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This is the view from Badachro looking over a bay well sheltered by two islands. The building in the foreground was at one time the Badachro schoolhouse. Beyond the islands is Loch Gairloch and the village of Gairloch scattered along the distant hills.
The nearest island is called Eilean Tioram (Dry Island), so called because at low tide it can be reached by a causeway. Beyond Eilean Tioram is Eilean Horrisdale. This island is named after Thor, the Norse God of thunder. There are many Viking names in the North-west Highlands to remind us that they once held sway all along this coast.
There are still some houses on these islands but going back into the 1901 census a population of 51 was recorded as the total number of people living on these islands.
These two islands were an important part of the Gairloch fishing industry and Dixon's 'Gairloch and Guide to Loch Maree' had this to say when it was published in 1886 -
"The Gairloch cod fishery is now carried on by two firms, who have curing houses or stations at Badachro, one on Dry Island and the other on Eilean Horisdale. The fishery seems to be more productive now than even in the days of Hector Mackenzie. It yields and average of about forty thousand cod per annum.
The year 1884 was extraordinarily good. The number of cod cured and sent away fresh was about eighty thousand, besides about forty-four thousand saythe. These figures were about double the average. A few ling are also taken, but they are the same price as cod, and are counted among them.
In 1884 about a third part of the fish were dried; the remainder were sent fresh to Glasgow and the English markets by steamer. The price paid to fishermen in 1884 was 11d (about 4.5p) for each cod and 4d (about 1.5p) for each saythe. The number of boats employed was forty. Each boat had as a rule four men, so that there were in all one hundred and sixty fishermen employed besides about thirty workmen and ten women who worked at the stations."
The above extract from Dixon's guide shows that this idyllic spot, now reserved primarily for leisure, was once the centre of a thriving industry now barely a shadow of it's former days.
North-west Highland Place Names
The landscape of the North-west Highlands and the Gaelic language are intimately connected. Other languages have contributed to the richness of our place names, notably Norse, but the North-west Highlands have for centuries been a Gaelic landscape. In listing the meanings of place names I have relied on authoritative sources wherever possible. For further information about sources please refer to North-west Highland Place Names in the main menu.
Badachro; from the Gaelic Bad a Chrotha which is defined by Professor Watson as the clump of the fold. Dixon’s Gairloch defines it as grove of the cruive, from bad, a grove; chro, possessive of cro, a cruive, a fank.
Eilean Tioram; Gaelic Tioram is dry, thus Dry Island, because it can be reached on foot at low tide.
Eilean Horrisdale; According to Dixon’s ‘Gairloch & Guide to Loch Maree’ this is of Norse origin, that the correct name is Eilean Thorisdal which translates as ‘Island of Thorsdale i.e. dale of the Norse God of Thunder, Thor.
Gairloch; Gaelic, village named after the loch of the same name, Loch Gairloch, An Gearr-loch, the short loch.
Loch Gairloch; Gaelic An Gearr-loch, the short loch.
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