View source for Taransay

{{Short description|Island in Outer Hebrides, Scotland}}
{{about|the island in the Outer Hebrides|the yacht|Taransay (yacht)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox Scottish island
|Image=File:West Loch Tarbert, Isle of Harris and Lewis, Scotland, 23 April 2011 - Flickr - PhillipC.jpg
|ImageCaption= Taransay in [[West Loch Tarbert]]
|coordinates = {{coord|57.9|-7.017|display=inline}}
|location_map=Scotland Outer Hebrides
|caption=Taransay shown within the Outer Hebrides
|GridReference=NB025013
|celtic name= {{Audio|Tarasaigh.ogg|Tarasaigh}}
|norse name=Taransey
|meaning of name= Old Norse for 'Tara island'
|area={{convert|1475|ha|sqmi|frac=8|abbr=on}}
|area rank=38
|highest elevation= Ben Raah {{convert|267|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
|Population= Uninhabited since 1974
|population rank=
|main settlement=Paibeil
|island group=[[Lewis and Harris]]
|local authority=[[Na h-Eileanan Siar]]
|references=<ref>{{NRS1C}}</ref><ref name="Smith">Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 278–80</ref><ref>{{Ordnance Survey}}</ref>
}}
'''Taransay''' ({{langx|gd|Tarasaigh}}, {{IPA|gd|ˈt̪ʰaɾas̪aj|pron}}) is an island in the [[Outer Hebrides]] of [[Scotland]]. It was the host of the British television series ''[[Castaway 2000]]''. Uninhabited since 1974, except for holidaymakers, Taransay is the largest [[List of islands of Scotland|Scottish island]] without a permanent population.<ref name="Smith"/> It is {{convert|1|hectare}} larger than [[Scarba]], which is also uninhabited.

==Geography==
[[File:Taransay.png|thumb|left]]Taransay lies {{convert|1+7/8|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} from [[Harris, Scotland|Harris]], separated by a stretch of sea called the Sound of Taransay. It is also part of the [[Civil parishes in Scotland|civil parish]] of Harris and the [[Comhairle nan Eilean Siar|Na h-Eileanan Siar]] [[council area]] of [[Scotland]]. Crossings between the two islands are dependent on calm weather and there are no harbours for large boats on Taransay or the west coast of Harris. Taransay is {{convert|4|mi|km|round=0.5|abbr=off}} long, and, at its widest point, {{convert|3.1|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} across, with an area of {{convert|5+3/4|sqmi|km2|1|abbr=off}}.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

Taransay is made up of two {{convert|750|ft|m|0|abbr=off|adj=on}} heather-covered hills connected by a white sandy [[isthmus]] in the south of the island. It overlooks the bays of Luskyntyre and Seilibost bay to the east, with the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the west. The bays are bordered with sandy beaches and [[machair]] dunes.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} The area is mostly [[gneiss]], with granite veins. The highest point of the island is Ben Raah (''Beinn Ra'') at {{convert|876|ft|m|0|abbr=off}}.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

==Wildlife==
The island hosts a variety of birds, but other vertebrate wildlife is limited to [[red deer]] and mice. In 2003–2004, the population of [[American mink]] on the island was the subject of an eradication programme in order to protect the rare ground-nesting birds.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1357042004 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717032255/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1357042004 |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 July 2012 |author=John Ross |title=Isles see rise in bird numbers as trappers kill hundreds of mink |publisher=[[The Scotsman]] |date=26 November 2004 |access-date=14 December 2007}}</ref> Taransay is however, noted for its flora, with an abundance of wildflowers growing on the island's [[machair]] grasslands.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

==History==
[[File:Taransay Beach.jpg|thumb|275px|The beach at Paible, Taransay.]]

The Isle of Taransay was inhabited as early as 300 AD, and probably considerably earlier. Originally home to [[Paganism|Celtic pagans]], [[Christianity]] was established on Taransay around 650 AD. In 900 AD, Taransay was taken over by [[Vikings]] when they invaded Scotland. 1544 saw the ''[[Massacre of Taransay]]'' by the Morrisons of [[Isle of Lewis|Lewis]]. Inhabitants from the island of [[Berneray, North Uist, Scotland|Berneray]] retaliated against this, forcing the Morrisons to retreat to a rock where they were executed. The rock was later called ''Sgeir Bhuailte'', meaning "smitten rock".{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

In 1549, [[Donald Monro (dean)|Donald Monro]] wrote of "Tarandsay" that it was:
<blockquote>ane ile of five myle lange, and haffe myle braid, ane rough ile, with certain tounis, weil inhabit and manurit; bot all this fertill is delved with spaides, excepting sa meikell as ane horse pleuch will teill, and yet they have maist abundance of beir, meikel of corn, store, and fishing. It pertains to M'Cloyd of Harrey.<ref>Monro (1594) "Tarandsay" No. 189. Translation from [[Scots language|Scots]]: an island of five miles long, and half a mile broad, a rough isle, with certain towns, well populated and fertilised; but all this fertile land is delved with spades, excepting a small area as one horse plough will till, and yet they have most abundance of barley, large amounts of corn, store and fishing. It pertains to [[Clan Macleod|MacLeod of Harris]].</ref></blockquote>

Taransay was once made up of three villages; Raa, Uidh, and Paible (''Paibeil''). Rent increases in 1835 caused a large decrease in the population of Taransay, made worse in 1883 by new orders that [[cotter (farmer)|cotter]] households were no longer allowed to keep livestock or grow neither oats nor barley. The island was abandoned in 1942, and then re-inhabited. In 1961 there was only one family of five, the MacRaes living in the village of Paible, who departed in 1974.<ref name="Smith"/> Taransay remained uninhabited until 2000 when the island was revived to host the television programme ''[[Castaway 2000]]''. During the uninhabited years, the island had been used as a sheep-farm, run from the Harris mainland.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

Evidence that Vikings settled on the island can be derived from its name, as the word is an [[Old Norse language|Old Norse]] translation of "the Isle of Taran". The island was most probably named after the Irish [[Saint Ternan]] (also known as Taran or Torannan, see also [[Taranis]]), although another theory, reported by [[Saint Adomnan of Iona]], suggests that Taran may have been the son of a Noble Pictish family.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

The village of Paible had two ancient chapels; the chapel of Saint Taran and the chapel of Saint Keith. The former was used for the burial of women, and the latter for men. A traditional myth on the island suggests that if this was reversed, the dead would rise and the bodies would be disinterred. The remains of Saint Keith's chapel can still be identified on the ground, but the site of Saint Taran's was destroyed by [[coastal erosion]] sometime in the late 1970s.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}

The island was bought in 1967 by John MacKay, for £11,000.<ref name=Guard/> In 2011 his sons Angus and Norman MacKay (then the owners) of neighbouring Harris, placed the island up for sale for £2.2&nbsp;million.<ref name=Guard/><ref>[http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/editors-choice/2011/06/01/castaway-isle-of-taransay-up-for-sale-for-2-2-million-86908-23171599/ Castaway isle of Taransay up for sale] ''Daily Record''</ref> Having visited the island several times after the series ''Castaway'' finished, including spending his honeymoon there, [[Ben Fogle]] expressed an interest in purchasing the island in order to turn it into a wildlife reserve, but he was unsuccessful.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fogle |first=Ben |title=Ben Fogle: why I want to buy Taransay |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/ecology/8550610/Ben-Fogle-why-I-want-to-buy-Taransay.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606004041/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/ecology/8550610/Ben-Fogle-why-I-want-to-buy-Taransay.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 June 2011 |access-date=31 July 2013 |newspaper=Telegraph |date=2 June 2011}}</ref> The island was sold to Adam and Cathra Kelliher, the owners of Borve Lodge Estate on Harris. The family have an association with Harris, since Cathra's father, Dr David Horrobin, purchased Borve Lodge in 1985.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://isleoftaransay.com/|title=Isle of Taransay - Scotland's Largest Uninhabited Island |website=Borve Lodge Estate |access-date=3 February 2024}}</ref><ref name=Guard>{{cite news |title=Castaway island of Taransay sold to locals |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/jun/13/castaway-island-taransay-sold |access-date=31 July 2013 |newspaper=Guardian |date=13 June 2011}}</ref> In March 2024, it was reported that the Kellihers plan to return the island to its wild state by reintroducing native trees that had been lost to farming and livestock grazing.<ref>{{cite news |last=Olley |first=Etta May |date=7 March 2024 |title=Plan to return Castaway island to its wild state |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3g75vl38plo |work=BBC News |location=Highlands & Islands |access-date=8 March 2024}}</ref>

==''Castaway''==
[[File:Allt a'Ghill, Taransay - geograph.org.uk - 1756733.jpg|thumb|left|Allt a' Ghill, a burn which runs into Corran Rà sand spit on the east coast]]
Taransay became well known following the [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]] show ''Castaway''. The show featured a group of 36 people marooned on the island for a year starting 1 January 2000. ''Castaway'' was broadcast internationally, including to audiences in Germany, America, Canada, Denmark, Australia and New Zealand. The show reached nine million viewers at its peak. The cast was made up of volunteers selected from 4,000 applicants. They lived in temporary accommodation built especially for the show, known as 'pods', which were based in the former village of Paible. Existing buildings on the island included a farmhouse, also called the Mackay house, and a school chalet; both were renovated for the show. Since 2004 these have been available as self-catering holiday cottages for tourist use.<ref>[http://www.visit-taransay.com/ "Home page"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031229063722/http://visit-taransay.com/ |date=29 December 2003}} Taransay.com. Retrieved 27 June 2009.</ref> According to the BBC website, the project aimed to "create a new society for the new millennium".

Unlike the original inhabitants of the island, the "castaways" had access to electricity and a water supply, as well as limited modern conveniences. Of the 36 who joined the show, 29 remained on the island for the whole year, including Ben Fogle who went on to be a presenter for several BBC shows, including ''[[Countryfile]]''. The show was reported to be a social experiment, focusing on how this group would form a community.

The pods where the "castaways" lived were inhabited for a year on Taransay and then de-constructed, flat packed and moved to number of locations around Scotland including the island of [[Muck, Scotland|Muck]] and Cove Park Arts Centre on the [[Rosneath]] peninsula.<ref>[http://www.edoarchitecture.com Pod: Isle of Muck, Inner Hebrides] Edo Architecture. Retrieved 10 May 2012.</ref><ref>[http://edoarchitecture.com/?cat=17 Cove Park Phase 1 – The Pods] Edo Architecture. Retrieved 10 May 2012.</ref>

From 2001, when the ''Castaway'' show ended, Taransay has been a tourist resort, with the buildings being let as holiday accommodation, and boat trips to the island.

''[[Castaway 2007]]'' was a semi-related follow-up to ''Castaway 2000''. However it was based on the considerably warmer [[Great Barrier Island]], located {{cvt|90|km}} north-east of central [[Auckland]] in New Zealand.

In 2008, [[BBC Two]] broadcast a 5-part series titled ''Return to... Castaway''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00cwm9j |title=BBC Two - Return to... Castaway |publisher=BBC |access-date=19 November 2018}}</ref>

==''The Rocket Post''==
A fictionalised account of a 1934 experiment by German inventor [[Gerhard Zucker]] to provide a postal service to the island of [[Scarp, Scotland|Scarp]] by [[rocket mail]] formed the basis of a 2001 film called ''The Rocket Post'', which was filmed on Taransay.<ref>[http://www.filmhebrides.com/folio/rocket/ "The Rocket Post (2001)"] Film Hebrides. Retrieved 21 December 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724214226/http://www.filmhebrides.com/folio/rocket/ |date=24 July 2008}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Scottish islands}}
* [[List of islands of Scotland]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{Haswell-Smith}}
* {{Monro}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Taransay}}
*''The Isle of Taransay: A Harris island in its historical setting''. Lawson, Bill (1997). Bill Lawson Publications. {{ISBN|1-872598-27-7}}.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20031229063722/http://visit-taransay.com/ Information for visitors to the island]
{{coord|57|54|N|7|1|W|display=title|region:GB_type:isle}}

{{Lewis and Harris}}
{{Hebrides (uninhabited)}}
{{Islands of Scotland}}

[[Category:Islands off Lewis and Harris]]
[[Category:BBC Television]]
[[Category:Uninhabited islands of the Outer Hebrides]]