Ulva

Ulva Gaelic: Ulbha
Inner Hebrides (Argyllshire)
The one house at Bearnus on Ulva
Location
Location:	56°28’30"N, 6°12’0"W
Grid reference:	NM410396
Area:	4,917 acres
Highest point:	Beinn Chreagach, 1,027 feet
Data
Population:	11  (2011)

Ulva is an island in the Inner Hebrides within Argyllshire. It lies just off the west coast of Mull, separated from the northern arm of that island by a narrow strait (the Sound of Ulva) and by Loch Tuath, so close that it scarcely seems a separate isle. Ulva is connected to the neighbouring island of Gometra by a bridge.

Ulva has been populated since the Mesolithic and there are various Neolithic remains on the island. The Norse occupation of the island in the Early Historic Period has left few tangible artefacts but did bequeath the island its name, which is probably from Ulvoy, meaning "wolf island".

From the Viking period and no doubt long before, the Gaelic language prevailed on the island and it was well populated, for the isle was the home of the MacQuarrie clan. This however ended with the ruthless efficiency of the 19th century Highland Clearances. At its height Ulva had a population of over 800, but today this has declined to less than 20.

Many well-known men have visited or had connections with the island including David Livingstone, Samuel Johnson and Walter Scott, who drew inspiration from Ulva for his 1815 poem, Lord of the Isles.

Wildlife is abundant, and dolphins and whales are regularly seen in the surrounding waters. Over 500 species of plant have been recorded. Today there is a regular ferry service and tourism is the mainstay of the economy.

Geography

Tràigh Bhàn, looking toward Mull

Ulva is approximately oval in shape with an indented coastline. It is aligned east-west, being 7.5 miles long, and 2½ miles wide. Viewed on a large scale, Ulva and its neighbouring island Gometra appear to be a peninsula of the Isle of Mull, as they are separated from one another by narrow straits. The Sound of Ulva at the east of the island is a narrow channel a few hundred yards across to Ulva Ferry on Mull. To its west, it is separated from Gometra by Gometra Harbour. To the south are Mull's headlands of Ardmeanach and the Ross of Mull. To the north, Loch Tuath separates it from another headland of Mull, and to the south east is Loch na Keal and the island of Eorsa. There are two main bays on the south coast, Port a' Bhàta, and Tràigh Bhàn. On the north coast, there is the horseshoe bay of Bearnus Lagoon, Soriby Bay and a few minor inlets.

The highest point of Ulva is Beinn Chreagach (meaning "rocky mountain"), which reaches 1,027 feet. It has a neighbour in Beinn Eoligarry whose summit is 1,004 feet above sea level. There is also the smaller hill of A' Chrannag in the south east at 387 feet high. The island has a central ridge, with the highest ground running along its lateral axis - this ridge is somewhat broken by Gleann Glas and some other valleys. The south east peninsula tends to be lower lying, with a small plain along the south coast, consisting of raised beaches.

The island is in the parish of Kilninian, which also includes Gometra, Staffa, Little Colonsay and part of the west of Mull. It was united with Kilmore on Mull, and the minister has traditionally preached in Kilninian and Kilmore on alternate Sundays.

Surrounding islands

From Ormaig toward Geasgill Mòr, Geasgill Beag and Inch Kenneth beyond

• Gometra is a tidal island connected to Ulva by a bridge.
• Little Colonsay is to the southwest
• Inchkenneth (with Samalan Island) is to the southeast.
• The Treshnish Isles lie to the west in a line from the northern part of Mull. These include the distinctive Bac Mòr
• Staffa (famous for the rock formations of Fingal's Cave) is to the southwest, towards Iona, which is just of Mull's southern westward-reaching arm.

A number of islets and rocks are scattered to the south and the east of Ulva, notably Eilean na Creiche between Little Colonsay and Ulva, and also Garbh Eilean ("rough island"), Eilean Bàn ("white/fair island"), Eilean an Rìgh ("island of the king"), Eilean na h-Uamh ("island of the cave"), Trealbhan, Sgeir Dhubh, Sgeir Dhubh Bheag, Sgaigean, Bogha Mòr and Eilean Reilean. There are three main islets in the Sound of Ulva: Eilean Garbh ("rough island"), Eilean a' Bhuic ("island of the buck") and Eilean a' Chaolais ("island of the kyle/straits"), as well as the smaller island of Sgeir Ruadh.

At the south of the island near Mull is Sgeir a' Charraig, and there is Sgeir Dubhail off Rubha nan Gall (north coast), to the south east near Cùl a' Gheata are Sgeir nan Leac, Sgeir Bhioramuill, and Bogha MhicGuaire ("MacQuarrie's rock"). Off Port a' Bhàta are Geasgill Beag & Geasgill Mòr, between Ulva and Inchkenneth. To the south west is Sgeir na Sgeireadh, and Màisgeir due south of Gometra. Off Baligortan is Eilean a' Choire.

Geology

Basalt cliffs, near Dùn Bhioramuill

Topography of Ulva and surrounding isles

Ulva's interior is moorland, while the spectacular geological formations of the south coast, have been somewhat overshadowed by those of its neighbour Staffa. Nonetheless, they are still renowned in their own right. Around 60 million years ago, the region was volcanically active, with Ben More on Mull being the remnant of a volcano, and it was in this period that the famous rock formations of Staffa and the basaltic columns of "The Castles" on Ulva came into being. The lava flows are known as the "Staffa Magma Type member" and can also be seen on Mull at Carsaig, Ardtum, and near Tobermory on its east coast. They are particularly rich in silica. These were formed when the cooling surface of the mass of hot lava cracked in a hexagonal pattern in a similar way to drying mud cracking as it shrinks, and these cracks gradually extended down into the mass of lava as it cooled and shrank to form the columns which were subsequently exposed by erosion.

Much more recently, Ulva was subjected to glaciation, which dug out the sea lochs like Norse fjords on its north and south east sides. Loch Tuath (meaning simply "north loch") and Loch na Keal are prime examples.

The Hebridean coastline has been subject to significant post-glacial changes in sea level and the area is rising up at about 0.08 inch a year as isostatic equilibrium is regained. The relative drop in sea-level has left the highest raised sea cave in the British Isles on Ulva at A' Chrannag. At some point, Ulva was probably a west pointing headland of Mull, connected to Gometra and Eilean Dioghlum off the latter's west coast.

Name

The derivation of "Ulva" is not certain, but is probably from the Old Norse for "wolf isle". Samuel Johnson deduced that it was probably not Gaelic in origin:

"The name is supposed to be a depravation of some other; for the Earse language does not afford it any etymology.".

The English name "Ulva" is from the Gaelic, Ulbha, but this may have been corruption of Old Norse. It is debatable whether the Norse root Ulfr refers to an individual's name, or to the animal itself (possibly because of the shape of the island).

Another legend is recorded in guidebooks:

A scout, sent ashore from the longboat is alleged to have reported, "Ullamhdha", Viking for "Nobody home".

However ullamhdha is not Norse, but appears to be the Gaelic for "ready for it". Munro and MacQuarrie (1996) state that the scout said "ullamh dha" in Gaelic, meaning the island "was ready for occupation".

The Old Statistical Account of Scotland mentions an alternative folk etymology, namely that Ulva comes from ullamh-àth meaning 'ready ford' in Gaelic, that could refer either to the tidal stretch with Gometra, or the Sound of Ulva over which cattle were sometimes swum.

History

Prehistoric standing stone

"VLWA" and surrounding islands from Willem Blaeu's Atlas Maior (1654)

Early history

Standing stones on Ulva have been dated to 1500 BC, and a shell midden in Livingstones Cave dates to c. 5650 BC; it includes remains of flint and a human infant, as well as beasts more appropriate to the Ice Age, such as lemming and Arctic fox. The cave has been excavated since 1987 by archaeologists from the University of Edinburgh. There are a number of dolmens and standing stones on the island, including some west of Cragaig, and one north east of Ormaig, as well as dùns such as Dùn Bhioramuill on the south east slope of A' Chrannag near Cùl a' Gheata above the cliffs, and Dùn Iosagain on the south west slope of Beinn Eolasary.

Christianity first reached the Hebrides and the Highlands from Comumba's mission at Iona just a few miles from Ulva, and St Columba visited Ulva in 563. Some of the local place names contain the word "Cill" or "Ceall" (anglicised as "Kil-") for a "cell", for example "Loch na Keal" and "Cille Mhic Eoghainn", which means "cell of the son of Ewan" or "MacEwan's Church".

During the Norse period, when all these islands belonged to the Kingdom of the Isles, it is believed that Ulva received its name from the Norse language.

Ulva came into the possession of Clan MacQuarrie (an Anglicised version of the surname MacGuaire ) family around a thousand years ago, and they controlled it until the mid-19th century. The name MacGuaire is also anglicised as McGuire in Ireland. The English version has many variants, for examples, a sixteenth century clan chief was Donn-slèibhe MacGuaire, possibly the ancestor of the Livingstone (MacDhùn-lèibhe) family.

The Ulva Brooch was found in a pool of water in a cave in 1998. Its exact date of origin is unknown, but it is reckoned to be 16th or 17th century. The original is now in a museum in Dunoon, and a replica can be seen in Sheila's Cottage on the island. It is an engraved woman's brooch, for keeping a shawl tied together, and is believed to have been left in the cave after someone sheltered there.

18th century

In 1722, the inhabitants of Ulva were sent to a court in Inveraray, because they had taken oil from a stranded whale.

During the Jacobite uprising of 1745, Clan MacQuarrie joined the Young Pretender and its men fought at Culloden on his side.

The Rev John Walker lamented the lack of commercial fishing, which he thought could provide the islanders with an additional income and food source. He noted the presence of herring, cod, and ling in the surrounding waters, but said, that there was

"[N]o net or Long Line on the island to catch them [fish] and none of the inhabitants were acquainted with any kind of fishing, but with the Rod from Sea Rocks".

Lachlan Macquarie, was born on Ulva 31 January 1762, and left at the age of 14. He is sometimes referred to as "Father of Australia". He served as Governor of New South Wales from 1809–21, the longest tenure of any Australian governor, then having travelled in much of the Empire he returned home; his mausoleum may still be seen at Gruline on Loch na Keal on Mull, within sight of his home island. The mausoleum is possibly the only site in Scotland maintained by the National Trust of Australia.

Samuel Johnson

Samuel Johnson and James Boswell visited The MacQuarrie on Ulva in October 1773. Boswell wrote:

We were in hopes to get to Sir Allan Maclean's at Inchkenneth, to-night; but the eight miles, of which our road was said to consist, were so very long, that we did not reach the opposite coast of Mull till seven at night, though we had set out about eleven in the forenoon; and when we did arrive there, we found the wind strong against us. Col determined that we should pass the night at M'Quarrie's, in the island of Ulva, which lies between Mull and Inchkenneth; and a servant was sent forward to the ferry, to secure the boat for us: but the boat was gone to the Ulva side, and the wind was so high that the people could not hear him call; and the night so dark that they could not see a signal. We should have been in a very bad situation, had there not fortunately been lying in the little sound of Ulva an Irish vessel, the Bonnetta, of Londonderry, Captain M'Lure, master. He himself was at M'Quarrie's; but his men obligingly came with their long-boat, and ferried us over.(Boswell)

Johnson wrote:

To Ulva we came in the dark, and left it before noon the next day. A very exact description therefore will not be expected. We were told, that it is an Island of no great extent, rough and barren, inhabited by the Macquarrys; a clan not powerful nor numerous, but of antiquity, which most other families are content to reverence [...] Of the ancestors of Macquarry, who thus lies hid in his unfrequented Island, I have found memorials in all places where they could be expected.

Great though the age of the Macquarries may have been, it appears at this point that they were considering selling it, and that the house was in a state of disrepair, despite the hospitality:

Talking of the sale of an estate of an ancient family, which was said to have been purchased much under its value by the confidential lawyer of that family, and it being mentioned that the sale would probably be set aside by a suit in equity, Dr Johnson said, 'I am very willing that this sale should be set aside, but I doubt much whether the suit will be successful; for the argument for avoiding the sale is founded on vague and indeterminate principles, as that the price was too low, and that there was a great degree of confidence placed by the seller in the person who became the purchaser. Now, how low should a price be? or what degree of confidence should there be to make a bargain be set aside? A bargain, which is a wager of skill between man and man. If, indeed, any fraud can be proved, that will do.

Mercheta Mulierum

Mercheta Mulierum was an ancient custom persisting in the island, a relique of the punluan right:

Inquiring after the reliques of former manners, I found that in Ulva, and, I think, no where else, is continued the payment of the Mercheta Mulierum; a fine in old times due to the Laird at the marriage of a virgin. The original of this claim, as of our tenure of Borough English, is variously delivered. It is pleasant to find ancient customs in old families. This payment, like others, was, for want of money, made anciently in the produce of the land. Macquarry was used to demand a sheep, for which he now takes a crown, by that inattention to the uncertain proportion between the value and the denomination of money, which has brought much disorder into Europe. A sheep has always the same power of supplying human wants, but a crown will bring at one time more, at another less. (Johnson)

Sir William Blackstone says in his Commentaries, that "he cannot find that ever this custom [Borough English] prevailed in England". Walter Scott claims that mercheta mulierum persisted at the time of his visit to Ulva.

19th century

By the early 19th century, potatoes were a major staple of the island, and Ulva exported them. The main remnants of Clan MacQuarrie's chiefs fell at the battles of Malda and Waterloo. Their mother Marie was given a medal by King George IV with the slogan Màthair nan Gaisgich - "mother of heroes" on it.

Until the mid-nineteenth century its main industry was kelp collection and export. At the turn of the nineteenth century, the kelp industry supported a large amount of the population. It was seasonal work, with collection taking place in the months of May, June and July, when it was considered possible to dry it outdoors. The dried kelp would usually then be burnt, and the ash used to produce various products, including fertiliser (mostly soda ash) and iodine. The ruined kiln on the south shore may have been used for this. Between 1817 and 1828, no less than 256 tonnes of kelp were collected in Ulva. Kelpers collected on average, a wage of two shillings a week, and a stone of wheat.

The Clearances

Ormaig, once the principal village of the island

The only house left inhabited at Bearnus

Mr Francis William Clark bought the island in 1835 and began a brutal clearance of two thirds of the inhabitants within a few years. Sometimes those who were to be evicted were given no warning, and had the thatch of their houses set on fire by the factor. The Clark family owned the island well into the 20th century. FW Clark also bought, and cleared, the islands of Gometra and Little Colonsay.

In 1837, there were sixteen villages/townships, with shoe makers, wrights, boat builders, merchants, carpenters, tailors, weavers and black smiths. In 1841, the population of Ulva and Gometra was 859, but by 1848 this had plummeted to 150 thanks to a combination of the Highland potato famine and Clark's evictions. By 1889, the population of the two islands had fallen further to 83, with 53 on Ulva by itself.

MacKenzie records at Aird Glas, near Ardalum, the now abandoned row of houses was nicknamed "Starvation Terrace":

...Where the old and feeble folk cleared from their crofts were placed by Clark, to exist as best they could on shellfish & seaweed till they died.

—

He thinks however, that the plan may not have been to starve them, but to create fishing stations of the type which Walker lamented the lack of. This is certainly what was attempted in Sutherland. Opinions on Clark, still remain divided. The island's guidebook claims:

"Clark's high hopes for this thriving community were shattered when the kelp market collapsed, and he was left with a great surplus of tenants. His greatest concern would have been for the people and their livelihoods."

One of Clark's neighbours did not think much of his concern, and is reported to have shouted "Francis William Clark, there's a smell of your name all over Scotland".

Clark was still alive at the time of the reports to the Napier Commission, and never made any attempt to refute the accusations of cruelty made against him. His son, of the same name, disagreed vocally with his father's behaviour and said, "he would rather have a cailleach (old woman) to light his pipe in every ruined house than all the sheep... of Ulva".

20th century and present day

The bothy at Cragaig

During the 20th century, the population of Ulva, continued to fall. In 1981 it dropped to 13, the lowest point in recorded history. By 1991 however, it had risen to 30, mostly due to incomers working on the island.

The Clarks owned the island for the best part of a century, selling it in 1945, to Edith, Lady Congleton, whose family, the Howards have owned it ever since.

In 2000, D. W. R. MacKenzie wrote As It Was/Sin Mar a Bha: A Ulva Boyhood, which is a combination of autobiography and a potted history of the island. His father was a Kirk minister, who moved there from Rothesay, where he had been in charge of the Gaelic church there. MacKenzie describes as a child, his early impressions of the island in the 1920s, and how the minister's children slowly began to recognise the landscape of eviction:

We saw ruins of houses (tobhtaichean) roofless and windowless, and near them neglected green patches that had obviously been cultivated at one time. We saw overgrown ridges and furrows]] that once had been the lazybed]]s (feannagan) on which former inhabitants had grown their potatoes and cereals. When returned home from our explorations, to recount our discoveries, we learned, over the years, that the Ulva of 1827, when the church and the manse were built was very different from the Ulva we came to know a hundred years later.

Wildlife

Bluebells near Ardalum

A young razorbill in Loch na Keal

Fauna

Ulva is known for its wildlife, which as is usual for many Scottish islands, includes many varieties of sea birds. A number of raptors breed on the island including Buzzards, Golden Eagles and Sea Eagles. Game birds include Snipe, grouse, Pheasant, and Woodcock. White-tailed Eagles, which were reintroduced in the nearby Island of Rùm have migrated to Mull, where they now have a stronghold - they can occasionally be seen on Ulva, but are not known to nest there. Ravens also breed here. Puffin, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Shag, Common and Arctic Tern, Gannets, Eider Ducks, Oystercatchers, Curlews, Redshanks, Red-breasted Mergansers and gulls nest on the island and the surrounding waters provide a livelihood for numerous seabirds. Occasional visitors (usually not breeding) include - House Martins, Leach's Storm Petrel, Corncrakes (which are rare in the British Isles), Peregrine Falcons and Spotted Fly Catchers.

Land mammals that can be found on the island, include Red Deer, Rabbits, and Mountain Hares. Stoats and Hedgehogs are occasionally sighted on the island as well. In 1986 the island's Otters were studied by experts from the University of Leeds - in the six weeks that they were there, they sighted the otters every evening. In regard to canids, there are no foxes on the island, although it has been suggested that the name "Ulva" - wolf isle - meant that wolves lived on the island in the Norse period.

There is only one known kind of reptile on the island, the pseudo-snake slow worm, but no true snakes have been reported. The name "Ormaig", however, is probably a corruption of the NorseOrmrsvi, which means "bay of the worm" - this may refer to a snake.

Cetaceans that can be seen in the surrounding waters include Minke Whales, porpoises, dolphins, and Pilot Whales. Whales occasionally get beached on the island, more recent examples including 1966 (pilot), 1987 (pilot) and 1991 (two Sperm Whales). Grey Seals and Basking Shark also frequent the area.

Ulva is also home to two extremely rare insects: the Scotch Burnet Moth, which can also be found on Mull, but nowhere else, and a dragonfly, Orthetrum coesilesceus.

Flora

The Isle of Ulva has a dramatic range of scenery from spectacular cliffs to sylvan glades such as this.

More than 500 species of plant have been recorded on Ulva.

Bracken is particularly abundant on the island, with heather growing in some other parts. Wild flowers that grow here include bluebells, orchids, Sundews (Drosera) and Dianthus ("pinks").

Much of the island is treeless, but there are substantial stands in some places, especially near the island's small reservoir.

However, in the areas where trees grow, there is a surprising diversity. There are at least 43 varieties and/or species of broadleaf trees on the island, and over a dozen types of conifer. Amongst the coniferous trees are Silver and Nobel Firs, Juniper, European and Japanese Larch, Sitka Spruce, and Scots Pine. The broadleafs include Laburnum, Wych Elm, three types of oak, four kinds of cherry tree, Alder, Sycamore, Sweet Chestnut, Walnut and various other fruit trees. Despite Ulva's unwarranted reputation for barrenness, it can be seen that it is a treasure trove of plant life, both introduced and native.

Ulva in literature

Lord Ullin's Daughter

The most famous commemoration of Ulva in literature is Thomas Campbell's poem, Lord Ullin's Daughter, written after the writer had visited the region. The opening two stanzas are as follows:

A CHIEFTAIN to the Highlands bound
Cries, "Boatman, do not tarry!
And I'll give thee a silver pound
To row us o'er the ferry!"

"Now who be ye would cross Lochgyle,
This dark and stormy water?"
"O I'm the chief of Ulva's isle,
And this, Lord Ullin's daughter.

Walter Scott

After his visit, Walter Scott used Ulva as material for various works, for example, in his 1815 poem, Lord of the Isles (Canto 4)

And Ulva dark, and Colonsay,
And all the group of islets gay
That guard famed Staffa round.

Infrastructure and economy

The dam on A' Chrannag

None of the island's roads is tarmacked or numbered, due to the low population, and there are no fewer than six fords on the length of the southern road. There is however a bridge to Gometra, which can also be reached dry-shod at low tide. There are no cars, but quad bikes and tractors are used.

The island had a population of sixteen people at the time of the 2001 census.

A foot ferry sails from Ulva to the hamlet of Ulva Ferry on Mull, on request: it is called from either side by sliding a board to show a red circle, on seeing which the ferryman sets out across the narrow water.

Ulva's main industry now is tourism. Other industries on the island include sheep and cattle farming, and fish farming (salmon at Soriby Bay). There is also a small sawmill.

There is no hotel on the island, but there is a locked bothy at Cragaig which can be rented and camping is also possible. At Ardalum, there is a former shooting lodge, which is now a self-catering unit, and was also workers' accommodation for a while. There is a licensed restaurant/tea room on the island, "The Boathouse", where locally harvested oysters are sold.

Ulva Church

In the early 19th century, and unflattering report stated:

"No district was more deficient in the means of religious instruction than Ulva" and that "Divine service was little frequented in winter."

A small church was built at Ardalum between 1827 and 1828. It cost £1,500 and was designed by Thomas Telford. It was restored in 1921. the original church did not have a proper floor, and its floor boards were laid on top of the earth.

The Certificate of Complete of the Ulva Church and Manse is dated 14 March 1828, and it was conveyed by Charles MacQuarie. There was a budget of £1,500 pounds for the construction and the actual cost came to £1,495 14/1.

It is still used, partly as a community centre, and with a wing for worship. It is claimed that in 1847 (Statistical Account), everyone on the island attended services in it including one Roman Catholic and one atheist. Dr Johnson was probably speaking of the old church at Cille Mhic Eòghainn when he said: "Ulva was not neglected by the piety of ardent times: it has still to show what was once a church." Ulva Church is dedicated to St Eòghann of Ardstraw, possibly the same person.

The last resident minister, Rev. MacKenzie left in 1929.

Structures

The small church at Ardalum, designed by Thomas Telford

Many structures on Ulva are in ruins, such as the former water mill between Ormaig and Cragaig, and if not in ruins, they have been incorporated into other buildings, e.g. Bracadale Steadings, which includes bits of the old Ulva House which Boswell and Johnson stayed in.

Sheila's Cottage

"Sheila's Cottage" is a thatched but-and-ben, which was restored in the 1990s. It is named for Sheila MacFadyen (Sile NicPhaidein), who lived in the cottage between the turn of the twentieth century and the early 1950s. Sheila was originally a milkmaid at Ulva House, but she spent her later years, after her son predeceased her, garnering a scanty living by gathering and selling winkles for sale locally. One room, the "but" was for livestock, and the other, the "ben" was her living space, where all activities took place.

The cottage contains a box bed, dresser, and a life size model of Sheila herself.

Other buildings

The Inn at Ulva was popular with visitors to Staffa. However, although it called itself a "emperance inn", its keeper was charged three times with breach of licence. It burnt down in 1880 - the buildings were thatched, and the guest book, which contained many famous signatures was destroyed with it. It reopened, but was finally closed in 1905.

More than one building has gone by the name "Ulva House", and the current one was designed by Leslie Grahame-Thomson in the early 1950s. There is a dovecot and a pig sty on its gable end.

There are several ruined kilns on the island for a number of different purposes. At Baligartan, there is the remains of a kiln for drying grain, and on the south shore, in a gully (GR173378), there is another, which was probably used in the island's old kelp industry.

Folklore

It may be presumed that much of the island's folklore disappeared with the island's population. The story of "Allan-a-Sop", adapted by Scott would have formed part.

Bradley's Cave (G 439398) is named for an Irish itinerant who used to visit in the nineteenth century. Bradley, or O' Brolligan (as his name is sometimes recorded) was a retired sailor, who took to the roads as a pedlar, and when on Ulva, he was said to live in this cave. Though there is little evidence of his existence, during the 20th Century, buttons and a coin dated 1873 were found in here.

Cairistiona's Rock near Ormaig has a more gruesome story attached to it. Cairistiona accused, probably falsely, her sister of stealing a large hunk of cheese, and tried to extract a confession from her, by lowering her off a cliff with a plaid tied round her neck. The plaid slipped, and ended up strangling her sister, which she had never intended to do. Wracked with remorse, she confessed to the accident, but this was not enough for the islanders, who decided to drown her, by throwing her in a sack and laying her on the rock, which still bears her name.

Ulva (centre) from Mull

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Ulva)

• The Isle of Ulva "A world apart"
• Now who be ye, would cross Loch Gyle? (Ulva) John Hannavy visits Ulva, a tiny island off the west coast of Mull Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 31 on 16/02/2007
• Mullmagic.com Isle of Ulva
• Images of archaeological sites in Mull and Ulva, Clive Ruggles, University of Leicester

References

• Bannerman, John, Studies in the History of Dalriada. Scottish Academic Press, Edinburgh, 1974. ISBN 0-7011-2040-1
• Broun, Dauvit, Dál Riata in Lynch (2001).
• Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. pp. 102-5. ISBN 1841954543.  (Ulva and Gometra)
• Howard, J. & Jones, A., The Isle of Ulva: A Visitor's Guide, published by Ulva Estate, (2004)
• Keay, J. & Keay, J. (1994) Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland. London. HarperCollins. Articles: Ulva & "MacQuarrie, Lachlan"
• Johnson, Samuel (1775) A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland. London. Chapman & Dodd. (1924 edition).
• Livingston, David LL.D., D.C.L., Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa Including a Sketch of Sixteen Years' Residence in the Interior of Africa, and a Journey from the Cape of Good Hope to Loanda on the West Coast; Thence Across the Continent, Down the River Zambesi, to the Eastern Ocean.
• MacKenzie, Donald W. R. As It Was/Sin Mar a Bha: A Ulva Boyhood Birlinn Ltd (16 May 2000) ISBN 978-1-84158-042-5
• Report of Her Majesty's Commissioners of Inquiry Into the Condition of the Crofters and Cottars in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland (Napier Commission)