DUIRINISH, a parish, in the Isle of Skye, county of Inverness;
containing, with the former quoad sacra
parish of Waternish, 4983 inhabitants. This place, early
in the tenth century, became the property of the Mc
Leods, by marriage of the first Tormoid, or Norman of
the name, with the daughter and heiress of Mc Railt,
the original possessor of the lands. Frequent feuds
between the Mc Leods and the Mc Donalds of Uist, in
which the latter made attempts to render themselves
masters of the property, subsisted for a long period; but
with the exception of certain portions of land voluntarily
alienated by the Mc Leods, the whole is still in the possession
of their descendants. On one occasion, while a
number of the Mc Leods were met for public worship in
the church, a party of the Mc Donalds, having landed at
Ardmore, in the district of Waternish, set fire to the
building; and, except one individual, the whole assembly
perished in the flames. The inhabitants, however, whom
the burning of the church had collected in great numbers,
amply retaliated this barbarous outrage, for, attacking
the invaders before they could regain their ships,
they stripped them of their booty, and left the entire
party dead upon the shore.
The p.\RisH is bounded on the north and north-east
by Lochs Snizort and Grieshernish, on the south and
south-east by Lochs Bracadale and Carroy, and on the
west by the channel of the Minch. It is about nineteen
miles in extreme length, and nearly sixteen miles in e.\-
treme breadth, comprising more than 60,000 acres, of
which '2400 are arable, 3S00 meadow and pasture, 130
woodland and plantations, and the remainder waste.
The surface is boldly varied, rising in some parts into
hills of considerable height, and in others into mountains.
The most conspicuous mountains are the Greater and
Less Helvels; they have an elevation of 1*00 feet above
the sea, and are clothed with verdure to their summits,
which form a level plain. On account of their near resemblance
in shape, they constitute an infallible landmark
to mariners, by whom they are railed ]Mc Leod's
Tables. From the larger of the two a range of hills
extends northward, terminating at the entrance of the
bay of Dunvegan in Galtrigil Head, a bold and precipitous
headland 300 feet in height; while from the smaller
of the Helvels a similar chain of hills stretches to the
south, terminating in the cliffs of Idrigil and W'aterstein,
the former of which have an elevation of 400, and the
latter of 600 feet. Near the point of Idrigil are three
basaltic pillars, rising perpendicularly from the sea, one
of them 200 feet in height, and the two others 100 feet
each; they have obtained the appellation of Mc Leod's
Maidens, and there was formerly a fourth pillar, which
has disappeared. The coast, from its numerous indentations,
has a range of more than seventy miles in extent,
and is generally precipitous and rocky; but within the
many bays and lochs the shore has a moderate declivity,
forming commodious beaches for landing. The lochs of
Dunvegan and Grieshernish are safe roadsteads for large
vessels during all winds; and Lochs Bay, Poltiel, and
Carroy, though more exposed, aBFord good anchorage for
ships in ordinary weather. Pol-Roag, a branch of Loch
Carroy, is also a secure shelter, but from the narrowness
of its entrance is accessible only to vessels of small
burthen.
The SOIL is various, generally peat-moss, with some
tracts of clay and gravel; the chief crops are oats and
potatoes. On the larger farms, the system of agriculture
has been improved within the last few years, the farmhouses
are mostly commodious, and the fences well kept
up; but on the smaller tenements, which are held by
cottars without leases, husbandry is still in a very backward
state. There are scarcely any black-cattle kept,
the stock having been almost entirely superseded by
sheep, which are numerous. The few sheep remaining
of the native Highland breed are of diminutive size, but
afford mutton of very delicate flavour, and are remarkable
for the fine texture of their fleeces: within the last fifty
years the black-faced breed has been introduced, but it
is now giving place to the Cheviot. The annual value of
real property in the parish is £4999. The plantations
are of modern date, and are almost confined to the
grounds of the principal landowners; they consist of
oak, ash, plane, beech, alder, birch, and larch, with
Scotch fir, which last, however, has not succeeded. In
this parish the substrata are chiefly of the trapstone formation,
intersected with veins of basalt; limestone,
containing numerous fossil shells; coal, which is not
workable; and veins of sandstone. Besides the fine
castle of Dunvegan, the principal mansions in the parish
are Orbost, Grieshernish, and Waternish, all of them
handsome residences pleasantly situated. Considerable
quantities of shell-fish are taken on the beach, and
several persons are employed in the fisheries off the
coast; the fish generally are cod and ling, which, after
being cured, are sent to the markets. The manufacture
of kelp is also carried on, to a moderate extent. About
three boats, averaging ten tons' burthen each, belong to
the parish; but no other vessels visit it for the purpose
of trade. A post-ofifice has been established at Dunvegan;
and facility of communication is maintained by
good roads, about thirty-five miles of turnpike-road
passing through the parish.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposes the parish is within the
bounds of the presbytery of Skye and synod of Glenelg.
The minister's stipend is £15S, of which one-third part
is paid from the exchequer; with an allowance of £5"
in lieu of a manse, and a glebe valued at £'2'2. 10. per
annum: patron, Mc Leod of Mc Leod. Duirinish church,
erected in 1824, is a substantial and handsome structure
in the centre of the parish, and contains noO sittings.
Two extension churches, each containing 330 sittings,
were erected some years ago, one of them in the district
of Arnizort, about twelve miles from the parish church,
and the other at Sloosabost, on the west side of Loch
Dunvegan. In each of these the parish minister preaches
once in five weeks. There is a government church in
the district of Waternish. The parochial schoolmaster
has a salary of £30, with a house and garden, and the
fees average about £S. Four schools are supported by
the General Assembly, and three by the Gaelic Society.
Among the antiquities is the castle of Dunvegan, the
ancient baronial residence of the Mc Leods, of which the
oldest portion was erected in the ninth century; a portion
was added to it in the thirteenth, and the two parts, consisting
of lofty towers, were connected by a range of low
building, erected by Rory Mor in the reign of James VI.
Recently the castle has undergone very extensive and
costly repairs, adding much to its grandeur as an object
in the scenery, and to its comfort as a residence. The
whole is situated on the summit of a lofty rock, rising
precipitously from the sea; and an easier line of approach
was opened some years ago, by throwing a bridge across
the chasm which separates it from a neighbouring rock.
In this castle are preserved, the celebrated banner called
the " Fairy flag ", taken by the Mc Leods from the
Saracens during the crusades; an ancient drinking-cup
of hard dark wood, supported on four silver feet, and
striped with ribs of highly-wrought silver having numerous
sockets for the reception of precious stones, some
of which are still remaining; and Rory Mor's horn, a
drinking-cup of much larger dimensions, containing five
English pints, noticed by Sir Walter Scott. There are
numerous caverns in the rocks along the coast, one of
which is 120 feet in length, forty feet in height, and ten
feet wide; and the cave of Idrigil is resorted to by the
fishermen for drying their nets, curing fish, and dressing
their victuals. The parish likewise contains many barrows,
circular forts, and subterraneous dwellings: on
the farm of Vatten, a long narrow passage leads into a
central room arched with stone, from which branch off
several galleries conducting to other subterraneous apartments,
that have not been explored. Some rude sepulchral
urns of reddish clay have been dug up; one of
these is in the possession of Mc Leod of Mc Leod, and
another has been deposited in the Glasgow Hunterian
Museum.