South Kessock
| |
|---|---|
| Neighbourhood | |
  South Kessock Location within the Inverness area | |
| Council area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Inverness |
| Postcode district | IV3 8 |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
South Kessock (Scottish Gaelic: Ceasag a Deas, meaning "Ceasag's Place") is an area of the city of Inverness in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is situated to the city's north at the mouth of the River Ness. It is a traditionally working-class area.
The neighbourhood borders on Merkinch and is also known, somewhat disparagingly,[according to whom?] as the Ferry. This refers to the now-defunct ferry service running from South to North Kessock, across the Beauly Firth. The ferry operated for over 500 years, prior to the opening of the Kessock Bridge in 1982.
Early in the evening of 23 February 1894, the Kessock Ferry was caught in a storm leading to the deaths of three ferrymen and three coastguards attempting to rescue them. The tragedy was immortalised by the poet William McGonagall in The Kessack Ferry-Boat Fatality[1].
The name Kessock derives from the Gaelic Ceasag, the name of an ancient Christian saint once living in the area.[2]
South Kessock features in two novels by local author Alex Mabon: The Lads from the Ferry and War of the Ferry.
- ^ "The Kessack Ferry-Boat Fatality". McGonagall Online. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "South Kessock". www.ainmean-aite.scot. Retrieved 1 August 2020.