Island Profiles

The earliest music in the Scottish Isles was perhaps performed by traveling bards who accompanied their songs with harp. The old church music of the Hebrides has been claimed by a surprising number of researchers to be the real beginning of gospel music, which most assume to have originated from Africa and the slave experience. There were many Scottish immigrants who settled in North Carolina in the 1700s. Many of these individuals and even some of their slaves, spoke only…

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The Hebrides have been shown to have been inhabited as far back as 6500 BC. There are countless archaelogical sites throughout the islands that provide evidence of thriving communities in the Inner and Outer Hebrides. It follows logically that the Hebrides have a fascinating and complicated history. Prior to Viking rule which began in the late 8th century, the Hebrides were divided by north and south. The southern Hebrides were a part of the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata, which…

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Continuing farther out into the Atlantic from the Inner Hebrides, we arrive at the Western Isles, or Outer Hebrides. There are fifteen inhabited islands that belong to the main archipelago of the Outer Hebrides. There are also some smaller archipelagos that are more remote, but which are also officially part of the Outer Hebrides jurisdiction. Overall, there are over 100 islands and islets, most of which are uninhabited. The total population of the Outer Hebrides rounds up to about 27,000….

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The Inner Hebrides are a group of islands close to the west coast of Scotland. Although they only have a combined population of around 20,000 inhabitants, the islands are nevertheless incredibly rich in history, scenery and Gaelic tradition. There are two groups of islands that form the Inner Hebrides. The northern group is dominated by Skye, the largest of the Hebrides, as well as several smaller islands. The southern group includes the islands of Islay, Jura, Mull, Coll, Tiree and…

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Next, we travel to the beautiful, rugged and remote Hebrides Islands. Located off the western coast of Scotland, the Hebrides are made up of two island chains – the Inner Hebrides, which include 35 inhabited islands and 44 uninhabited islands, and the Outer Hebrides, sometimes called the Western Isles, which include 15 inhabited islands as well as more than 50 uninhabited islands and islets. The two groups are separated by the waters of the Minch, Little Minch and the Sea…

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