilean Maol-Mhàrtainn
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2573722704
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 2m
Elements: G eilean +
Translation: 'island of Mael Martainn' or 'bare island of Martin'
Eilean Mhic an Aba
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2634924320
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 2m
Elements: G eilean + G mac + G an + G aba
Translation: 'island of the Abbot's son' or 'island of Mac an Aba'
Eilean Mhùsamuill | Eilean Musimul
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2573921606
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 4m
Elements: G eilean + en *Músholm
Eilean Mòr
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2799222746
Certainty: 1
Altitude: m
Elements: G eilean + G mòr
Translation: 'large island'
Eilean na h-Aon Chaorach
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV), Iona (IOX)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2599620932
Certainty: 1
Altitude: m
Elements: G eilean + G an + G aon + G caora
Translation: ‘island of the one sheep’
Description:
A small rocky island with a patch of grass at its summit located roughly 500m south of Port a’ Churaich. Two islands here are connected by a sandbank at low tide. The name presumably refers to the eastern of the two islands since this appears to be the only island with grazing capabilities. Described in the OS Name Books (OS1/2/77/144) as ‘An Island situated ½ a mile south of Port na Curaich. Sig; “Island of one Sheep.”’
The name ‘Island of the one sheep’ refers to the capacity of the island being sufficient to maintain one sheep for seasonal grazing. The island is described in several oral recordings available through Tobar an Dualchais, which include an explanation of the meaning of the name in a conversation between Dugald MacArthur and W. F. H. Nicolaisen in 1966 (TAD ID 84012, part 2 18:10):
Nicolaisen: now, this island of the one sheep, does it really only take one sheep? D. MacArthur: Yes, that’s […] its size, it’s small and it goes to a certain man Captain MacLean and if you’re in Iona anytime in the near future you must have a long talk with Captain MacLean he’s the oldest inhabitant of the island he’s 92, he’s the same age as my father, he said he got his ticket in sale, I mean he was one of these […] and all the rest but he still pays what, I think 6 pence […] shilling a year rent for that island and it goes with the old croft in the village and he has, his sister used to have a shop there, but that was the allowance, one sheep was what it would take.
He similarly describes the island 20 years later, discussing which islands were used for grazing (TAD ID 84465 20:50). In both recordings the name is pronounced with an epenthetic vowel as ‘Eilean na h-Aona-Chaora’. While most of the forms of the name give the more standard gen. sg. of caora "sheep" as caorach, the earliest form, from the Admiralty Chart, supports Dugald MacArthur's rendering, which also exists (minus the epenthetic vowel) in a printed source from 1965 (Murchison 1965, 284). These represent a reasonably common variant of the gen. sg. as caora. This is not simply dialectal: Borgstrøm has caorach and caora as gen sg for Lewis: Dialects of Outer Hebrides, p. 96 (we are grateful to Prof. Roibeard Ó Maolalaigh for advice and references on this point). Despite these conflicting signals, it has seemed best in light of multiple attestations, alongside it being the current standard form, to give the name as Eilean na h-Aon Chaorach.
Similar place-names referring to islands or skerries of ‘the one sheep’ can be found across the Hebrides. For example, there are at least four instances of ‘Sgeir na h-Aon Chaorach’ off the coast of Lewis (Grid References: NB394238, NB148416, NB116375, NB186366). The frequency of such formations may imply that references to ‘the one sheep’ in place-names have taken on an appellative meaning in denoting the grazing capacity of these islands and skerries.
It is worth noting that long-standing use of the islands south of Iona for grazing purposes by the islanders is evidenced by the existence of this place-name along with the name Soa (q.v.), referring to an island 2km south-west of Eilean na h-Aon Chaorach. Soa, a well-attested Old Norse island-name meaning ‘sheep island’ (ON *Sauðey) similarly likely refers to the use of that island for grazing purposes. The island is no longer used for grazing (John MacInnes pers.comm.).
Seals were occasionally caught on the rocky islands surrounding Iona, including Soa (MacArthur 1990 2nd ed, p. 193).
Eilean nam Ban
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM3006424667
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 15m
Elements: G eilean + G an + G bean
Translation: 'island of the women'
Eilean nan Con
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2647524088
Certainty: 1
Altitude: m
Elements: G eilean + G an + G cù
Translation: 'island of the dogs'
Eilean nan Slat
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2625324035
Certainty: 1
Altitude: m
Elements: G eilean + G an + G slat
Translation: ?'island of the rods'
Eilean Port a’ Churaich
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV), Iona (IOX)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2628721709
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 2m
Elements: G eilean + en Port a’ Churaich
Translation: 'island of Port a' Churaich'
Description:
It is not strictly speaking an island—except perhaps at exceptionally high tides. It is a large rock, with some grass and other vegetation growing on it, on the west side of Port a’ Churaich, separating that bay from Port an Fhir-bhrèige. It is described in the OS Name Books (OS1/2/77/140) as ‘A small peninsula in Port na Curaich, surrounded by shingle had at one time been an island Sig; “Island of the Bay of the Boat” Situated in this parish’.
It is worth noting that the OS VectorMap incorrectly applies the name to one of the off-shore islands, located at NM26192142.
Eilean Rabach
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV), Iona (IOX)
Classification: Island
Grid reference: NM2970626471
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 1m
Eunienagowna
Kilfinichen & Kilvickeon (KKV)
Classification: Other
Grid reference: NM2684321724
Certainty: 1
Altitude: 7m