Point, Lewis facts for kids
Point (which is An Rubha in Scottish Gaelic) is also known as the Eye Peninsula. It's a piece of land about 11 kilometers (7 miles) long in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Most of Point connects to the main Isle of Lewis by a narrow strip of land. This strip is about one mile long and is very thin in places, sometimes only 100 meters (328 feet) wide.
Point is located just 6 kilometers (4 miles) east of Stornoway, which is the main town in the area. The district of Point actually starts right on the edge of Stornoway. Around 2,600 people live in Point, and it's one of the few places in the Western Isles where the number of people is growing.
There are about 17 villages and small communities in Point. Some of these include Melbost (where Stornoway Airport is), Branahuie, Aignish, Knock, Garrabost, Lower Bayble, Upper Bayble, Shulishader, Flesherin, Portnaguran, Aird, Broker, and Portvoller.
Learning in Point
Point has one main primary school called Sgoil an Rubha (Point School). This school opened in 2011 in the village of Bayble. It was built on the same spot where the old Bayble primary and junior secondary school used to be.
Before Sgoil an Rubha opened, there was a long discussion about building a new school. It took over 10 years from the first plans until the school was finally built. The construction itself took about a year. Sgoil an Rubha was one of the first new schools built in the Western Isles.
In the past, Point had three primary schools: Bayble, Knock, and Aird. These schools sent their students to Bayble junior secondary school. However, that school closed when Sgoil an Rubha opened. This change happened because fewer school-aged children lived in the area. Now, after finishing primary school at Sgoil an Rubha, students go to Nicolson Institute in Stornoway for their secondary education.
Historical Places to Explore
At the eastern end of the narrow land strip (called Am Bràighe in Gaelic) are the old remains of the Eye Church. This church was dedicated to St Columba, a very important saint. It was one of the biggest churches in the Western Isles before the Reformation, a big change in the church's history.
Even though the current ruins are from the Middle Ages, people believe the church stands on the site of a small monk's cell belonging to St Catan. He lived at the same time as St Columba. This churchyard is also the burial place for 19 Chiefs of the Clan MacLeods of Lewis. You can see two old carved stone slabs there. One shows a warrior, thought to be Roderick, the 7th Chief. The other is for Margaret, who was the daughter of Roderick MacLeod of Lewis and died in 1503.
In recent years, people have been recognizing the land reform struggles of the 1800s in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. The Aignish Riots of 1888 are remembered with a special memorial next to the Eye Church.
On the north-west side of the peninsula, about 30 meters (98 feet) from the shore, is Stac Mor Garrabost. This is a sea stack, which is a tall, thin rock column in the sea. Archaeologists have studied it several times. They know there are remains of old buildings on the sea stack, but not much else is known about the site.
Well-Known People from Point
Many interesting people come from Point, including:
- Iain Crichton Smith: A famous poet and author from Bayble.
- Ishbel MacAskill: A Scottish Gaelic singer from Broker.
- Stuart Braithwaite: The lead singer of the band Mogwai. His mother is from Flesherin.
- Calum MacDonald: A retired Member of Parliament (MP) for the Western Isles. An MP is a person elected to represent their area in the country's parliament.
- Anne MacKenzie: A journalist who grew up in Point.
- Ronnie McKinnon: A football player for Rangers FC. He played for Scotland 28 times and lives in Flesherin.
- Donald Morrison: A football player for Dumbarton. He also played for Point F.C. and Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
