View source for Eigg

{{Short description|Island of Scotland}}
{{About|the island in Scotland}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox Scottish island
|coordinates = {{coord|56.9|-6.15|display=inline}}
|Image=View of Galmisdale and An Sgurr - geograph.org.uk - 823602.jpg
|ImageCaption=[[An Sgurr (Eigg)|An Sgùrr]]
|location_map=Scotland Lochaber
|caption=Eigg shown within Lochaber
|GridReference=NM476868
|celtic name=Eige
|gaelic pronunciation={{IPAc-en|lang|ɛ|g}} {{respell|EG}}<br>{{IPA|gd|ˈekʲə|lang|Eige.ogg}}
|norse name=Unknown
|meaning of name=Scottish Gaelic for 'notched island' (''eag'')
|area= {{convert|3049|ha|sqmi|1|abbr=on}}
|area rank=28
|highest elevation=[[An Sgurr (Eigg)|An Sgùrr]], {{convert|393|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
|Population=95<ref name=RESAS>{{RESAS}}</ref>
|population density =23.1 people/km<sup>2</sup><ref name=Smith/><ref name=RESAS/>
|population rank=46=
|main settlement=[[Cleadale]]
|island group=[[Small Isles]]
|local authority=[[Highland (council area)|Highland]]
|references=<ref name=Smith>Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 134–35</ref><ref name=OS>{{Ordnance Survey}}</ref>
}}

'''Eigg''' ({{IPAc-en|ɛ|g}} {{respell|EG}}; {{langx|gd|Eige}} {{IPA|gd|ˈekʲə||Eige.ogg}}) is one of the [[Small Isles]] in the [[Scotland|Scottish]] [[Inner Hebrides]]. It lies to the south of the island of [[Isle of Skye|Skye]] and to the north of the [[Ardnamurchan]] peninsula. Eigg is {{convert|9|km|mi|frac=2|abbr=off|spell=in}} long from north to south, and {{convert|5|km|mi|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} east to west. With an area of just over {{convert|3000|ha|sqmi|1|abbr=on}} it is the second-largest of the Small Isles after [[Rùm]]. The highest eminence on Eigg is [[An Sgùrr (Eigg)|An Sgùrr]], which is formed from the [[Sgurr of Eigg Pitchstone Formation]], which erupted into a valley of older lavas during the [[Eocene]] epoch.

There are numerous archaeological sites dating from the prehistoric period of human occupation with the earliest written references relating to the Irish monk [[Donnán of Eigg|Donnán]] who arrived on Eigg around 600 AD. Commencing in the early 9th century, [[Norsemen|Norse]] settlers established the [[Kingdom of the Isles]] throughout the Hebrides. The 1266 [[Treaty of Perth]] transferred the territories of the Kingdom of the Isles to King [[Alexander III of Scotland]]. From the late 14th century, the island became a possession of [[Clanranald]], during which time a notorious massacre took place during a period of clan warfare. After more than four centuries in Clanranald's hands, the island was sold during the 19th century, and the new laird [[Highland Clearances|evicted many of his tenants en masse]] and replaced them with herds of sheep.

There were then a series of owners until the island was purchased by the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust in 1997. The trust is a form of [[development trust|community ownership]] and another stakeholder, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, manages the island as a nature reserve.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.visitsmallisles.com/si/about/history |title=History A Snapshot of the Small Isles History |access-date=19 February 2021 |archive-date=18 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418114754/http://www.visitsmallisles.com/si/about/history |url-status=dead }}</ref> Eigg now generates virtually all of its electricity using renewable energy.<ref>{{citation| title=60 Minutes (US TV series)| date=26 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="cntraveller.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/islands-scotland |title=The 20 Most Beautiful Islands to visit in Scotland |work=[[Condé Nast Traveler]] |date=26 April 2020 |access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref> In April 2019, ''[[National Geographic]]'' discussed the island in an online article, estimating the average number of annual visitors at 10,000.<ref name="nationalgeographic.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/visit-island-eigg-wild-beautiful-historic-summer-trip |title=Visit a wild and beautiful Scottish island owned by its residents |first=Danielle |last=Bernabe |website=www.nationalgeographic.com |date=26 April 2019 |access-date=26 March 2024}}</ref>

==Geology==
[[File:Eigg geology map.png|thumb|left|Geological map of Eigg]]
The larger part of the island is formed from [[olivine]]-phyric [[basalt]] flows erupted during the [[Palaeocene]] [[Epoch (geology)|epoch]]. Together with flows of [[hawaiite]] and [[mugearite]], these form the [[Eigg Lava Formation]]. The Sgùrr is formed from the [[Sgurr of Eigg Pitchstone Formation]], a [[porphyritic]] [[rhyolite|rhyolitic]] [[pitchstone]] that erupted into a valley eroded into the older lavas during the [[Eocene]] epoch. It displays columnar jointing formed as the lava cooled.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Troll|first1=Valentin R.|last2=Emeleus|first2=C. Henry|last3=Nicoll|first3=Graeme R.|last4=Mattsson|first4=Tobias|last5=Ellam|first5=Robert M.|last6=Donaldson|first6=Colin H.|last7=Harris|first7=Chris|date=2019-01-24|title=A large explosive silicic eruption in the British Palaeogene Igneous Province|url= |journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=9|issue=1|pages=494|doi=10.1038/s41598-018-35855-w|pmid=30679443|pmc=6345756|bibcode=2019NatSR...9..494T|issn=2045-2322}}</ref>

In the north of the island are a series of sedimentary rocks of [[Middle Jurassic]] and [[Upper Cretaceous]] age. The oldest of these, and hence lowest from a [[stratigraphy|stratigraphic perspective]] is the fossiliferous [[Bearreraig Sandstone]] which is [[calcareous]] in nature. It is overlain by the [[Lealt Shale]] which consists of a lower and an upper grey [[shale]] (respectively the Kildonnan and Lonfearn members) separated by a thin band of [[algae|algal]] [[limestone]]. The shale is overlain by the thicker [[Valtos Sandstone]] which contains [[concretion]]s. It is found along the east coast northwards from Poll nam Parlan and around the northern end and down the eastern side of the Bay of Laig.  This in turn is overlain by the [[bivalve]]-rich limestone and shale of the [[Duntulm Formation]] and lastly the dark shales and [[ostracod]]-bearing limestones of the [[Kilmaluag Formation]]. A fossilised limb bone, considered most likely to be from a Middle Jurassic [[stegosauria]]n dinosaur, was discovered at a coastal exposed Valtos Sandstone Formation in 2020; it is the first confirmed dinosaur fossil to be found in Scotland away from the [[Isle of Skye]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-53917742 |title=Eigg beach runner stumbles on dinosaur bone |publisher=BBC |date=26 August 2020 |access-date=19 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1017/S1755691020000080|title=First dinosaur from the Isle of Eigg (Valtos Sandstone Formation, Middle Jurassic), Scotland|year=2020|last1=Panciroli|first1=Elsa|last2=Funston|first2=Gregory F.|last3=Holwerda|first3=Femke|last4=Maidment|first4=Susannah C. R.|last5=Foffa|first5=Davide|last6=Larkin|first6=Nigel|last7=Challands|first7=Tom|last8=Depolo|first8=Paige E.|last9=Goldberg|first9=Daniel|last10=Humpage|first10=Matthew|last11=Ross|first11=Dugald|last12=Wilkinson|first12=Mark|last13=Brusatte|first13=Stephen L.|journal=Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh|volume=111|issue=3|pages=157–172|bibcode=2020EESTR.111..157P |url=https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:8d46779c-06b4-4e74-bd7d-92cac92ee814|doi-access=free|hdl=20.500.11820/5845a3b3-3e9c-4a6a-9d2d-dda833d3524e|hdl-access=free}}</ref> The [[Turonian]] (Upper Cretaceous) age [[Strathaird Limestone Formation]] is the youngest part of the [[Mesozoic]] sequence preserved beneath the unconformity at the base of the Eigg lavas and its found in a strip along the coast just west of the bay of Laig.<ref name=BGS_portal/>

Both the igneous and the sedimentary rocks are cut through by a swarm of Palaeocene age [[dike (geology)|dykes]] generally aligned NW-SE. A handful of [[fault (geology)|faults]] are mapped on the same alignment, the two most significant ones stretching SE from Bay of Laig. A band of micro[[syenite]] stretches around the hillside southeast of the Sgùrr. Isolated pockets of [[peat]] of [[postglacial]] origin are to be found behind Bay of Laig whilst to its north are areas of hummocky [[moraine]]. [[Landslip]]s occupy the whole coastal strip in the northeast of the island and the embayment behind Bay of Laig and effectively mask much of the outcrop of the [[Mesozoic]] sediments.<ref name=BGS_portal>{{cite web |url=http://www.largeimages.bgs.ac.uk/iip/mapsportal.html?id=1002901 |website=BGS mapping portal| title=1:50000 Sheet 60 (Scotland) Rum Solid and Drift Geology| publisher=British Geological Survey |access-date=8 January 2019}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Eigg 1892 map.jpg|left|thumb|{{center|An 1892 map of Eigg.<ref name ="Buckley">Harvie-Brown, J. A. and Buckley, T. E. (1892), ''A Vertebrate Fauna of Argyll and the Inner Hebrides''. Pub. David Douglas., Edinburgh. Facing P. LVI.</ref>}}]]
<!-- Infobox template for pronunciation-->
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!colspan="2" bgcolor="#efefef"|Pronunciation
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|[[Scots Gaelic]]:|| An Laimhrig
|-
|Pronunciation:|| {{IPA|gd|əˈlˠ̪ajvɾʲɪkʲ||AnLaimhrig.ogg}}
|-
!colspan="2" bgcolor="#efefef"|
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|[[Scots Gaelic]]:|| Clèadail
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|Pronunciation:|| {{IPA|gd|ˈkʰliət̪al||Cleadail.ogg}}
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!colspan="2" bgcolor="#efefef"|
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|[[Scots Gaelic]]:|| Eige
|-
|Pronunciation:|| {{IPA|gd|ˈekʲə||Eige.ogg}}
|-
!colspan="2" bgcolor="#efefef"|
|-
|[[Scots Gaelic]]:|| Uamh Fhraing
|-
|Pronunciation:|| {{IPA|gd|ˈuəv ˈɾaŋʲkʲ||UamhFhraing.ogg}}
|-
|}
Eigg measures {{convert|9|by|5|km|mi|frac=2|abbr=off|spell=in}} and is {{convert|21|km|nmi|frac=2|abbr=off}} by sea from the nearest port of [[Mallaig]]. The centre of the island is a [[moorland]] [[plateau]], rising to {{convert|393|m|ft|abbr=on}} at An Sgùrr, a dramatic stump of [[pitchstone]] which is the "most memorable landmark in the Hebridean seas".{{sfn|Banks|1977|pp=12-13}} Walkers who reach the top can, in good weather, take in views of [[Isle of Mull|Mull]], [[Coll]], [[Muck, Scotland|Muck]], the [[Outer Hebrides]], Rùm, Skye, and the mountains of [[Lochaber]] on the mainland.

The plateau in the northern part of the island, at [[Beinn Buidhe]], drops to a fertile coastal plain on its western side, containing [[Cleadale]], the main settlement on Eigg. At the southern end of the plain, in the centre of the island, lies the bay of Laig, known for its [[quartz]] [[beach]], called the "singing sands" on account of the squeaking noise it makes if walked on when dry.{{sfn|Banks|1977|p=15}} The first written description of this effect was penned by [[Hugh Miller]] in the 19th century:
<blockquote>I struck it obliquely with my foot, where the surface lay dry... [which] elicited a shrill sonorous note... I walked over it, striking it obliquely with each step and with every blow the shrill note was repeated.{{sfn|Banks|1977|p=15}}</blockquote>

The plateau is cleaved by a central valley, stretching from the vicinity of Laig, in the north, to Galmisdale at its southeastern end, which forms the main port. Beyond the southeast coast lies the small islet of [[Eilean Chathastail]].<ref name=OS/>
{{clear left}}

==Etymology==
[[File:Loch nam Ban Mora - geograph.org.uk - 396869.jpg|thumb|right|Loch nam Ban Mora]]
[[Adomnán]] calls the island ''Egea insula'' in his ''Vita Columbae'' (c. 700 AD).<ref>Youngson (2001) p. 66</ref> Other historical names have been ''Ega'',<ref>O'Clery (1864) p. 105</ref>  and ''Ego''.<ref name=Brod10>Broderick (2013) p. 10</ref> The Gaelic ''Eige'' means "notch" probably with reference to "the marked depression that runs across the middle of the island".<ref name=W85>Watson (1926) p. 85</ref> A 2013 study also suggested a possible Norse origin.<ref name=Brod10/>{{refn|group="note"|Broderick offers the Norse ''egg'' or ''eggjar'', meaning "edge", although there is no evidence of Norse activity in the area until after Adomnan's time.<ref name=Brod10/> Watson points out that there "is another Eilean Eige, much notched, off the coast of Arisaig".<ref name=W85/> The [[Ravenna Cosmography]], created around 700 AD is difficult to interpret. It has been suggested that "Sobrica" listed there could refer to Eigg, although there is clearly no linguistic connection between the names.<ref>Youngson (2001) pp. 62-64</ref>}}

Eigg was also known as ''Eilean nam Ban Móra'' - "the island of the great women".<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) pp. 45-46</ref> (Local tradition claims that the dun at Loch nam Ban Mora (see below) was once inhabited by unusually large women.<ref name=Canmore22148/>) [[Martin Martin]] reported in 1703 that "the natives dare not call this isle by its ordinary name of Egg when they are at sea, but island Nim-Ban-More."<ref name=Martin>{{cite web|author-first=Martin|author-last=Martin|author-link=Martin Martin|title=Description of the Western Isles: A Description of the Isle of Egg|url=http://www.appins.org/martin.htm|publisher=The Appin Regiment|access-date=23 July 2024|archive-date=13 March 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313003106/http://www.appins.org/martin.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Some of the island settlement names are of [[Old Norse|Norse]] origin. Cleadale ({{lang|gd|Clèadail}}) may mean "valley of the ridged slope". The first element of Galmisdale is possibly a personal name. Laig may derive from "muddy bay".<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) pp. 30,52,78</ref> Grulin is of Gaelic origin, {{langx|gd|Grùlainn}} meaning "stony land".<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 60</ref>

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:Path to An Sgurr - geograph.org.uk - 826199.jpg|thumb|left|Slope down to Galmisdale near the metalworking site<!--there isn't a closer picture of the Bronze Age site in commons-->]]
At Rubh' An Tangaird, near Glamisdale on the southern coast, there are the remains of an oval house, with thick walls, and an upright stone at each side of the doorway. There are comparable structures in [[Shetland]] such as at [[Scord of Brouster]], which suggests a [[Neolithic]] date.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=149414 |num2=NM48SE 33 |desc= Eigg, Rubh' An Tangaird|access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref>

Evidence for the island having been occupied in the [[Bronze Age]] includes two axes and a cache of [[flints]], one of them being [[Scraper (archaeology)|thumbnail scraper]] found near Galmisdale, together with significant metalworking debris.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=215188 |num2=NM48SE 36 |desc= Eigg, Galmisdale|access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=301160 |num2=NM48SE 59 |desc= Eigg, Galmisdale Bay|access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref> A barbed-and-tanged flint arrowhead of uncertain date was found to the south of Kildonnan.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=22147 |num2=NM48NE 14 |desc= Eigg, Kildonnan|access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref>

=== Iron Age ===
[[File:An Sgurr from a sea kayak perspective - geograph.org.uk - 1256402.jpg|thumb|The coast at Kildonnan]]
Early [[Iron Age]] [[hut circle]]s are found throughout the island. One located near the northeast coast near ''Sron na h-Iolaire'' is close to a cave to which walls have been artificially added; several [[hammerstone]]s are located in the cave and surrounding vicinity, some with concretions of crushed shells stuck to them. The cave site is difficult to reach leading archaeologists to speculate that the site  may have been used for hermitic purposes.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=255803 |num2=NM48NE 58 |desc= Eigg, Struidh|access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref>

Later in the Iron Age, the inhabitants of Eigg chose to fortify the island. Small fortifications restrict access to rocky knolls at Garbh Bealach west of Galmisdale<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=269299 |num2=NM48SE 42 |desc= Eigg, Garbh Bealach|access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref> and Poll Duchaill on the northwest coast<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=202968 |num2=NM48NE 51 |desc= Eigg, Poll Duchaill|access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref> and on the promontory of Rudha na Crannaig south of Kildonnan.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=22177 |num2=NM48SE 15 |desc= Eigg, Rudha Na Crannaig|access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref> More substantial [[dun (fortification)|dun]]s existed at Galmisdale Point,<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=22171 |num2=NM48SE 1 |desc= Eigg, Galmisdale|access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref> and at Loch nam Ban Mora, the latter of which is located on an island.<ref name=Canmore22148>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=22148 |num2=NM48NE 15 |desc= Eigg, Loch nam Ban Mora|access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref>

=== Early Christianity ===
The Irish missionary activity which caused [[Columba]] to found [[Iona Abbey|a monastery]] on [[Iona]] also brought the Irish monk [[Donnán of Eigg|Donnán]] to Eigg around 600 AD, where he established a monastery, at ''Kildonnan''.{{sfn|Hunter|2000|p=64}} Columba had warned him of the dangers of settling in Pictish territory{{sfn|Watson|1926|p=63}} and Donnan was murdered on Eigg along with 52 of his monks in 617.{{sfn|Haswell-Smith|2004|p=136}}
[[File:Coast near Laig Bay - geograph.org.uk - 475877.jpg|thumb|left|The Bay of Laig]]
By the following century, the monastery was significant enough for the death of its ''superior'', Oan, to be mentioned in the [[Annals of Ulster]]. The monastery,  which was excavated in 2012, was located within an oval enclosure, surrounded by a ditch, housing a rectangular chapel in the centre, and with a handful of smaller buildings either side.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/monastery-where-christian-saint-was-martyred-is-uncovered-on-eigg-2459687 |title=Monastery where Christian saint was martyred is uncovered on Eigg |first=Alistair |last=Munro |work=[[The Scotsman]] |date=14 August 2012 |access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref><ref>John Hunter (2012) ''Excavations at Kildonnan, Eigg''. University of Birmingham</ref> A handful of early inscribed stone slabs were located there, of which one [[pictish stone|bears a Pictish design]], comprising a hunting scene,{{refn|group="note"|An image of the Pictish design is located [https://i.rcahms.gov.uk/canmore/d/SC01564998.jpg here].}} with a cross on its obverse.<ref name=Canmore22152>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=22152 |num2=NM48NE 19 |desc= Eigg, Kildonnan, St Donnan's Church And Burial-ground|access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref>

On the coast at the opposite side of the island, are 16 or more quare cairns, lined up neatly into groups; they are each between {{convert|3.5|and|5|m}} square, most being bordered by a stone kerb, and some having upright cornerstones. This form of cairn is usually associated with the [[Picts|Pictish]] kingdoms of the first millennium AD. The site may thus have some connection with the contemporary monastery at Kildonnan.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=22145 |num2=NM48NE 12 |desc= Eigg, Laig|access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref>
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===Kingdom of the Isles===
[[File:Museum of ScotlandDSCF6324.jpg|thumb|Viking sword hilt found in a tumulus at ''Dail Sithean'']]
Commencing in the early 9th century [[Norsemen|Norse]] settlers established the [[Kingdom of the Isles]] throughout the Hebrides. A silver/bronze sword handle from the beginning of this period was found in 1830, buried in a field named ''Dail Sithean'' near Kildonnan, together with an iron axehead, leather belt, buckle, wollen cloth, and a [[Sharpening stone|whetstone]].<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=22155 |num2=NM48NE 21 |desc= Eigg, Kildonnan|access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref> [[Wetland]]s near Laig, (which became [[peat]]-bog, during later centuries) appear to have been used for storing partly finished boat parts, as was common in [[Viking]] [[Scandinavia]]. A few oak posts, {{convert|6|ft}} in length, for the [[stern]] of a [[longship]] were found there.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=22163 |num2=NM48NE 3 |desc= Eigg, Laig|access-date=20 July 2024}}</ref> A simple bronze brooch was found at a nearby site.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=22164 |num2=NM48NE 4 |desc= Eigg, Laig|access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref>
[[File:Kingdom of the Isles, circa 1200 (png version).png|thumb|left|The {{lang|non|Suðreyjar}} in about 1200: the lands of the [[Crovan dynasty]] and the [[Clann Somhairle|descendants of Somerled]]]]
By the late 11th century the Isles were controlled by the [[Crovan dynasty]] but the dictatorial style of [[Guðrøðr Óláfsson]] (aka Godred the Black) appears to have made him very unpopular with the Islesmen, and the ensuing conflicts were the beginning of the end for Mann and the Isles as a coherent territory under the rule of a single magnate. The powerful barons of the isles began plotting with an emerging and forceful figure&nbsp;– [[Somerled]], [[Lord of Argyll]]. Godred engaged Somerled's forces in the naval [[Battle of Epiphany]] in 1156. There was no clear victor, but it was subsequently agreed that Godred would remain the ruler of Man, the northern Inner Hebrides and the Outer Hebrides, whilst Somerled's young sons would nominally control the southern Inner Hebrides, Kintyre and the islands of the Clyde under their father's supervision.{{sfn|Gregory|1881|pp= 9–17}}<ref>Woolf (2006) p. 103</ref>

By the mid 13th century the Small Isles were in Lordship of [[Garmoran]], a possession of [[Clann Ruaidhrí|Clan MacRory]] founded by Somerled's grandson [[Ruaidhrí mac Raghnaill]].{{sfn|Rixson|2001|p=93}} At this point the islands was nominally subject to Norway but in 1266, the [[Treaty of Perth]] transferred the territories of the Kingdom of the Isles to [[Alexander III of Scotland]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Treaty of Perth 1266 |work=Gazetteer for Scotland |access-date=2 February 2024 |url=https://www.scottish-places.info/events/eventfirst171.html}}</ref> and [[Dubhghall mac Ruaidhrí]], Lord of Garmoran, found that he had a new overlord. He, and others who had supported the Norse, had the opportunity to emigrate under the terms of the treaty{{sfn|Rixson|2001|p=89-90}} and Dubhghall died in 1268, possibly in exile.

By 1337 the sole MacRory heir was [[Amy of Garmoran]], who in that year married [[John of Islay, Lord of the Isles]],<ref name=Smith/> leader of the [[Clan Donald|MacDonalds]], the most powerful group among Somerled's heirs. Circa 1350 they divorced and John deprived his eldest son, [[Ranald MacDonald (founder of Clanranald)|Ranald]], of the ability to inherit the MacDonald lands. As compensation, John granted Lordship of the Uists to Ranald's younger brother [[Siol Gorrie|Godfrey]], and made Ranald Lord of the remainder of Garmoran, including Eigg.{{sfn|Rixson|2001|p=95}}{{sfn|Oram|2006|p=124}}{{refn|group="note"|The marriage had by now produced three sons: Ranald, John and Godfrey<{{sfn|Gregory|1881|pp=29-30}} but John and [[Robert II of Scotland]] made an arrangement by which John divorced Amie and married Robert's daughter, Margaret Stewart. The divorce took place in 1350, not long after Amie's inheritance of Garmoran.{{sfn|Oram|2006|p=124}}}}
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===Early Clanranald rule===
[[File:Celtic Cross - geograph.org.uk - 396903.jpg|thumb|left|Remains of the [[high cross]] at Kildonnan]]
Upon the death of John of Islay his son [[Donald of Islay, Lord of the Isles|Donald]], Ranald's half-brother, was named [[Lord of the Isles]] at Kildonan on Eigg in 1387. Ranald, who became the founder of [[Clan Macdonald of Clanranald]], appeared content with this decision by his father as suggested in the Charter of 1373, the misgivings of many of the noblemen of the Isles notwithstanding.<ref>Macdonald, Angus and Archibald, The Clan Donald (1896) p. 134</ref>{{sfn|Rixson|2001|pp=95-96}}{{refn|group="note"|Donald was appointed "contrary to the opinion of the men of Innsigall". MacPherson quoting [[W. F. Skene]].{{sfn|MacPherson|1878|p=579}}}}

However, when Ranald died in 1386 at [[Castle Tioram]],{{sfn|Rixson|2001|p=96}} Godfrey seized his lands, leading to violent disputes between his heirs (the Siol Gorrie) and those of Ranald (Clanranald). In 1427 [[James I of Scotland|James I]] arrested the leaders and declared the Lordship of [[Garmoran]] forfeit.{{sfn|Gregory|1881|p=65}} 
[[File:Central Eigg - geograph.org.uk - 838740.jpg|thumb|Central and northern Eigg]]
[[Ranald Bane MacAllan]], leader of Clanranald, refused to support the [[Dubh's Rebellion|rebellion]] of [[Donald Dubh]] against [[James IV of Scotland|James IV]]. In 1505, after the rebellion was defeated, he was "now in high favour at Court".{{sfn|Gregory|1881|p=102}} In 1520, Ranald Bane's son Dougall, the 6th chief of Clanranald, was assassinated by his own clansmen in part for his lack of opposition to the crown. Leadership of Clanranald then passed not to his sons but to the Moidart branch of the clan.  In 1534 John Moidartach, 8th of Clanranald, managed to obtain from the king a charter confirming his position as laird of Eigg and [[Morar]].{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=13}}

Writing in 1549, [[Donald Monro (Dean)|Donald Munro]], High Dean of the Isles wrote of "Egge" that it was: "gude mayne land with ane paroch kirk in it, with mony solenne geis; very gude for store, namelie for scheip, with ane heavin for heiland Galayis".<ref>Munro, D. (1818) ''Description of the Western Isles of Scotland called Hybrides, by Mr. Donald Munro, High Dean of the Isles, who travelled through most of them in the year 1549''. Miscellanea Scotica, 2. Quoted in Banks (1977) p. 190</ref>{{refn|group="note"|Translation from [[Scots language|Lowland Scots]]: "a good land with a parish church and many [[Northern gannet|gannet]]s; very good for sheep, with a good harbour for [[Scottish Highlands|Highland]] [[galley]]s".}}

====Massacre cave====
[[File:Entrance to the Massacre Cave, Eigg.jpg|thumb|left|The entry to ''Uamh Fhraing'']]
{{Campaignbox Clan MacLeod-Clan MacDonald feuds}}
''Uamh Fhraing'', also known as the Cave of Francis{{refn|group="note"|MacPherson notes that the Gaelic ''Uamh Fhraing'' is usually translated as the ''Cave of Francis'' but that "no reasonable explanation" exists for this and that "an etymology which connected them with the local physical features or with the event which occurred would be more in accordance with Gaelic topography. {{sfn|MacPherson|1878|p=580}}}} or the Ribbed Cave, lies on a raised beach on the south coast of Eigg. The entrance is low and narrow but the interior is about {{convert|60|m}} long and {{convert|6|m}} wide.{{sfn|Banks|1977|pp=55-56}} In 1577,{{sfn|Rixson|2001|p=114}} according to [[Clan MacLeod]] historians, a MacLeod galley was forced ashore by bad weather at Eilean Chathasteil. Led by a foster-son of [[Alasdair Crotach MacLeod|Alasdair Crotach]] the 30 men roasted some cattle and "molested" the young girls who were tending them. The local men then arrived on the islet and massacred most of the MacLeods, sparing only a few leaders whose legs and arms were broken and who were then cast adrift in [[the Minch]].{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=14}} They were however either rescued by MacLeods from elsewhere or perhaps drifted back to [[Dunvegan]].{{sfn|Banks|1977|p=56}}{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=14}} In the MacDonald version of the story the girls were raped and the MacLeods were asked to leave. Looking for revenge, a large group of MacLeods led by Alasdair Crotach landed on Eigg, but had been spotted by the islanders, all but one of whom decided to hide in the cave.{{sfn|Banks|1977|p=56}}
[[File:Uamh Fhraing - geograph.org.uk - 904456.jpg|thumb|The entrance from a short distance away]]
The traditions go on to say that the MacLeods conducted a thorough but fruitless search for the inhabitants. They found only an old lady at the singing sands who they spared and left the island after 3 days. Just as they were leaving they saw a scout outside the cave and were able to follow their footprints in the snow to the entrance. The MacLeods piled thatch and heather at the cave entrance, and set fire to it. Water from a waterfall nearby dampened the flames, so that the cave was filled with smoke, asphyxiating the 395 people inside.{{sfn|Banks|1977|p=56}}{{sfn|Dressler|2007|pp=14-15}} Human remains inside the cave have been reported many times over the centuries.{{refn|group="note"|For example, by [[James Boswell|Boswell]] in 1773, by [[Walter Scott|Sir Walter Scott]] in 1814, and [[Hugh Miller]] in 1845.{{sfn|Banks|1977|pp=56–57}}<ref name="LynnTimes">Lynn Forest-Hill, "Underground Man", ''Times Literary Supplement'' 14 January 2011 p. 15</ref>}} Most of the remains were removed from the cave and reburied by 1854{{sfn|Banks|1977|pp=56–57}}<ref name="LynnTimes" /> although occasionally  further sets of human bones are exposed.{{refn|group="note"|As happened in 2017, when tourists discovered bones that turned out to be from a single 16 year old.<ref name="urbanus">{{cite journal |last1=Urbanus|first1=Jason |title=A dangerous island |journal=Archaeology |date=Jul–Aug 2017 |volume=70|issue=4 |pages=14 |url=https://www.archaeology.org/issues/263-1707/from-the-trenches/5637-trenches-scotland-eigg-massacre |access-date=26 March 2024 |issn=0003-8113}}</ref>}}

However, serious doubts remain about the veracity of the tale. MacPherson wrote of it that "it is curious to find how difficult it is to determine its date or to decide with certainty on whom the odium of this deed should lie."{{sfn|MacPherson|1878|p=580}}{{refn|group="note"|A [[Free Church of Scotland (since 1900)|Free Church]] minister of Eigg stated "the less I enquired into its history... the more I was likely to feel I knew something about it".{{sfn|Banks|1977|p=57}}<ref>Kieran, Ben. ''Blood and Soil: A World History of Genocide and Extermination from Sparta to Darfur'', Yale University Press, 2007 {{ISBN|0-300-10098-1}}. [https://books.google.com/books?id=XR91bs70jukC&pg=PA14 p.&nbsp;14]</ref>}} The difficulties include that both Alasdair Crotach and his son Uilleam died long before 1577 and that similar stories are related about both [[Coll]] and [[Ardnamurchan]]. Furthermore, [[Privy Council of Scotland|Privy Council]] papers from 1588 describe massacres on all the Small Isles perpetuated by [[Lachlan Mor Maclean|Lachlan MacLean of Duart]] and 100 Spanish soldiers from the crew of an [[Spanish Armada|Armada]] vessel that sank off [[Tobermory, Mull|Tobermory]].{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=16}}{{sfn|Banks|1977|pp=56–57}}{{refn|group="note"|MacLean was imprisoned in Edinburgh by [[James VI of Scotland|James VI]] for this attack but was allowed to escape and faced no further punishment.<ref>John Lorne Campbell, ''Canna: The Story of a Hebridean Island'', 2014, Birlinn Ltd</ref>{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=17}}}} The idea that two such massacres occurred on Eigg within eleven years has thus been questioned.{{sfn|Banks|1977|p=57}}{{sfn|MacPherson|1878|p=581}}{{refn|group="note"|Fr. Cornelius Ward's 1625 report made no reference to events at "massacre cave", perhaps surprising given that if it were literally true everyone on the island over forty-eight would have been an incomer.{{sfn|Banks|1977|p=57}}}}

===Jacobite risings===
Clan Ranald took part in the [[Jacobite rising of 1689]] against [[William III of England|William II]].{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=24}} The following year a boat had gone from Eigg to [[Armadale, Skye|Armadale]] on Skye and found that the [[Royal Navy]] ship the ''[[HMS Dartmouth (1660)|Dartmouth]]'' was anchored there. A brawl broke out and one of the Cameronian soldiers was killed. The captain ordered the ''Dartmouth'' to Eigg and pillaged the island. The soldiers also took an island girl on board and returned her the next day with her hair shorn.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=25}}{{refn|group="note"|According to Clan Ranald tradition there was large scale rape and murder on Eigg.<ref name="MacInnes99">Allan I. MacInnes, ''Clan Massacres and British State Formation'', in ''The Massacre in History'', edited by Mark Levene / Penny Roberts, Berghahn Books, 1999</ref><ref>Odo Blundell (1917), ''The Catholic Highlands of Scotland'', Volume II, pp. 192-193.</ref> Captain Pottinger's [[ship's log]] does not mention these events and Clan Ranald traditions claim he tampered with the log to cover them up.<ref name="MacInnes99" />}}

The men of Eigg also rose and fought in both the [[Jacobite risings]] [[Jacobite rising of 1715|of 1715]] and [[Jacobite rising of 1745|1745]]. After the failure of the rebellion a navy vessel arrived on the island seeking one of the Clanranald officers, John MacDonald of Kinlochmoidart. After his discovery on the island all 38 surviving islanders who had served in the '45 were arrested by Captain John Ferguson.{{sfn|Banks|1977|p=64}}{{sfn|Dressler|2007|pp=24-26}} They were held on board ''[[HMS Furnace (1740)|H.M.S. Furnace]]''{{sfn|Banks|1977|p=64}} and remained there when it became a [[prison hulk]] anchored in the [[River Thames]] off [[Gravesend, Kent]]. Although many died aboard the ''Furnace'' from torture, disease, or starvation, the remaining 16 were eventually [[Penal transportation|transported]] to the [[Colony of Barbados]] and the [[Colony of Jamaica]], to work as [[Redleg|slave laborers]] on [[sugar cane]] [[plantation]]s.<ref>Campbell (1971), ''Highland Songs of the Forty-Five'', p. 39.</ref><ref>Robert Forbes (1895), ''The Lyon in Mourning: Or a Collection of Speeches, Letters, Journals Etc., Relative to the Affairs of Prince Charles Edward Stuart. Volume III'', Printed at the University Press by T. and A. Constable for the Scottish History Society. Pages 84-88.</ref>{{refn|group="note"|In his 1967 history John S. Gibson commented that "The lists of government prisoners of the '45 confirm this tale, including as they do the names of sixteen Eigg men, marked as prisoners from the 2nd of June, and for transportation to the Barbadoes"<!--sic--> [which] means that the rest had died in the misery of their imprisonment."<ref>John S. Gibson (1967), ''Ships of the Forty-Five: The Rescue of the Young Pretender'', [[Hutchinson & Co.]] London. p. 53.</ref>}}

===19th century clearances===
[[File:Kildonan Mill - geograph.org.uk - 36569.jpg|thumb|The 19th century mill, now a holiday bothy<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=106075|num2=NM48NE 30 |desc=Eigg, Kildonnan, Mill}}</ref>]]
The 18th century introduction of the [[potato]] to Eigg lead to increased yields compared to cereal growing{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=30}} and by the end of the century the population had expanded to about 500{{sfn|Haswell-Smith|2004|p=134}} The outbreak of the [[Peninsular War]] created a potential new route to wealth, by limiting foreign supplies of valuable minerals. [[Kelp]] could be harvested to produce [[soda ash]] and rapidly increased in price.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=62}} In 1817, the estate factors reduced the size of each tenancy (for example, Cleadale was re-arranged into 28 plots), to stop their tenants from becoming self-sufficient and forcing them to also harvest kelp in order to break even. However, soon after the creation of these smaller tenancies ([[croft (land)|croft]]s), foreign mineral supplies were re-introduced, as the Napoleonic Wars had ended. The kelp price crashed and the crofters struggled to avoid destitution.

Some families voluntarily emigrated to [[Antigonish County]], [[Nova Scotia]] to escape both rising rents and crushing poverty. They settled on a high plateau near the coast of the [[Northumberland Strait]], which they named [[Eigg Mountain]].{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=64}} Meanwhile, like many other [[Anglo-Scottish]] landlords during the [[Highland Clearances]], [[Ranald George Macdonald]], 19th [[Scottish clan chief|Chief]] of [[Clanranald]] issued orders to evict the whole village of Cleadale, and use the land for [[sheep]]; both to cover his debts and to continue funding his extremely extravagant spending.

Raonuill Dubh's son Aonghas Lathair MacDhòmhnaill took over the tack of Eigg and gained local infamy by beginning evictions from [[Cleadale]]. When severe hardships fell upon Aonghas Lathair and his family, which resulted in the tacksman committing suicide, the old people of Eigg blamed the family's misfortune on the curse that was said to have been put on them by the women whom he had evicted from Cleadale.<ref>{{cite web|title=Eachdraidh mu Dhòmhnallaich Lathaig.|url=https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/44232?l=en|website=Tobar an Dualchais|access-date=24 March 2024|language=en}}</ref> In 1827 Macdonald found someone willing to purchase Eigg, and cancelled further evictions. After 440 years Clan Ranald rule of Eigg had come to an end.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=68}}

=== Later lairds ===

[[File:CruiseOfTheBetsy-Miller-TitlePage.jpg|thumb|left|''The Cruise of the Betsey'' (1858)]]
The purchaser and new owner of Eigg was Dr. Hugh MacPherson, a Sub-Principal at [[King's College, Aberdeen]]. He was not wealthy and had 12 children but was well-connected.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=68}} The Scottish [[geologist]] and writer Hugh Miller visited the island in the 1840s and wrote a long and detailed account of his explorations in his book ''The Cruise of the Betsey'' published in 1858. Miller was a self-taught [[geologist]] and the book contains detailed observations of the geology of the island, including An Sgùrr and the singing sands.

The financial woes of the islanders were compounded by the [[Highland Potato Famine]]. Furthermore, Dr. MacPherson decided to [[Highland Clearances|evict his tenants en masse]] and replace them with herds of sheep.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=83}} In 1853, the whole village of Gruilin was cleared and all but three families emigrated to Nova Scotia.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=83}} One woman who was left behind never recovered from the evictions and threw herself into the sea off the cliffs.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=83}} Three more villages were similarly cleared shortly thereafter.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=84}}

The MacPhersons sold Eigg to Robert Thompson, a wealthy shipbuilder, in 1893. He died in 1913 and is buried on Eilean Chathastail.{{sfn|Haswell-Smith|2004|p=136}} After being sold by Thompson's family in 1917, the island passed through various hands, including the cabinet minister, [[Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford|Walter Runciman]], until being purchased by [[Keith Schellenberg]] in 1975.{{sfn|Haswell-Smith|2004|p=136}} Unlike his predecessors, who had sought to use the resources of the island for their own power, profit, or leisure, Schellenberg had conservationist motives; he wished to restore its listed buildings, and preserve the natural environment.<ref name="Arlidge94">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/barmy-inhabitants-force-laird-from-scottish-isle-eigg-owner-says-violent-campaign-has-made-him-sell-1403010.html |title=Eigg owner says violent campaign has made him sell |first=John |last=Arlidge |work=[[The Independent]] |date=28 January 1994 |access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref>

==Gaelic literature and music==
[[File:Grulin Iochdrach - geograph.org.uk - 451682.jpg|thumb|The remains of Lower Grulin]]
One of the men from Eigg who joined the Clanranald forces in the [[Jacobite rising of 1715]] was Iain Dubh Mac Iain 'ic Ailein, the [[tacksman]] at Grulin. He was a well-known poet whose works include ''Trod nam Ban Eiggach'' that satirises the sharp-tongued women of the island and ''Bruadar mo Chor na Rioghachd'' ("A Dream about the State of the Nation"). The latter is a pro-Jacobite [[Aisling]], or [[dream vision]] poem, in which he hopes to see [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]] ripped apart by [[deerhound]]s.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=26}}

After the death of his father Raonuill Dubh MacDhòmhnuill, the eldest son of [[Alasdair Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair]], moved from [[Arisaig]] to become Clanranald [[tacksman]] of [[Laig]]. While serving as tacksman Raonuill Dubh collected and published the poetry anthology called ''Comh-chruinneachidh Orannaigh Gaidhealach'', or ''The Eigg Collection'', in [[Edinburgh]] in 1776.<ref>Digitised version of [[Alasdair Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair]] and Raonuill Dubh MacDonald's [https://archive.org/details/comhchruinneachi1776macd/page/n5/mode/2up Comh-chruinneachidh Orannaigh Gaidhealach/The Eigg Collection], 1776, from [[Archive.org]].</ref> He is believed to have drawn heavily upon [[oral poetry]] collected by his father and also upon a similar poetry collection made by Dr. Hector Maclean of Grulin.<ref>Derek S. Thomson (1983), ''The Companion to Gaelic Scotland'', page 169.</ref> The latter manuscript contains an additional 104 pages of material, including fourteen of [[Tiree]]-born [[Canadian Gaelic]] bard [[Iain mac Ailein]]'s poems in his own hand, and is now preserved in the [[Nova Scotia Archives]].<ref>Edited by Natasha Sumner and Aidan Doyle (2020), ''North American Gaels: Speech, Song, and Story in the Diaspora'', [[McGill-Queen's University Press]]. Pages 288-289.</ref>

[[Allan MacDonald (poet)|Allan MacDonald]] collected numerous Catholic [[hymn]]s and works of [[oral poetry]] by Donald MacLeod, a ''[[seanchaidh]]'' from Eigg resident in [[Oban]]. MacDonald supplemented these with several of his own compositions and translations and anonymously published a Gaelic hymnal in 1893.<ref>Ronald Black (2002), ''Eilein na h-Òige: The Poems of Fr. Alllan MacDonald'', Mungo Books. Page 64.</ref><ref>[[John Lorne Campbell]], ''The Sources of the Gaelic Hymnal, 1893'', ''[[The Innes Review]]'', December 1956 Vol. VII, No. 2, pp. 101-111.</ref>

Donald MacQuarrie was a resident of Grulin who became a pupil of [[bagpipes|piper]] Raghnall Mac Ailein Òig of Morar during the latter's visits to Eigg in the late 17th century. He developed quickly and received further support from the [[MacCrimmon (piping family)|MacCrimmon piping family]] on Skye, becoming known as {{lang|gd|am Piobair Mór}} - "the great piper".{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=45}}

[[War poet]] and [[Seanchaidh]] Hugh MacKinnon (1894-1972), a veteran of the [[First World War]], composed a Gaelic lament for the fallen soldiers of the island, ''Ò, tha mi 'n-duigh trom fo lionn-dubh'', ("I am today sad and mournful"), which is still read aloud at the Eigg War Memorial every November 11.<ref>[https://www.eigg-history.org/index.asp?pageid=692196 "Eigg World War I soldiers"]. ''Chomunn Eachdraidh Eige''/Eigg History Society. Retrieved 25 August 2024.</ref>{{sfn|MacDonald|2015|pp=427-429, 472-473}}

==Religion==

===Catholicism===
[[File:Ruined chapel of Kildonnan. - geograph.org.uk - 125587.jpg|thumb|left|Kildonnan chapel]]
Allan, 9th chief of Clanranald, commenced the rebuilding of the Kildonnan Chapel on the site of Donnan's 7th century monastery in honour of his father, John Moidartach's, vow to build seven new churches on his lands. However it was likely never completed as it was found as an unroofed ruin by Fr. Cornelius Ward in 1625.<ref name=Canmore22152/>{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=22}}

Ward, a [[Franciscan]] [[friar]], had been sent by the [[Catholic Church in Ireland]] in order to [[proselytism|proselytise]] the population of Scotland's west coast. His "chatty mission report" indicates that he converted 198 individuals and baptised 16 during his 8-day visit. (The only family not to convert were relatives of the Protestant minister of Sleat, Neil MacKinnon.){{sfn|Banks|1977|p=57}}{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=22}} Infuriated by Ward's success, MacKinnon set off for Eigg in the company of some soldiers with the intention of arresting Ward but the islanders threatened him sufficiently forcefully to secure his withdrawal. The Clanranald bailie later persuaded him to turn a blind eye, in return for the island's [[tithes]].{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=22}}{{sfn|Banks|1977|p=170}}

[[File:Kildonnan Graveyard - geograph.org.uk - 396881.jpg|thumb|The carved human depiction]]
The friar was unable to reconsecrate the Chapel and it came to only be used for burials. One grave had a carved cover popularly re-interpreted as a medieval [[sheela na gig]].{{sfn|Rixson|2001|p=98}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://canmore.org.uk/discovery/eigg/ruined-church-at-kildonnan |title=Ruined Church at Kildonnan |website=[[Canmore (database)|Canmore]] |publisher=Historic Environment Scotland |access-date=23 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231223213732/https://canmore.org.uk/discovery/eigg/ruined-church-at-kildonnan |archive-date=23 December 2023}}</ref> [[Martin Martin]] recorded a ritual in 1703 that suggests that visiting priests were at pains to integrate traditional beliefs into their formal doctrines.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=23}} 
<blockquote>"There is a well, called St. Katherine's Well; the natives have it in great esteem, and believe it to be a catholicon for diseases. They told me that it had been such ever since it was consecrated by one Father Hugh, a Popish priest, in the following manner: he obliged all the inhabitants to come to this well, and then employed them to bring together a great heap of stones at the head of the spring, by way of penance. This being done, he said mass at the well, and then consecrated it; he gave each of the inhabitants a piece of wax candle, which they lighted, and all of them made the dessil, of going round the well sunways, the priest leading them: and from that time it was accounted unlawful to boil any meat with the water of this well."<ref name=Martin/></blockquote>

[[File:The Sgurr, Eigg - geograph.org.uk - 200126.jpg|thumb|left|The entrance to Cathedral Cave below the heights of An Sgùrr]]
To evade the [[religious persecution]] the  British government imposed upon the [[Catholic Church in Scotland]] and which contributed to the [[Jacobite risings]], the laity secretly and illegally attended [[Tridentine Mass|mass]] at a [[Mass rock|mass stone]] inside a large high-roofed coastal cave, which can only be accessed during [[low tide]], now known as Cathedral Cave. Later, Catholic worship moved into "the lower floor of an old farmhouse" which remained the island's Mass house until 1910.<ref>[https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/islands/caves-eigg.shtml "Massacre and Cathedral Caves of Eigg"]. Walk Highlands. Retrieved 23 July 2024.</ref><ref>[https://sobt.co.uk/walk-eigg-caves/ "Walk: Eigg caves – massacres & masses"]. Scotland Off the Beaten Track. Retrieved 23 July 2024.</ref><ref>Odo Blundell (1917), ''The Catholic Highlands of Scotland'', Volume II, pp. 198-199.</ref> In that year, St Donan of Eigg Roman Catholic Church was built in Cleadale by the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Argyll and the Isles|Diocese of Argyll and the Isles]] and continues to be served by visiting priests from [[Morar]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rcdai.org.uk/rcdaiparishes/eigg/ |title=Eigg, St. Donan Catholic Church |publisher= [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Argyll and the Isles]]|access-date=9 March 2025}}</ref>

===Church of Scotland===
The [[Reformation]] made slow headway in the [[Gàidhealtachd]] of Scotland due to the lack of Gaelic-speaking ministers. Eigg became part of the parish of [[Sleat]] in 1624 but there were no converts at that time.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=22}} The Small Isles became a [[Church of Scotland]] parish in their own right in 1740. The first minister was Donald McQueen, who rarely ventured to Eigg as the only significant [[Protestant]] populations were on Muck and Rum. Malcolm Macaskill, known as ''Maighstir Calum'', who became the incumbent in 1757 had the benefit of [[glebe]] land at Kildonnan to farm and he leased more land at Sandaveg and Sandavore.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=41}} The glebe was later moved to Sandaveg and was the largest in Scotland at the time. The Skye [[Presbytery (church polity)|Presbytery]] gave up a plan to rebuild the church at Kildonnan in favour of building a two-storey [[manse]] for him. This was not completed until 1790 and the first occupant was the new minister, Donald MacLean.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=41}} MacLean developed a reputation for heavy drinking and was eventually deposed by the [[General Assembly of the Church of Scotland|General Assembly]].{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=75}}
[[File:Isle of Eigg, Sandavore Kirk - geograph.org.uk - 916358.jpg|thumb|left|Sandavore kirk]]
The ''[[Statistical Accounts of Scotland|New Statistical Account]]'' of 1831 was penned by Revd. Neil Maclean, who noted that the parish had no road or church, no post or other regular means of communicating with the mainland and only one inn – at Galmisdale on Eigg.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=69}} John Swanson became minister in 1838 and five years after his arrival he left the kirk and joined the [[Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900)|Free Church of Scotland]] during the [[Disruption of 1843]].{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=75}} Prior to his arrival relationships between the Catholic and Protestant populations of Eigg had been good and marriages between the two were common. However, Swanson's zealous fight against “Popery” led to increasing sectarianism. Swanson built a new school where lessons were taught in Gaelic, leading to a significant increase in literacy. He also introduced Gaelic bibles to the island, the teachings of which (now being accessible to ordinary citizens) led to growing anti-landlord feelings amongst the oppressed tenants.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|pp=75-76}} Having left the established church Swanson also had to leave the manse. All but three of his congregation of 200 followed him into the Free Church but he was denied the landlord's permission to build himself a house. Instead, he bought a small sailboat – the ''Betsey'', later used by Hugh Miller - and “turned it into a floating manse”.{{sfn|Dressler|2007|p=76}}

==Community buy-out==

In the early 1990s, a fire at Schellenberg's home on the island destroyed a 1920s [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]]; Police suspected the fire was due to [[arson]].<ref name="Arlidge94" /> Some locals claimed that since the late 1980s, he had neglected homes, closed the community hall, and restricted leases.<ref name="Arlidge94" /> While admitting that he had closed the community hall (but only in the evenings), and had refused to continue one particular lease, he told the press that "drunken hippies and drop-outs" were unfairly branding him a despot.<ref name="Arlidge94" /> In 1994, now in his 60s, Schellenberg concluded that trying to conserve the island was not worth facing violent intimidation for,<ref name="Arlidge94" /> and in the following year sold it to Gotthilf Christian Eckhard Österle from Germany who styled himself "Professor Marlin Eckhard-Maruma" or simply "Maruma" and who claimed to be an artist;<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.robedwards.com/1996/02/maruma-the-myst.html | title=Maruma, the mysterious laird of Eigg }}</ref> Schellenberg retained ownership of the 18th century Manse<!--which is not The Lodge-->.

[[File:Eigg harbour and commemorative stone - geograph.org.uk - 511648.jpg|thumb|Modernist sculpture commemorating the trust's purchase of the island]]
Nevertheless, by then a community trust had been formed by the [[Highland Council area|Highland Council]], the [[Scottish Wildlife Trust]], and a number of residents – particularly those newly moved to the island – with a view to buying Eigg from the laird. In 1997, this Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust persuaded Eckhard to sell, and bought it from him.<ref>{{cite book |author=Alastair McIntosh |author-link=Alastair McIntosh |title=Soil and Soul: People Versus Corporate Power |year=2001 |publisher=Aurum Press Ltd |isbn=978-1854108029}}{{page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref> The ceremony to mark the handover took place a few weeks after the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 General Election]] and was attended by the [[Scottish Office]] Minister, [[Brian Wilson (Labour politician)|Brian Wilson]], a long-standing advocate of land reform; he used the occasion to announce the formation of a Community Land Unit within [[Highlands and Islands Enterprise]] to support further land buy-outs in the region.

[[File:Sgorr an Fharaidh - geograph.org.uk - 185462.jpg|thumb|Cleadale from the northern end of the island]]
Between then and the [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 census]], the ordinarily resident population expanded from 65 to 83; this increase of 24 percent (six times greater than for the [[List of Scottish islands|Scottish islands]] as a whole{{refn|group="note"|which grew by only 4%, to a population of 103,702}})<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23711202 "Scotland's 2011 census: Island living on the rise"]. BBC News. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.</ref> was principally formed by young people who moved to Eigg to set up in business, as well as a handful of former residents returning to the island. However, by 2003, the residents' representatives on the trust's board were entirely people who had moved to the island since the trust took over.<ref name="Scott3">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/aug/04/kirstyscott |title=Scrambled Dreams on Eigg |first=Kirsty |last=Scott |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=4 August 2003 |access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref>

A few longstanding residents complained that the trust focused on the new residents, while ignoring the concerns of the families who had lived on the island for generations; for example, they complained that new mains power connections, and housing provision, was given to the families of trust members, not indigenous islanders.<ref name="Scott3" /> One islander from an old Eigg family declared that the trust "''is not a democracy ... it is the mafia''".<ref name="Scott3" /> More recently, more positive articles have been published, showing a different picture of the island.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/sep/26/this-island-is-not-for-sale-how-eigg-fought-back| title=This island is not for sale: how Eigg fought back| author=Patrick Barkham| date=26 September 2017| work=[[The Guardian]]| access-date=14 February 2019}}</ref>

Eigg was featured on the American television program ''[[60 Minutes]]'' in November 2017<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-isle-of-eigg/|title=The Isle of Eigg|date=26 November 2017|last=Kroft|first=Steve|author-link=Steve Kroft|work=[[CBS News]]}}</ref> and an extended feature on its companion web site ''60 Minutes Overtime'' in July 2018.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-overtime-adventure-to-the-isle-of-eigg/|title=60 Minutes' adventure to the Isle of Eigg|date=24 June 2018|last=Kroft|first=Steve|author-link=Steve Kroft|work=[[CBS News]]}}</ref>

In its 2019 coverage of the island, National Geographic provided this summary of the ownership and current situation:<ref name="nationalgeographic.com"/> <blockquote>"after years of neglect by the previous laird, or estate owner, the people gained ownership themselves in 1997. Now, visitors to the nicknamed “People's Republic of Eigg” contend with nothing more dangerous than negotiating walking territory with sheep or engaging in cheeky yet informative banter with Charlie Galli, the sole taxi driver and self-proclaimed 'Eigg Gazette'" ... there is a single main road ... and a single stoplight ... to alert everyone when electricity is running low ... humble attractions like the tiny post-office-turned-museum detailing island history; a wee, closet-size shed boasting handcrafted curiosities for sale by the honor system; herds of distrustful sheep; and pit stops such as “Rest and Be Thankful,” a patio tea garden open only when the sun shines.</blockquote>

==Economy and transport==
{{CalMac Mallaig ferries|collapse=yes}}
[[File:Alternative Coastal Route.jpg|thumb|The view from MV ''Sheerwater'' en route from Arisaig]]
Tourism is important to the local economy, especially in the summer months, and the first major project of the Heritage Trust was An Laimhrig, a new building near the jetty to house the island's shop and [[Post Office Limited|post office]], Galmisadale Bay restaurant and bar, a craft shop, and toilet and shower facilities, which are open 24 hours a day.<ref>[http://www.isleofeigg.net/welcome/welcome_frame2.htm "Eigg Shop and Post Office"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605171634/http://www.isleofeigg.net/welcome/welcome_frame2.htm |date=2009-06-05 }} Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust. Retrieved 1 August 2009.</ref>  A'Nead Hand Knitwear is a new island business making garments such as cobweb shawls and scarves.<ref>[http://www.anead-knitwear.co.uk/ "A'Nead Hand Knitwear"] anead-knitwear.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2009.</ref>

[[Conde Nast Traveller]] particularly recommends that visitors explore the Singing Sands beach, "dark Cathedral and Massacre caves, the abandoned village of Grulin or the island's most distinctive sight, the near vertically-sided volcanic plug of An Sgùrr".<ref name="cntraveller.com"/>

There are two ferry routes to the island.  There is a sheltered anchorage for boats at [[Galmisdale]] in the south of the island. In 2004 the old jetty there was extended to allow a [[RORO|roll-on roll-off]] [[ferry]] to [[Ferry slip|dock]]. The [[Caledonian MacBrayne]] ferry {{MV|Lochnevis}} sails a circular route around the four "''Small Isles''"—Eigg, [[Canna, Scotland|Canna]], [[Rùm]] and [[Muck, Scotland|Muck]] from the fishing port of [[Mallaig]]. Arisaig Marine also runs a passenger ferry called the MV ''Sheerwater'' from April until late September from [[Arisaig]] on the mainland.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://arisaig.co.uk/islandferry/eigg/ |title=Island Ferry and timetable > Isle of Eigg |publisher=Arisaig Marina |website=arisaig.co.uk |access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref>

Around 2014 a [[beer]] [[brewery]] called ''Laig Bay Brewing'' was set up on the island.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.thejournal.ie/isle-of-eigg-history-2-3353891-Apr2017/| title=A newborn baby pushes a tiny, fascinating Scottish island's population to 105 (we think)| publisher=TheJournal.ie| date=23 April 2017| access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/14680447.islanders-took-control-transformed-beaten-eigg/ |title=The islanders who took control and transformed beaten Eigg |first=Richard |last=Baynes |work=The Herald |date=13 August 2016 |access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref>

In November 2017, a crew from the American television news magazine [[60 Minutes]] visited Eigg. Its report stated that there was "one grocery shop, one primary school for five students and one pub at the tea room down by the wharf. The island's tiny electrical grid powers it all ... a combination of wind, hydroelectric and solar".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-overtime-adventure-to-the-isle-of-eigg-2019-09-08/ |title=60 Minutes adventure to the Isle of Eigg |work=[[CBS News]] |date=8 September 2019 |access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref>

===Electrification project===
The Heritage Trust provisioned a [[Electric power transmission|mains electricity grid]], powered from near [[100% renewable energy]] sources.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.communitypower.scot/case-studies/projects/eigg-electric/| title=Eigg Electric| publisher=Friends of the Earth Scotland| access-date=14 February 2019}}</ref> Previously, the island was not served by mains electricity and individual [[Croft (land)|crofthouses]] had [[Wind generator|wind]], [[Hydroelectricity|hydro]] or diesel generators and the aim of the project is to develop an electricity supply that is environmentally and economically sustainable.
[[File:Eigg wind turbines.jpg|thumb|left|Two of Eigg's wind turbines]]
The new system incorporates a 9.9 kWp PV system, three hydro generation systems (totalling 112&nbsp;kW) and a 24&nbsp;kW wind farm supported by stand-by [[Diesel generator|diesel generation]], [[Supercapacitor|ultra-capacitors]],<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.ochaye6dot5.co.uk/Technology/details/452/Eigg-Toasts-New-Ultracapacitor-System-and-Unscrambles-the-Power-Grid| title=Eigg Toasts New Ultracapacitor System and Unscrambles the Power Grid| author=Annie Smith| date=13 November 2018| publisher=Ochaye6dot5| language=en| access-date=7 February 2019}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[flywheel]]s and batteries to guarantee continuous availability of power. A load management system has been installed to provide optimal use of the renewables. This combination of solar, wind and hydro power should provide a network that is self-sufficient and powered 98 percent from renewable sources. On 1 February 2008 the system was switched on.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ross |first=John |date=31 January 2008 |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/island-finally-turns-on-to-green-mains-eigg-tricity-2468329 |title=Island finally turns on to green mains Eigg-tricity |newspaper=[[The Scotsman]] |access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref>

Eigg Electric generates a finite amount of energy and so Eigg residents agreed from the outset to cap electricity use at 5&nbsp;kW at any one time for households, and 10&nbsp;kW for businesses. If renewable resources are low, for example when there is less rain or wind, a "traffic light" system asks residents to keep their usage to a minimum. The traffic light reduces demand by up to 20 percent and ensures that there's always enough energy for everyone.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20170329-the-extraordinary-electricity-of-the-scottish-island-of-eigg |title=The small Scottish isle leading the world in electricity |first=Karen |last=Gardiner |work=BBC Future |date=30 March 2017 |access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref>

The Heritage Trust has formed a company, Eigg Electric Ltd, to operate the new £1.6 million network, which has been part funded by the [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|National Lottery]] and the [[Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company]].<ref>[http://www.windandsun.co.uk/projects_eigg.htm "Isle of Eigg, Inner Hebrides, Scotland - 2007"] Wind and Sun Ltd. Retrieved 20 September 2007. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201073351/http://www.windandsun.co.uk/projects_eigg.htm |date=1 December 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=16 November 2005 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4440896.stm |title=Island energised by lottery cash |work=BBC News |access-date=20 September 2007}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

===Other sustainability projects===
[[File:Deep in thought.......... - geograph.org.uk - 842921.jpg|thumb|left|Cow on the beach]]
In September 2008, Eigg began a year-long series of projects as part of their success as one of ten finalists in [[National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts|NESTA's]] Big Green Challenge. While the challenge finished in September 2009, the work to make the island "green" is continuing with [[Solar water heating|solar water panels]], alternative fuels, mass domestic insulation, transport and local food all being tackled.<ref>[http://www.islandsgoinggreen.org "Green Eigg islanders earn place in UK's Big Challenge says Press and Journal"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603051008/http://islandsgoinggreen.org/ |date=3 June 2023 }} islandsgoinggreen.org. Retrieved 23 September 2009.</ref> In May 2009, the island hosted the "Giant's Footstep Family Festival", which included talks, workshops, music, theatre and advice about what individuals and communities can do to tackle climate change.<ref>[http://www.senscot.net/view_event.php?viewid=8032 "Take Giant Green Footsteps to Eigg's Family Festival"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724061132/http://www.senscot.net/view_event.php?viewid=8032 |date=24 July 2011 }}. Senscot. Retrieved 23 September 2009.</ref>

In January 2010, Eigg was announced as one of three joint winners in NESTA's Big Green Challenge, winning a prize of £300,000. Eigg also won the prestigious Ashden UK Gold Award in July 2010.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jul/01/eigg-island-renewable-energy |title=Eigg Islanders win top prize for green living |first=Christine |last=Ottery |work=The Guardian |date=1 July 2010 |access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref>

==Lighthouse==
{{Infobox lighthouse | qid = Q29076274}}
Eigg lighthouse is an active [[lighthouse]] located on the south-eastern corner of the islet of [[Eilean Chathastail]], one of the smaller [[Small Isles]] about {{convert|110|m|ft}} off Eigg.<ref>{{Cite rowlett|sctnw|access-date=2016-05-22}}</ref> The lighthouse was built in 1906 to a design by [[David Alan Stevenson|David A.]] and [[Charles Alexander Stevenson]]; it is a cylindrical metal tower only {{convert|8|m|ft}} high with gallery and lantern painted white. It is a minor light among those owned by [[Northern Lighthouse Board]] but day-to-day management rests with the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust. The light emits a [[Light characteristic#Flashing light|white flash every 6 seconds]].

==Wildlife==
[[File:View Of The Mainland From Eigg.jpg|thumb|View of the mainland from Eigg]]
An average of 130 species of birds are recorded annually. The island has breeding populations of various raptors: [[golden eagle]], [[Common buzzard|buzzard]], [[peregrine falcon]], [[Common kestrel|kestrel]], [[hen harrier]] and [[Short-eared owl|short]] and [[long-eared owl]]. [[Great northern diver]] and [[jack snipe]] are winter visitors, and in summer [[Common cuckoo|cuckoo]], [[whinchat]], [[common whitethroat]] and [[twite]] breed on the island.<ref>"Eigg-ceptional summer". ''Scottish Wildlife'' (November 2007) No. 63 page 4.</ref><ref>[http://www.isleofeigg.org/welcome/welcome_frame.htm "Bird watching on Eigg"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223201300/http://www.isleofeigg.org/welcome/welcome_frame.htm |date=2009-02-23 }} Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust. Retrieved 27 December 2007.</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Scotland|Scottish islands}}
* [[Religion of the Yellow Stick]]
* [[List of lighthouses in Scotland]]
* [[List of Northern Lighthouse Board lighthouses]]
* [[List of community buyouts in Scotland]]

==References==
;Notes
{{Reflist|group="Note"}}
{{Reflist|group="note"}}

;Citations
{{Reflist|2}}

;General references
* {{cite book|author-last=Banks|author-first=Noel|year=1977|title=Six Inner Hebrides|location=Newton Abbott|publisher=David & Charles|isbn=0-7153-7368-4}}
* {{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/sep/26/this-island-is-not-for-sale-how-eigg-fought-back |title=This island is not for sale: how Eigg fought back |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |first=Patrick |last=Barkham |date=26 September 2017 |access-date=26 September 2017}}
* Broderick G., 2013, [http://www.clanntuirc.co.uk/JSNS/V7/JSNS7%20Broderick.pdf Some Island Names in the Former 'Kingdom of the Isles': A Reappraisal.] The Journal of Scottish Name Studies 7:1-28.
* {{cite book|author-last=Dressler|author-first=Camille|title=Eigg: The Story of an Island|year=2007|location=Edinburgh|publisher=Birlinn}}
* {{cite book|author-last=Gregory|author-first=Donald|author-link=Donald Gregory|year=1881|title=The History of the Western Highlands and Isles of Scotland 1493–1625|location= Edinburgh|edition=2008 reprint by Birlinn|publisher=Thomas D. Morrison|isbn=1-904607-57-8}}
* {{cite book|author-last=Haswell-Smith|author-first=Hamish|year=2004|title= The Scottish Islands|location= Edinburgh|publisher= Canongate| isbn=978-1-84195-454-7}}
* {{cite book| author-last =Hunter|author-first=James|author-link=James Hunter (historian)|year=2000|title=Last of the Free: A History of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland|location=Edinburgh|publisher=Mainstream|isbn=1-84018-376-4}}
* {{Gaelic Placenames}}
* {{cite book|editor-last=MacDonald|editor-first=Jo|year=2015|title=Cuimhneachan: Bàrdachd a' Chiad Chogaidh/Remembrance: Gaelic Poetry of World War One|publisher=Acair Books|location=Stornoway}} 
* {{cite journal|author-last=MacPherson|author-first=Norman|url=http://journals.socantscot.org/index.php/psas/article/view/5839|title= Notes on Antiquities from the Island of Eigg|year=1878|volume=12|pages=577–597 |journal=Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland|publisher= Edinburgh University|doi=10.9750/PSAS.012.577.597 |access-date=21 July 2024}}
* {{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/martyrologydone00reevgoog |title=The martyrology of Donegal: a calendar of the saints of Ireland |author=O'Clery, Michael |year=1864 |others=Trans. John O'Donovan |publisher=Irish Archaeological and Celtic Society}}
* {{cite book|author-last=Oram|author-first=Richard|author-link=Richard Oram|chapter=The Lordship of the Isles, 1336–1545|editor-first=Donald|editor-last=Omand |year=2006|title=The Argyll Book|location=Edinburgh|publisher=Birlinn}}
* {{cite book|author-last=Rixson|author-first=Denis|title=The Small Isles: Canna, Rum, Eigg and Muck|year=2001|location=Edinburgh|publisher=Birlinn}}
*{{cite book|title=The History of the Celtic Place-Names of Scotland|last=Watson|first=William J.|author-link=William J. Watson|location=Edinburgh and London|publisher=William Blackwood and Sons|date=1926|edition=2005 reprint by Birlinn}}
* Woolf, Alex "The Age of the Sea-Kings: 900–1300" in Omand, Donald (2006) ''The Argyll Book''. Edinburgh. Birlinn. {{ISBN|1-84158-480-0}}
* Youngson, Peter (2001) ''Jura: Island of Deer''. Edinburgh. Birlinn. {{ISBN|1-84158-136-4}}

==Further reading==
* [[John Lorne Campbell]] (1984), ''Canna; The Story of a Hebridean Island'', [[Oxford University Press]]
* Camille Dressler (2016), ''Eigg: The Story of an Island'', [[Birlinn Limited]]
* [[Alasdair Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair]] and Raonuill Dubh MacDonald (1776), [https://archive.org/details/comhchruinneachi1776macd/page/n5/mode/2up Comh-chruinneachidh Orannaigh Gaidhealach/The Eigg Collection], digitised for [[Archive.org]]

==External links==
{{Coord|56|54|N|6|10|W|region:GB_type:isle|display=title}}
{{Wikivoyage|Eigg}}
{{commons category|Eigg}}
* [http://www.isleofeigg.org/ The island's website]
* [https://www.eigg-history.org/index.asp Isle of Eigg History Society]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081006104956/http://www.isleofeigg.org/nature/geology.htm Geology of Eigg]
* [[BBC Radio 4]] – [https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/opencountry_20020907.shtml Open Country]
* [https://www.h2g2.com/entry/A7066091 BBC Action Network - My story: Bringing power to the people]
* [http://www.ashden.org/winners/Eigg10 Ashden Awards Case Study, video and photographs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331192811/http://www.ashden.org/winners/Eigg10 |date=31 March 2016 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090310105831/http://www.petemarshall.com/incomers/ Book about the role of incomers on the island and photogallery]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081231233215/http://www.gerald-massey.org.uk/miller/b_betsey.htm The Cruise of the Betsey]- Account of Miller's voyage.
* {{Nuttall|title=Eigg}}

{{Small Isles}}
{{Hebrides}}
{{Islands of Scotland}}
{{Lochaber}}
{{Authority control | additional=Q29076274}}

[[Category:Eigg| ]]
[[Category:Islands of the Inner Hebrides]]
[[Category:Community buyouts in Scotland]]
[[Category:Extinct volcanoes of Europe]]
[[Category:Mass stones in Scotland]]
[[Category:Nature reserves in Scotland]]
[[Category:Paleogene volcanism]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of Scotland]]
[[Category:Renewable energy in Scotland]]
[[Category:Islands of Highland (council area)]]
[[Category:Small Isles, Lochaber]]