Hellisay is one of ten islands in the Sound of Barra, a Site of Community Importance for conservation in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. of a string of islands in the Sound of Barra, Hellisay lies close to its neighbour Gighay, with a narrow channel, the Sound of Gighay, between. The bedrock is mainly gneiss with quartz veins. There are several peaks on the island including Beinn a' Chàrnain in the west, Meall Meadhonach and Meall Mòr.
Wildlife
Along with a variety of seabirds, raptors including falcons and golden eagles have been seen on Hellisay. The island has a profusion of sea thrift and the Sound of Gighay has been described as a "quiet secret place of wild irises and marshmallows".
History
The island's name is Old Norse in origin. It possibly means "island of the caves", which appears to be confirmed by the name Rubha na h-Uamh in the east of the island. However, Blaeu's map has "Hildesay", which suggests that the name may derive from the Norse for "Hilda's Island". The island's settlement was at Buaile Mhòr near Eilean a' Ghamhna in the north west of the island. The remains of a sheep pen and a well can still be seen. Like so many other islands in the region, Hellisay was badly affected by the Highland Clearances. Firstly, refugees from clearances in neighbouring islands swelled the population, and latterly the island's inhabitants themselves were evicted, and many went to live on Eriskay. The population peaked at 108 in 1841, and the island was cleared in the 1840s - however it continued to have some inhabitants up until 1890. Alasdair Alpin MacGregor's stories reveal a rich folklore and mythology extant on the island, possibly only a fraction of which has been preserved.
In Media
priest, specialist in mystical theology and author Rayner Torrington wrote a book describing how he was influenced by meeting a hermit called Peter Calvay who lived on Hellisay for a number of years in the first half of the twentieth century. The book titled ‘Peter Calvay, hermit: A personal rediscovery of prayer’ was first published in 1977 and has had at least eleven reprintings. Torkington’s book ‘Wisdom from the Western Isles: the making of a mystic’, published in 2008, also describes the author’s meetings with Peter Calvay whilst the author was staying on the nearby island of Barra.
