Portree

infobox UK place
official_name = Portree
country = Scotland
population = 2491 [cite web|url=http://www.highland.gov.uk/plintra/iandr/cen/pop_towns.htm|title=Census 2001|work=Population figures|accessdate=August 17|accessyear=2005]
os_grid_reference = NG483454
latitude = 57.412070
longitude = -6.189499
post_town = PORTREE
postcode_area = IV
postcode_district = IV51
dial_code = 01478
gaelic_name = Port Rìgh
constituency_westminster = Ross, Skye and Lochaber
constituency_scottish_parliament = Ross, Skye and Inverness West
unitary_scotland = Highland
lieutenancy_scotland = Ross and Cromarty
website = [http://www.isleofskye.com/ isleofskye.com]
static_

static_image_caption=Portree Harbour

Portree (Scottish Gaelic: "Port Rìgh", the King's port) is the largest town on Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.Murray, W.H. (1966) "The Hebrides". London. Heinemann. Pages 154-5.] There are four ways to get to Portree: via the Skye Bridge; the Mallaig to Armadale ferry; the (seasonal) Kylerae ferry; and from the Western Isles to Uig. It is the location for the only secondary school on the Island, Portree High school. Public transport services are limited to buses.

Portree has a harbour, fringed by cliffs, with a pier designed by Thomas Telford. [ [http://www.portree-regeneration.org/living_landmarks.htm "Portree"] Portree Regeneration. Retrieved on 15 September 2007.] Attractions in the town include the Aros Centre and the An Tuireann Arts Centre, both of which celebrate the island's Gaelic heritage. The town also serves as a centre for tourists exploring the island. [ [http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/skye/portree/index.html "Portree"] Undiscovered Scotland. Retrieved on 15 September 2007.]

The town possibly takes its name from a visit by King James V of Scotland in 1540. However this etymology has been contested, since James did not arrive in peaceful times. Some authorities believe derivation to have been from "Port Ruighe", 'slope harbour', or "Portrigheadh" - 'port of the hillside'. Prior to the sixteenth century the settlement's name was Kiltragleann ('the church of St. Talarican in the glen'). [cite web| url=http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/language/gaelic/pdfs/placenamesP-Z.pdf| title=Placenames| author=Iain Mac an Tailleir| publisher=Pàrlamaid na h-Alba|format=pdf| accessdate=2007-09-15]

The Royal Hotel is the site of MacNab's Inn, the last meeting place of Flora MacDonald and Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1746.Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) "The Scottish Islands". Edinburgh. Canongate. Pages 173-4]

The town plays host to the Isle of Skye's shinty club, Skye Camanachd. [ [http://www.skyecamanachd.com "Skye Camanachd"] skyecamanachd.com. Retrieved 26 September 2007.]

Around 939 (37.72%) of the population can speak Scottish Gaelic.

Portree in fiction

In the Harry Potter novels the town is home to the Pride of Portree, one of the thirteen Quidditch teams of Britain and Ireland.

The movie "Made of Honor" also partially takes place in Portree, where a sweeping shot of the town's main street is shown.

References