GAIRSAY, an island, in the parish of Evie-and-Rendall,
county of Orkney; containing 71 inhabitants.
This is an isle of the Orkney group, about
four miles in circuit, and separated by a strait from
Rendall. It consists chiefly of a conical hill of considerable
altitude; the whole of the west side is pretty
steep, but towards the east it is more level and fertile,
and in this quarter, and in the south, the lands are tolerably
well cultivated. Here is a small harbour called
the Mill-Burn, perfectly secured on all sides by the
island itself, and by a holm, which covers the entrance
to the south, leaving a passage on each side of it to the
anchoring ground.