The island of Colonsay is an ideal habitat for Selkies. It is relatively isolated from its nearest neighbor by a seven-mile stretch of rough seas and strong currents. Colonsay has three large sandy beaches and many smaller coves, rugged cliffs perforated by numerous caves and an abundance of off-shore rocks. Fish and shellfish, the main diet of the Selkies, are found in abundance in the surrounding waters. The few humans who inhabit the island are quite tolerant of their Selkie neighbors and intermarriages are not uncommon. At least one of the local families boasts of a bit of Selkie blood in their heritage.


Approaching the island from any direction, the place looks bleak, barren and relatively inhospitable. Much of the shoreline is protected by jagged rocks and steep cliffs. There are several fine, white sand beaches, but these are fronted by shallow coves, and so do not provide easy access from the water. However, once you wade through the sand and clamber over the rocks, the true nature of the island reveals itself. Much of the interior is lush and green, protected by clusters of moderate peaks which the locals call "McFies". There are five freshwater lochs on the isle, providing an ample supply for the small population.

We cannot say for certain when the Selkies first came to Colonsay. However, there is firm evidence of sporadic human habitation dating from around 7,000 BC. There are a number of shell middens scattered about the island which contain barbed points of bone and antler, as well as bones of the indigenous animals and several types of shells. There is also a cave containing both human and animal bones which have been cemented firmly into the flowstone, over the millennia since they were left there. Charcoal found in the cave has been dated to around 5,000 BC.

There are also a number of distinct stone-age structures on the island. From the Mesolithic, there are at least six shell-middens which contain a mixture of limpet shells and tools of both bone and stone. Postholes and crude foundations suggest these were little more than temporary camps. Two structures appear to date from the Neolithic. The collapsed remains of a passage grave called \"Dunan na Nighean\" are located on the northeast coast, and a second grave, called \"Uaigh an Fhomhair\" sits on a flat area below Carn Mor, Near Kilchattan Bay.

During the Bronze and Iron Ages, many Duns or Hillforts were constructed on Colonsay. Though most of these have not been thoroughly investigated, these protected places were in periodic use from around 500 BCE until the Medieval times. Though age has destroyed most of the original structures, some locations were apparently quite complex. Dun Eibhinn, near modern Scalasaig, shows evidence of some twelve structures inside a stout wall about 70 feet in diameter. This was the reputed residence of the MacDuffie Chieftains. Other locations with similar construction include Dun Cholla and Dun Domhnuill, in the southern part of the island.

By the middle of the first millennium, Christianity was filtering into the Western Isles. It was about this time that Fergus Mor brought his Dal Riata clan from Eire. An early Christian cross found at Raisg Buidhe, which now resides in the gardens of Colonsay House, is attributed to them. Small drystone chapels with associated burial grounds also date from this time. Cross-incised slabs found with the ninth century Norse burials at Kiloran Bay attest to the influence on the early Vikings.

As for the Vikings, themselves, there is little evidence of their permanent habitation. Only the longhouse at Machrins and a number of burials are left. However, the burials seem to be of an equal number of men and women, suggesting this was a settlement rather than simply a stranded raiding party. There are also many place names of Scandinavian origin. It is possible that the island saw only seasonal occupation, but until the end of the 13th century, it was most certainly a part of the Viking territory.

During the Middle Ages, Colonsay saw little change other than "ownership". MacDonald, MacDuffie and McNeill, all had a hand in what little development there was. For the most part, the island existed on fishing, kelp drying, salt production and some farming. The population was never large. In the 14th century, a small Augustinian priory was built on the southern tip of the island. This area was by then classified as a distinct island, Oronsay, separated by a tidal strand from the rest of the isle.

Colonsay remained small, remote and rural into the modern era. A fine house was built for the Laird of the island about 1722. Colonsay House has been enlarged and renovated a number of times and today serves as the only hotel on the isle. As in the rest of the Highlands, the land is cared for by tenant farmers and they still have their "shieling" or summer pasture. Most of the homes are of the three-bay, thatched-roof style, and chimneyed fireplaces have been added only within the past century. However, do not think of Colonsay as a "backwater" place. They can boast of producing three great Gaelic authors and they have their own publishing house. Today, the islanders are courting the tourists. Hiking, birding and seal-watching are the primary attractions. You have to wonder how many of the tourists have passed right by one of our Selkie friends, without knowing it.

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Our Selkie Home Entertainment for GoldFest consists of a number of "Selkie Tales" written by some of our residents and Selkie Friends. Please go read them. It will make our authors very happy toknow that someone has seen their work.

Also, please be sure to visit some of our other Selkies at their homes. I know several of them have prepared a little something special for your enjoyment.

Sleek at Bright Cove

Selkie Iceni at Elsness, Orkney Isles

Rowenna and Willkie's "ROBD"

And while you're here, please sign out Guest Book.

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References:
Archaeological Introduction to Colonsay
Colonsay on Wikipedia
Archaeology of Colonsay
"Field Work in Colonsay and Islay, 1944-45", Stuart and C. M. Piggott
Selkie – Wikipedia
Frommer's Introduction to Colonsay
The Selkie Folk from Orkneyar
The Archaeology of Argyll, edited by Graham Ritchie, Edinburgh University Press, 1997

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