Gaelic name Colbhasa Beag OS grid reference NM375365 Sovereign state United Kingdom Highest elevation 61 m Lieutenancy area Argyll and Bute | Norse name kolnøy Area rank 154 Area 88 ha Council area Argyll and Bute | |
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Meaning of name Old Norse for "Columba's island" or "Kolbein's island" Island groups British Isles, Inner Hebrides | ||
Little Colonsay (Scottish Gaelic: Colbhasa Beag) is an uninhabited island west of the island of Mull in Scotland. The geology of the island is columnar basalt, similar to that on neighbouring Staffa. It is part of the Loch Na Keal National Scenic Area, one of 40 in Scotland.
Map of Little Colonsay, United Kingdom
In 1841 the population was 16 individuals in two households but by 1881 no population as recorded, the island having been cleared in 1846 by F.W. Clark, the notorious owner of Gometra and Ulva. The censuses of 1891 and 1931 recorded two inhabitants. In the early 20th century the island was farmed by John MacColum, known as "Johnny Colonsay", but he and his family were forced out by a plague of rats.
The island is currently owned by Michael Hare, 2nd Viscount Blakenham, but has not been permanently inhabited since the 1940s. Hare's daughter, Cressida Cowell, the author of children's books including How to Train Your Dragon, spent childhood summers on the island and cites the Inner Hebrides as an inspiration for her books, suggesting they are "one of the most beautiful places on Earth" and "the kind of place where you expect to see dragons overhead".