NL6697 : Barra - Castlebay - Kisimul Castle
taken 3 years ago, near to Castlebay/Bàgh a' Chaisteil, Barra, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scotland
Dating from probably the 15thC, this castle is 160m from the shore at Castlebay and accessible only by boat; at low tide it is surrounded by a rim of rock, but at high tide only the walls of the castle are visible. A 1427 charter records that Barra was given to Gill-Adhamnain Mcneil by Alexander MacDonald, the Lord of the Isles, and the oldest parts of the castle that remain seem to date from then, although the rock may have been occupied earlier. After the collapse of the Lordship of the Isles in the 15thC there was much lawlessness and conflict in the highlands and islands, and the Macneils acquired a reputation for piracy. By the 18thC the clan chief had moved to a more comfortable house on Barra, and the castle fell into ruins, and its walls were stripped by boats for ballast. In 1837 the insolvent chief sold the island and his ancestral seat.
Robert Lister MacNeil succeeded as clan chief in 1914 and in 1937 he bought Kisimul and the restoration began, and continued until his death in 1970. It was not clear how the castle had originally looked, and some modern techniques and compromises were used to make the castle a home, while keeping to the spirit of the old building. Since 2000 the castle has been in the care of Historic Scotland under a lease.
Its restoration began in the early 20thC and in 2000 it was put into the care of Historic Scotland under lease.
The Isle of Barra (Barraigh) is towards the southern end of the long chain of islands that constitutes the Outer Hebrides. Since 1991 it has been joined by a 200m long causeway to its southern neighbour, Vatersay (Bhatarsaigh) the latter being the southernmost populated island of the archipelago. Beyond Vatersay to the south lie some uninhabited (but mostly formerly inhabited) islands, principal among which are (in order from N to S): Sandray (Sanndraigh), Pabbay (Pabaigh), Mingulay (Miùghlaigh) and finally Berneray (Beàrnaraigh) also known as Barra Head.
Barra is quite a bustling island for its size, having amongst the highest population densities of the outer islands (viz. 20/km² roughly twice that of Lewis with Harris for example). The entirety of this population is situated around the coast or a little way inland along valleys, the centre of the island being mountainous and uninhabited.
One circular road (the A888) forms a circuit around the bulk of the island with a branching minor road heading into the Eoligarry peninsula (where the airport is located, see below) and another spur running south around the perimeter of Beinn Tangabhal to the causeway to Vatersay.
The chief settlement of Castlebay is clearly the hub of the island with schools, shops, hotels, a particularly excellent café ( Link ) and the port as well as Kisimul Castle on its own little islet in the bay, from which the town gets its name.
Barra airport is one of the World's most remarkable - it is situated on the Eoligarry peninsula towards the northern extremity of the island ... and it doesn't have a runway as such. Instead planes land and take off from the expansive beach of Tràigh Mhòr ("Big Beach"). Flight times are therefore dependent on the tide!
Statistics:
Area: 5,875ha (22⅔ miles²)
Population: 1,174 (2011 census)
Highest Point: Heaval (Heabhal), 384m (1,259')
Principal settlement: Castlebay (with perhaps a third of the island's population)