The Oa
The Oa is a rocky, bulbous headland in the south-west of Islay, in Argyllshire. Its name is from the Gaelic An Obha. The whole of the Oa is an RSPB nature reserve.
The area is almost an island; its high point is Beinn Mhòr, rising to 663 feet, in the south. It used to be inhabited, but no longer: in 1830 the parish became deserted due to the Highland Clearances.
On the Oa
In 1918, two ships were lost off Islay, the SS Tuscania, a passenger liner, and HMS Otranto.[1] </ref> The American Monument was erected on the south coast by the American Red Cross to commemorate them.
The area around the memorial is a Nature Reserve owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds,[2] where chough, golden eagles, corn crakes and sea birds can be seen. 4,772 acres have been designated as a Special Protection Area for the protection of the chough.[1] Ireland]] can be seen from the south peninsula on a clear day.[3]
Location
- Location map: 55°37’0"N, 6°16’60"W
See also
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about The Oa) |