- Gunna
Infobox Scottish island |
latitude=56.56
longitude= -6.72
GridReference=NM100513
celtic name= Gunnaigh
norse name= Gunni
meaning of name= "Gunni's island"
area= 69 ha
area rank=172
highest elevation= 35 m
Population=0
population rank=
main settlement=
island group=Mull
local authority=Argyll and Bute
references= [2001 UK Census perList of islands of Scotland ] cite book| author=Haswell-Smith, Hamish| year=2004| title=The Scottish Islands| location=Edinburgh| publisher=Canongate| isbn=1841954543] cite map| url=http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/getamap/| title=Get-a-map| publisher=Ordnance Survey ]Gunna (Gaelic: "Gunnaigh") is an uninhabited island in the
Inner Hebrides ofScotland .Geography and geology
Gunna lies between
Coll andTiree , closer to the former. It is 69 hectares (¼ sq. mile) in area, 35 metres (115 feet) at its highest point, and currently uninhabited. Nowhere is it wider than 500 metres (0.3 miles).It is surrounded by various smaller islands including Eilean Frachlan (just off the north coast), Eilean nan Gamhna off the south coast, Soy Gunna to the north east, and Eilean Bhoramull, which is nearer Coll. It is surrounded by many rocks, especially in Gunna Sound (
Scottish Gaelic : "Am Bun Dubh" [cite web| url=http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/faclair/sbg/lorg.php?facal=Gunna%20Sound&seorsa=Beurla&tairg=Lorg&eis_saor=on| title=translation| publisher| accessdate=2008-01-06] ), between it and Tiree.According to Haswell-Smith, the island is::"bedrock of
paragneiss schist with a light sandy soil. Metasediments in the west grade into undifferentiated gneiss in the east"History
"Gunni" is a Norse forename, but it is not recorded for which Gunni the island was named.
It was possibly an
anchorite /culdee 's island at some point - beside the old well, there is Port na Cille, which means Port of the Monk's Cell. Uamh Mòr, (big cave) on the north coast, could well be where the hermit sheltered.Wildlife
Gunna supports a wide range of sea birds, as well as geese, and
shelduck s.Grey seal s also breed here.It is currently used for grazing from Coll.
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
