The Shiant Isles
The Shiant Isles
The
Shiant Isles (for further details visit our article in the Location section of this site) are made of some of the oldest stone in the world (tertiary Basalt). Although now uninhabited, the island has many ancient archaeological sites showing that it was inhabited from very early times. Once owned by Lord Leverhulme (entrepeneur), Sir Compton MacKenzie (author) and Nigel Nicholson (author/publisher) and now owned by his son Adam. (more details from the Shiant Isles website).
The Shiant Isles are steeped in history. The Gaelic culture is rich with songs that cover the history of the islands. One such lament is the song of Annie Campbell of Scalpay for her betrothed, Ailein Duinn (brown-haired Alan). The tale is that Allan Morrison, son of Roderick Morrison of Stornoway, was a sea captain who plied his trade between Stornoway and the Isle of Man. In the spring of 1786 he set sail for the little island of Scalpay, off Harris, where he was to go through the ceremony of a marriage contract with Annie Campbell, daughter of Campbell the tacksman of Scalpay. Not far short of their destination, Captain Morrison and his crew were overtaken by a violent storm, and the ship foundered with all hands. Broken-hearted, Annie wasted away with grief, and died within a few months. Her body was taken to Rodel, on Harris, for burial in the ancient church, but on the voyage the boat was almost overwhelmed by a furious storm. To lighten the ship the coffin had to be cast overboard. Not long after, Captain Morrison's body was found on a beach on the lonely Shiant islands (the enchanted isles, to translate the Gaelic). A few days later the girl's corpse was also washed up on the same beach, swept thither by the strong tidal currents.
