About Me
I am from the Isle of Lewis and here is a bit of information about it:-
Lewis (Leòdhas in Scottish Gaelic) or The Isle of Lewis (Eilean Leòdhais), is the northern part of the largest island of the Western Isles of Scotland or Outer Hebrides (Na h-Eileanan Siar). The southern part of the island is called Harris (Na Hearadh). The two names however refer to the two parts of the same island despite the use of the terms 'Isle of Lewis' and 'Isle of Harris'. Lewis is, in general, the lower lying part of this island, with Harris being more mountainous.
Lewis' main settlement, the only burgh on the Outer Hebrides, is Stornoway (Steòrnabhagh), from which ferries sail to Ullapool on the Scottish mainland. In the 2001 census Lewis had a usually resident population of 16,872. In Scotland's former counties, Lewis was part of Ross-shire (Ross and Cromarty).
Historically the island has been a stronghold for the preservation of the Scottish Gaelic language, although the language recently has been dying out, with very few of the island's younger generation being fluent speakers. The main language on the island is English; in 1988 approximately 1/6 of the students at the secondary school who studied Gaelic were native speakers, the other 5/6 were classed as learners.
The island's accent and patter is a direct result of hybridisation incorporating the 2 languages. The Lewis accent is not typical of a Scottish accent. Indeed, when native Gaelic speakers speak English, they are often mistaken for being Irish or Welsh by anyone not familiar with the island brogue.
The island's settlements are on or near the coasts or sea lochs, being particularly concentrated on the north east coast. The interior of the island is a large area of moorland from which peat was traditionally cut as fuel, although with modern technology, oil and gas, this practice has now become more rare. The southern part of the island, adjoining Harris, is more mountainous with inland lochs. The island of Bernera (Great Bernera) in the district of Uig is linked to the mainland of Lewis by a bridge opened in 1953.
The main industries are fishing, tourism, crafts (including the manufacture of Harris tweed), and crofting. Religion is important in Lewis, with much of the population belonging to the Free Church and Church of Scotland (both Presbyterian in tradition). The Sabbath (i.e., Sunday) is generally observed with most shops and most licensed premises closed on that day, although there is a scheduled air service to mainland Scotland.
Attractions on the island include the Callanish standing stones, the Clach an Truiseil monolith, the thirteenth century Teampull Mholuaidh church, the Butt of Lewis cliffs and lighthouse, the broch at Dun Carloway, the Gearrannan village, the beautiful beaches Lewis Castle. The Lewis chessmen, which had been buried in the sands since Viking times, were found on the island in 1831.
Most of the place names in Lewis and Harris come from Old Norse. The name Lewis is the English spelling of the Gaelic Leòdhas which comes from the Old Norse Ljóðhús, as Lewis is named in medieval Norwegian maps of the island. Ljóðhús translates from Old Norse to English as Home of the Poet (Ljóð = Poet, hús = house). The 12th century ruler of the Island, Leod, taking his name from the Norse word for Poet.
There was mass emigration from Lewis & Harris between 1840 and 1930, with many hundreds leaving for Canada, American, Patagonia, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. There are townships all over the globe bearing names from the island.In 1919 the Isle of Lewis suffered a terrible blow with the sinking of the Iolaire, when at the close of the First World War the Admiralty yacht HMY Iolaire, sank within sight of Stornoway's harbour, killing over 200 naval reservists from the island who were returning home after the war.
