Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
North St Rona is named. The name could also originate from the son (named Flann)
area was covered in ice sheets spreading from Scotland westwards out into the Atlantic
lowerthanthepresentdayanditislikelythattheislandswerepartofalargerlandmass
but still separated from the Outer Hebrides by open water.
PeoplefromLewiswouldtravelouttograzetheirsheeponEileanMoraswellasraid
the nests of the seabirds for eggs, birds and feathers. The abundance of birds included
populations of northern fulmars, European storm petrels, Leach's petrels, black-legged
kittiwakes, common shag and Atlantic puffins. It was and still is an ornithologist's de-
light, particularly the gannetry on the islands. And in the short history of any humans
populatingtheislands,itwasthelightkeeperswhohadintroducedrabbitstotheislands.
As one approaches the islands from Lewis and views them with numerous types of
seabirdsflyingaroundthem,itistemptingtocastyourmindbackto15December1900
and try to imagine what happened to the three lightkeepers on the main island of Eilean
Mor all those years ago. The islands are unchanged as you look at them from the sea.
The only addition, the helicopter landing pad, cannot be seen from sea level; otherwise
everything is exactly as it was on that day. The weather that day was not good with
heavyseas andrain.Themeteorological recordsforDecember 1900showedthelargest
amount of monthly rainfall ever to have fallen that month in the locality and this record
still stands at the end of 2013.
6
ThetownshipofBreasclete(alsoreferredtoasBreascleit)wouldbeconsideredsmall
inmostplaces,butinLewistermsitwasafairlylargesettlement.Itplayedanimportant
role for the light station on the Flannan Isles as it was here (rather than at Stromness)
that David Alan Stevenson chose to build the shore station for the lighthousemen and
theirfamilies.Breascleteinthelatterhalfofthenineteenthcenturycontainedoverforty
crofter families. It was also the site of a major investment, a fish processing plant, by
theoldHighlandsandIslandsDevelopmentBoard.Therewerealsoassociatedfacilities
such as wharves and landing facilities built on Loch Roag. Unfortunately the venture
failed, along with a further commercial venture, a fish oil company which sold oil cap-
sules under the trade name of Callanish.
The automation of the Flannan Isles Lighthouse on 28 September 1971 also brought
to an end the presence of personnel and families associated with the station on Lewis.
TourismfortunatelystillthrivesintheOuterHebrides,withtheFlannanIslesservingas
an attraction for day trips.
Notes
1
See British Geological Survey website for useful background:
www.bgs.ac.uk
.
