Castlebay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Castlebay
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.jpg) Kisimul Castle, the ancient seat of Clan MacNeil, and part of the town as seen from Heaval |
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 Castlebay
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| Language | Scottish Gaelic English |
| OS grid reference | NL665982 |
| • Edinburgh | 178 mi (286 km) |
| • London | 479 mi (771 km) |
| Civil parish | |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ISLE OF BARRA |
| Postcode district | HS9 |
| Dialling code | 01871 |
| Police | Northern |
| Fire | Highlands and Islands |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament |
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| Scottish Parliament |
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Castlebay (which is called Scottish Gaelic: Bàgh a' Chaisteil in Scottish Gaelic) is the main village on the island of Barra in Scotland. It's part of the Outer Hebrides, a group of islands off the west coast.
This village is on the south coast of Barra. It looks out over a beautiful bay in the Atlantic Ocean. In the middle of the bay, you can see the amazing Kisimul Castle. Other nearby islands, like Vatersay, are also visible. Castlebay is part of the Barra area. The village is located on the A888, which is a road that goes all the way around Barra.
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Life in Castlebay: Shops, Hotels, and More
Castlebay is where most of the shops on Barra are located. The main street forms a square with the ferry terminal and the main road. Here you can find several grocery shops, a bank, and a post office. There's also a place to get tourist information.
A bigger supermarket opened in October 2009 to the west of the village. Castlebay also has several hotels, the island's medical centre, a petrol station, and the police station.
The Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea
The Catholic church in Castlebay is called The Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea. It opened in 1888 and sits on a small hill overlooking the village centre. An architect from Oban, G. Woulfe Brenan, designed it.
The church has beautiful stained glass windows. The window on the north side shows the Crucifixion. The windows on the south side show Our Lady, Star of the Sea. The church was updated and repaired in early 2007.
Learning at Castlebay Community School
The Castlebay Community School (Scottish Gaelic: Sgoil Bhàgh a’ Chaisteil) is on the western side of Castlebay. It's the only place on Barra where students can go for secondary education (like high school).
Since 2007, the school has also been in charge of the Castlebay preschool. This includes both English and Gaelic language classes. This means the school teaches children of all ages, from preschool to high school.
Castlebay's Rich History
Kisimul Castle is a famous landmark in Castlebay. It's only about 100 yards from the ferry terminal in the middle of the bay. The castle was left empty in 1838 when the island was sold. Over time, the castle started to fall apart. Some of its stone was even used to help balance fishing boats. Some stones even ended up as paving in Glasgow!
In 1937, Robert Lister MacNeil, who was the chief of Clan MacNeil at the time, bought the castle and most of Barra. He worked hard to restore the castle.
In 2001, the chief of Clan MacNeil leased the castle to Historic Scotland for 1,000 years. The yearly payment is just £1 and a bottle of whisky!
Castlebay in Movies and TV
Castlebay has been a setting for several movies and TV shows.
- The village was the main setting for the 1949 Ealing Studios comedy Whisky Galore!. Its sequel, Rockets Galore!, was also filmed on Barra in 1957. The first film is based on a book by Sir Compton Mackenzie. It tells a made-up story about the SS Politician, a ship that ran aground in 1941 with about 50,000 cases of whisky on board. Compton Mackenzie lived near the airport and is buried in a cemetery overlooking Eoligarry jetty.
- In a 2010 TV show called Dom Joly and the Black Island, Dom Joly and Michael Farr thought Castlebay and Kisimul Castle looked like the places in The Adventures of Tintin comic The Black Island. Even though the scenes of reaching the castle by boat were filmed at Lochranza Castle on the Isle of Arran, the idea came from Castlebay.
- In 2011, the TV show An Island Parish on BBC Two showed 18 episodes about a new Catholic priest, Father John Paul, arriving on the island and his experiences there.
Getting Around: Transport in Castlebay
Castlebay is home to the main ferry terminal, which is run by Caledonian MacBrayne. Steam ferries were traveling between Castlebay and Oban as far back as the late 1800s.
The first roll-on-roll-off ferry, the MV Iona, started service in 1974. This type of ferry allows vehicles to drive directly on and off. In the 1980s, a special ramp was built at Castlebay for vehicles to load from the front of the ferry. This allowed much larger ferries to dock and made loading quicker.
- Between 1989 and 1998, the Lord of the Isles traveled daily between Oban, Castlebay, and Lochboisdale on the island of South Uist.
- In 1998, the Clansman took over this route.
- From April 2016, the Isle of Lewis started a new dedicated service for Barra. It now makes seven return trips a week between Castlebay and Oban. This allowed the Clansman to serve other islands like Coll, Tiree, and Colonsay.
- From summer 2016, the Lord of the Isles began a daily service between Mallaig and Lochboisdale. This changed how South Uist was connected to Oban.
Gallery
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The Main Street in Castlebay
