Embo

"For the scientific organisation, see European Molecular Biology Organization."

infobox UK place
country = Scotland
official_name= Embo
gaelic_name= Eurabol
population = 300 (approx.)
os_grid_reference=
latitude=57.90
longitude=-3.98
unitary_scotland= Highland
lieutenancy_scotland= Sutherland
constituency_westminster= Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
constituency_scottish_parliament= Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency in the Highlands and Islands electoral region
post_town= DORNOCH
postcode_district = IV25
postcode_area= IV
dial_code= 01862

Embo (Scottish Gaelic: Eurabol) is a village in the Highland Council Area in Scotland and the former/postal county of Sutherland, about 2 miles NNE of Dornoch.

On 16 July 1988, Embo declared itself independent from the rest of the United Kingdom for one day. This was done to raise funds to convert the unused primary school in the village into a community centre.

The declaration of independence was legal & approved by HM Queen Elizabeth II & the Prime Minister at the time (Margaret Thatcher) Fact|date=March 2007. The village issued its own currency, called the Cuddie. The rate of exchange was 2 cuddies to the pound.

Cuddies were accepted in the local public house - Grannies Heilan' Hame, in exchange for a measure of Clynelish Malt Whisky.

The owners of the distillery, in nearby Brora, sponsored the bid for independence by issuing a commemorative label on 50 cases of Clynelish Malt Whisky - "The Spirit of Free Embo"

Bronze Age remains were excavated to the south of the village in 1956, other burials having previously been discovered in the area.

Nancy Dorian's research of the local East Sutherland Gaelic dialect showed that in 1964, over 100 of the village's total population of fewer than 300 still actively spoke Gaelic, and that many more had a "smattering" or were "perfect passive bilinguals". This percentage even briefly increased during the 1970s with "returners" to the village. Until the end of the 1970s at least, Embo was a bilingual Gaelic and English speaking community. Brora and Golspie had much smaller percentages of Gaelic speakers at that time.

As with the entire region of East Sutherland, the end of the 19th century and the collapse of the fishing industry coincided with the decline of Gaelic as the majority language of the people.

Population

:1901 550 ("Northern Times", 2 Jun 2006);:2001 no separate figure given by GRO, "Dornoch locality" = 1206

Transport

The nearest railway stations are at Tain and Golspie, both about 10 route miles away.

Twinned with:
Kaunakakai, Hawaii.

"'Map reference: