Quick facts

Orkney - Arcaibh

Separated as it is from mainland Scotland, many of the traditions so common in the Gaelic Highlands didn’t manifest themselves in Orkney’s history.

Population

The population of Orkney is around 19,000, with most of those based on ‘west mainland’ and ‘east mainland’ (the biggest island), with approximately 20% living on the smaller islands.

Gaelic Place names near Orkney

Gaelic did not have any significant impact on Orkney. Instead, when the Vikings came and inhabited the islands, a form of Norse, called Norn, became the language spoken. It is from this language that Orkney’s place names come. Indeed, that language has left a legacy in today’s Orcadian tongue.

Many place names have undergone many changes over the years, and the spellings no longer resemble what they once were. The pronunciation by Orcadians (people native to Orkney) often still resembles the way words were originally spelt.

Kirkwall used to be “Kirkwaa”, but was changed by map makers over the years. The name originally meant “The Church Bay”. Many island names end in the suffix “-ay”, which is the Norse for ‘island’.

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Did you know?

Orkney has the lowest unemployment level of any area in Scotland.

The people of Orkney think of themselves as Orcadians first, and Scots second. When Orcadians talk about “the mainland”, they are not referring to the mainland of Scotland, but rather to the largest island in Orkney.

It is so far north that during mid-summer, the sun never really sets, only dipping below the horizon. It is possible to read outside at midnight. But around the time of the winter solstice, the nights are very long indeed, with the sun only rising after 9am, and setting around 3:30pm.

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Local heroes

William Balfour Baikie

Dr William Baikie was an explorer of Africa. He was born in Kirkwall in 1825, where he was educated, mostly privately. He studied medicine at Edinburgh University, and after graduating he was an assistant surgeon on a number of Royal Navy ships.

He was then moved to a naval hospital in Gosport, where he learnt of an exploration being funded by the merchant Macgregor Laird. The aim was to explore the River Niger and one of its’ tributaries, the Benue, for as far as possible.

He joined the “Pleiad” in Sierra Leone 1854. Upon arrival, it was discovered that Mr Beecroft, the man in charge of the expedition, had died. As the second most senior member of the expedition, Baikie took charge, feeling that it would be wasteful to discontinue the trip.

The expedition journeyed 250 miles further along the Benue than any other Europeans had done before. Baikie managed to navigate and record data for over 700 miles of river.

Following the success for the first trip, Baikie led a second expedition in 1857, aiming to make further contact with the native people, and to establish trading posts.

Unfortunately, the boat on which Baikie travelled, the “Dayspring”, hit hidden rocks. Baikie and his crew were stranded for a year before being rescued.

He also undertook many journeys over land, to see and learn of the land beyond the river banks. Once, he travelled over 600 miles on horseback to the Kano, one of the main towns of northern Nigeria. There, people were very interested in the translations he had done of sections of the Bible, and were very interested in more.

They then set up a trading town where the Niger and Benue meet, at present day Lokoja. It was very popular, with over two thousand traders said to have visited the town in the first three years. He was greatly respected, not only as a doctor, but as a priest, teacher and magistrate.

He grew weary of the pressures of running the trading town, and asked the Brittish Government to send someone to relieve him of his duties. In 1864, the HMS Investigator took Baikie back to Sierra Leone. He decided to stay there for a short while before returning to Britain, so that he could properly sort out his manuscripts and specimen collections.

Sadly, he was struck by a deadly fever and died on the 12th of December, 1864. He was not only greatly respected among the British, for whom he did much, but also among the tribes he encountered. One local dialect of Nigeria uses the word “beke”, a corruption of Baikie, as the word for “white man”.

William Sichel

William Sichel is an ultra-distance runner who stays on Sanday in Orkney. He was born on October 1, 1953 in Welford. He is the middle child of nine. He returned to running in 1992 as a way of getting fit as he neared his 40th birthday. He managed to return to marathon-running standard, and was then introduced to ultra-distance racing.

An ultra-race is anything which is longer then a standard marathon (42.2km). It can either be a race of fixed length, or a timed event, with the winner being the person who covers the most distance in the time limit. Multi-day races of 1000 miles or more also occur. Timed races are usually either 6, 12 or 24 hours, and are generally run on a track or short course. The distance events are generally 50 or 100 miles.

William was first selected for the British ultra-distance team in 1996, and had been selected for every team since. 1998 and 1999 were perhaps his best years, when he became the World Veteran 100km Champion, and won his first British 100km Championship.

Despite approaching 54, William is still running ultra-marathons, and says that he will continue to do so, as long as he is fit enough and enjoying it!

John Gow

He is suspected to have been born in Wick in 1668, and moved with his family to Orkney the next year. They stayed in Stromness, and it was there that John became interested in sea travel, working on boats and ships.

In 1724, he was in Amsterdam, and joined the crew of the “Caroline” as second mate and gunner. The ship was delivering cargo from Santa Cruz, bound for Genoa. The crew were unhappy with the quality of the food and the general conditions on board. The captain, Oliver Ferneau, was well aware of this, and had the officers carry small arms as a deterrent. This failed and the crew mutinied.

The following day, with the ship now under the control of the crew, Gow was named captain. He renamed the ship “Revenge”, and they soon became famous as pirates in the waters of France, Spain and Portugal.

With supplies running low, and the authorities seeking him, Gow decided to return to Orkney to hide. Upon arriving, he assumed the name “Mr Smith”, renamed his ship the “George” and pretended to be a wealthy trader. Before long, rumours began to circulate about Gow’s past, and eventually a trader came to the island who recognised him.

Ten crew members fled to the Scottish mainland, while one, Robert Reid, fled to Kirkwall and gave himself up to the authorities. Gow and his remaining crew were pushed by sea currents too close to the Calf o’ Eday. Gow was forced to surrender.

Gow and seven accomplices were then found guilty of murder and piracy, and hanged in London. Gow’s body was then bound in chains and tarred, and left hanging on the banks of the Thames, as a deterrent to other pirates.

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Well known landmarks

Skara Brae

During the winter of 1850, Orkney experienced a ferocious storm. The erosion caused by this storm removed the grass from a hill called Skerrabra, and exposed old stone houses. William Watt of Skaill, a local laird, was intrigued, and ordered the site excavated. After 18 years, four houses had been uncovered, and the excavation was abandoned.

The site lay in this state until another storm in 1925 threatened to damage the excavated houses. It was decided to build a sea wall to protect them, and during the construction more buried houses were discovered. By 1930, the houses as they are seen today were unearthed. They were thought to have been from the Iron Age, but radiocarbon evidence suggests that they are older, having been occupied around 3100BC to 2500BC.

The site consists of eight dwellings, linked together by stone passages. They were well protected from erosion by the earth which had accumulated on top of them. It is the most complete Neolithic village in Europe. The contents of the houses were also well preserved, and provide a tremendous insight to how life was almost 5000 years ago. Each house is furnished almost identically, with storage shelves immediately in front of the door, a fire place, and a bed on either side.

The site is under constant threat from erosion. Although it would once have been a good distance from the sea, it is now right on the shore. However, measures are being taken to minimise the damage done by the elements.

Knap of Howar

Knap of Hawar on Papa Westray, are the oldest standing stone houses found in northern Europe, having been built around 3500BC. They were discovered in the 1930s, when sea erosion revealed that there could have once been a settlement in the area.

The site consists of two large, roughly rectangular buildings side by side, joined together by a small passage. One is suspected to be a house, and the other a barn or workshop. They are separated into sections by large, upright stone slabs. Furnishings such as cupboards and beds were well preserved in the buried structures, and tools were also discovered.

Standing Stones

There are many different standing stones all over Orkney. The Standing Stones o’ Stenness are the largest, standing as high as 6m tall. It was once a circle comprising of twelve stones: four still stand.

One angry farmer who leased the land on which the stones stood, Captain Mackay, was upset by the number of visitors the stones attracted, claiming they were damaging his land. Not a native to the island, he didn’t appreciate their significance, and decided to remove the stones, completely destroying one, and knocking over another.

The islanders were so appalled by Mackay’s actions that they not only took legal action to prevent him doing further damage, but they also attempted to burn his house on more than one occasion!

Mackay also destroyed the Odin Stone, a monolith near the Stenness Standing stones. The Odin Stone was very important to the Orcadians. It had a hole in it, through which two people would hold hands, either to make an agreement, or to marry. This was known as a promise of Odin. Such was the strength of such a promise, that anyone who broke it risked exclusion from society.

Yet another stone circle is the Ring o’ Brodgar. When complete, it was a circle 104 metres across, with 60 standing stones. Now, only 27 stones remain upright. The stones are considered to be quite small, ranging from 2.1m to 4.7m. It is the third largest stone circle in the UK. It is surrounded by a ditch, originally 5 metres wide and 3 metres deep, made by the removal of 11,000 tonnes of rock. It is also thought that there was an earthen bank surrounding the stones, almost completely hiding them.

Maes Howe

Maes Howe is the largest burial mound in Orkney. It was originally excavated in 1861. The main entrance was blocked, and so the archaeologists broke through the roof. They then discovered that they were not the first to do this, finding Viking “graffiti” written on the walls. It is the largest collection of Norse runes in Europe. It is thought that a group of Vikings took refuge in Maes Howe from a bad winter storm.

It is surrounded by a ditch and raised bank, similar to Ring o’ Brodgar. The dry-stone work of the structure is incredible, with the stones fitting exceptionally well together. There is a long, low passage which leads into the main chamber, off which there are three side-chambers. At sunset on midwinter’s day, the last rays of light shine along the passage and illuminate a portion of the back wall of the main chamber.

Although it is suspected to have been a burial chamber, there were only traces of bone found. A socket for a standing stone was also found outside the cairn. The lack of remains could mean that the true purpose of the grand structure may never be known.

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Local specialities

Dairy Products

Ice cream may not be the first thing you think of buying in windy Orkney, but Orkney ice cream is sold all over the islands, and is rich and creamy.

There are a variety of Orkney cheeses, ranging from soft crumbly cheeses to wet, smooth cheeses.

Fudge

Orkney fudge is eaten all over the world, and it is all made in a factory in Stromness. It comes in a variety of different flavours, including coffee, chocolate and rum.

Meat and Fish

Most of the pasture land is used for cattle, and so beef is the meat most eaten. The Orkney herds were isolated from BSE and foot-and-mouth, and so anyone avoiding beef for that reason can feel safe with Orkney meat.

The brown trout of Orkney is famous, and abundant. They are found in all the lochs, although some are fuller than others. If you don’t fancy catching your own food, or simply aren’t having any luck, there are plenty of shops and restaurants where you can buy some.

There are plenty of other North Sea and Atlantic fish to be caught as well: salmon, herring and cod to name but a few.

Whisky

There are two distilleries in Orkney, Highland Park, and Scapa. Highland Park is said to produce the best single malt in Scotland.

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Best time to visit

With such a northerly latitude, the summer days are long, and the weather is at its best. Experience the famous never-ending days, when the sun is above the horizon for 18 hours, and even midnight isn’t really dark.

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What's on

September

Here is a pick of upcoming events that our characters would like to recommend for the month ahead!

Melodaidh

Middle Distance Triathlon

08/09/07 – Kirkwall

Sanday Arts and Crafts

15/09/07-16/09/07 – Sanday

Morag

Whitemill Wonder

03/09/07 – Sanday

Notland Castle

08/09/07 – Westray

Seanair

Mountain Leadership

08/09/07-09/09/07 – Moaness

Autumn Birds

23/09/07 - Sanday

Munro

The BisGeos 12 Mile

01/09/07 – Westray

Whale Head and the Second World War

14/09/07 – Sanday

Brochan

Police Department’s Trust Open Day

09/09/07 – Kirkwall

For further information about Highland 2007 including events and external links please visit www.highland2007.com.

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Learn Online

Learn Gaelic at BBC Alba

The BBC offers an array of online learning tools for the Gaelic beginner. They have their “Beag air Bheag” online course, they have Colin and Cumberland games and they also have an online version of “Litir Bheag” from Radio nan Gàidheal.

Web: www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/alba

learndirect Scotland

learndirect scotland has a range of interesting online courses. These include, among others, a series of online basic Gaelic and Scottish History and Geography Courses:

Gaelic (Gàidhlig):

1. Gaelic for Arts and Festivals

2. Gaelic for Food Services

3. Gaelic for Managers

4. Gaelic for Marketing

5. Gaelic for Outdoor Workers

6. Gaelic for Parents

7. Gaelic for Receptionists

8. Gaelic for Retail Workers

9. Gaelic for TIC Workers

10. Gaelic for Travel Workers

11. Scottish History and Geography

Contact: 0808 100 9000

Web: http://www.learndirectscotland.com

Learn in the Community

Comhairle nan Sgoiltean Àraich (CNSA)

CNSA run a series of “Gàidhlig san Dachaigh” (Gaelic in the Home) courses throughout the Isle of Skye. The classes are total immersion classes whereby the tutor only converses in Gaelic. There are classes throughout the Highlands in Inverness and Skye areas and also in Argyll.

Contact: CNSA Main Office

Tel: 01463 225 469

Clì Gàidhlig

Clì Gàidhlig run various Gaelic classes in communities throughout Scotland. They run various courses for learners of the language including conversation classes and grammar classes. They have also begun a series of Gaelic Awareness classes.

Contact: DJ MacIntyre

Tel: 01463 226710

Email: dj@cli.org.uk

Web: www.cli.org.uk

Learn Full-Time

Cùrsa Comais – Sabhal Mòr Ostaig

The Cùrsa Comais or Immersion Course is a full-time residential course at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Scotland’s Gaelic college. It is aimed at those wishing to obtain fluency in the language and can contribute to the first year of a degree course.

Contact: 01471 888 000

Email: trusadh@smo.uhi.ac.uk

Web: http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk

Cùrsa Comais is Cùrsaichean Ceum – Lews Castle College

This course is designed for Gaelic learners who are not yet fluent. You will develop your language skills and learn about the history of the Highlands and Islands. This course can also contribute as the first year of the degree program.

Contact: 01851 770459

Email: annie.macsween@lews.uhi.ac.uk

Web: http://www.lews.uhi.ac.uk/

Learn Part-Time

Short Courses – Sabhal Mòr Ostaig

The Gaelic college on Skye also offers weekly residential courses for beginners and intermediate beginners. A full timetable of courses usually runs during the Easter holidays and also throughout the summer months.

Contact: 01471 888 000

Email: cg@smo.uhi.ac.uk

Web: http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk

Short Courses – Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle

The Gaelic centre on Islay offers a short course programme. These courses are for all levels of learners.

Contact: 01496 810 818

Web: http://www.ile.ac.uk/

Cùrsa Inntrigidh - Sabhal Mòr Ostaig

The Cùrsa Inntrigidh is a distance-learning course based at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. The course is about gaining the confidence to use your Gaelic practically, with priority given to speaking and listening skills. It takes advantage of new technology to reach those people who are too far away or whose schedule makes it impractical to attend existing courses. Workbooks and accompanying CDs allow students to work at any time of day or night that suits them. Weekly conversation classes through teleconferencing offer the opportunity to chat to tutors and practice with others on the course. Weekend schools held at the College offer the opportunity to consolidate and put into practice what has been learned, as well as the chance to get to know students and tutors in a convivial Gaelic atmosphere.

Contact: 01471 888 000

Email: sm00cin@groupwise.uhi.ac.uk

Web: http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk

Learn Gaelic Abroad

Comunn Gàidhlig Astràilia

Comunn Gàidhlig Astràilia Comunn Gàidhlig Astràilia (The Scottish Gaelic Association of Australia) is a non-profit organisation which supports the language and culture of Scottish Gaels in Australia, and is the primary source of information regarding Gaelic classes and workshops in Australia and New Zealand.

Email: fios@ozgaelic.org

Web: http://www.ozgaelic.org

An Commun Gàidhealach America

An Comunn Gàidhealach America (The Gaelic Society of America) strives to promote and preserve the Gaelic language and culture by supporting Gaelic language study and interest in Gaelic literature, song, music, art and history in North America and the world.

Email: webmaster@acgamerica.org

Web: http://www.acgamerica.org/

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