Monday, August 1, 2011

Isle of Ulva








In August 2006, I traveled to the Isle of Ulva off the west coast of the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides as a volunteer with the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust. When we explored it at night, the hills were covered by a heavy cloud of mist which made the island really mysterious. This is one of many islands in the Hebrides I've visited but it really was neat! When I visited, the island had one visible old cottage on the island as you can see in one of the pictures. Also while walking on the island, I fell into a mini hole which I thought was sturdy ground. ha ha The Vikings were one of the first to find this island, they named it ‘Ullfur’ which is their word for ‘Wolf Island.' Originally there were a lot of people living here, in 1837 there were 604 people living on the island working for the kelp industry. Currently, there are only around 16 people living on the island. Ulva was home to the
MacQuarrie clan. During the Jacobite era, a man from Ulva carried a banner back from Culloden, he carried it wrapped around his body and swam home across the sound.
Major-General Lachlan Macquarie of the British Army who served as the Governor of New South Wales and is known as the "The Father of Australia" was born on this island.

For more info on Ulva:
http://www.isleofulva.com/history/

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