Ailsa Craig

Ailsa Craig
Scottish Gaelic nameCreag Ealasaid
Scots nameAilsae Craig[1]
Meaning of nameElizabeth's rock or Fairy rock
Ailsa Craig from the southeast
Ailsa Craig from the southeast
Location
Ailsa Craig is located in South Ayrshire
Ailsa Craig
Ailsa Craig
Ailsa Craig shown within South Ayrshire
OS grid referenceNX019997
Coordinates55°15′07″N 05°06′59″W / 55.25194°N 5.11639°W / 55.25194; -5.11639
Physical geography
Island groupFirth of Clyde
Area99 ha (240 acres)[2]
Area rank150=[2][3]
Highest elevation338 m (1,109 ft)
(a Marilyn)
Administration
Council areaSouth Ayrshire
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Demographics
Population0[4]
Lymphad
References[2][5][6]

Ailsa Craig (/ˈlsə/; Scots: Ailsae Craig; Scottish Gaelic: Creag Ealasaid) is an island of 99 ha (240 acres) in the outer Firth of Clyde, 16 km (8+12 nmi) west of mainland Scotland, upon which microgranite has long been quarried to make curling stones. The now-uninhabited island comprises the remains of a magmatic pluton formed during the same period of igneous activity as magmatic rocks on the nearby Isle of Arran.[7]

The island, colloquially known as "Paddy's Milestone",[8] was a haven for Catholics during the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century, but is today a bird sanctuary, providing a home for huge numbers of gannets and an increasing number of puffins.

  1. ^ "Map of Scotland in Scots - Guide and gazetteer" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Haswell-Smith (2004) p.2
  3. ^ Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
  4. ^ National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  5. ^ Ordnance Survey. OS Maps Online (Map). 1:25,000. Leisure. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  6. ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p.3
  7. ^ British Geological Survey (1987). "Geology, petrology and geochemistry of Ailsa Craig, Ayrshire". BGS Reports. 16 (9). Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  8. ^ BBC News (21 March 2013). "Ailsa Craig: Asking price reduced in Irish Sea island sale". Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.