Jura (Scottish Gaelic Diùra) is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, situated adjacent and to the north-east of Islay. The island is designated as a National Scenic Area.

Geography

With an area of 142 square miles and only around 180 inhabitants, Jura is much less densely populated than neighboring Islay. The main settlement is the village of Craighouse on the east coast. Craighouse is home to the island's sole distillery, producing Isle of Jura whisky. The village is also home to the island's only hotel, shop and church.

In recent years, Jura has been unusual for an island of its size, population and proximity to the mainland, in having no direct ferry connection with mainland Scotland. However, following a successful trial in September 2007, a new passenger service has been introduced in summer 2008 between Craighouse and Tayvallich on the mainland.^[1] But the chief link to Jura is from the neighbouring island of Islay: a small car ferry operates across the Sound of Islay between Port Askaig on Islay and Feolin Ferry on Jura. From Feolin Ferry a single track road follows the southern and eastern coastline of the island. At the southern tip of the island, half way between Feolin and Craighouse, the road passes Jura House^[2], whose gardens, thanks to their sheltered southerly aspect, are home to exotic specimen plants from Australasia. The gardens are open to the public. To the north of Craighouse the road leads to Lagg, Tarbert, Ardlussa and beyond. A private track runs from the road end to the far north of the island.

The west coast of Jura has no permanent inhabitants, but is home to a number of raised beaches.Between the northern tip of Jura and the Island of Scarba lies the Gulf of Corryvreckan where a whirlpool makes passage dangerous at certain states of the tide.

The island has a large population of red deer and it is commonly believed that the name Jura was derived from hjörtr, the Old Norse word for deer.

The deer prevent the island from tumbling back down to woodland, as was its former state; indeed, before the clearances and abundance of deer, the isle's name was thought to come from 'the great quantity of yew trees which grew in the island';^[3]

Paps of Jura

Two of the Paps of Jura taken from above Caol Ìla on Islay. Photo by John Shaw

• Beinn an Òir (Gaelic: mountain of gold) is the highest peak, standing at 785 metres, and is thereby a Corbett.

• Beinn Shiantaidh (Gaelic: holy mountain) stands at 755 metres high.

• Beinn a' Chaolais (Gaelic: mountain of the kyle) is the lowest of the Paps, reaching 734 metres.^[4]

The Paps dominate the landscape in the region and can be seen from the Mull of Kintyre and, on a clear day, Skye and Northern Ireland. The route of the annual Isle of Jura Fell Race includes all three Paps and four other hills.

These hills were the subject of William McTaggart's 1902 masterpiece The Paps of Jura^[5] now displayed in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.^[6]

Culture

Like most other Hebridean islands, Jura has its own indigenous tradition of Gaelic song and poetry related to it, such as Toirt m'aghaidh ri Diurahttp://www.allcelticmusic.com/music/5b7c6292-f86f-102a-8020-000f1f67beb1/Da+Thaobh+Loch+Seile.html,http://www.linguae-celticae.org/dateien/Bibliography_Gaidhlig_Local_Studies-a.pdf.

Towards the north end of Jura, some miles beyond the end of the metalled road, is Barnhill, a remote house where the novelist George Orwell spent much of the last three years of his life. Orwell was known to the residents of Jura by his real name, Eric Blair. It was at Barnhill that Orwell finished his masterpiece Nineteen Eighty-Four, during 1947-1948 while critically ill with tuberculosis.^[7] He sent the final typescript to his friends, Secker and Warburg, on 4 December 1948, who published the book on 8 June 1949.^[8]

Apart from the connection with Orwell, Jura is perhaps best known for an event which took place on 23 August 1994, when Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, known then as the music group KLF, filmed themselves burning £1 million in banknotes in the Ardfin boathouse on the south coast of the island.

References

1. ↑ Welcome to the Isle of Jura, Argyll Scotland
2. ↑ Jura House
3. ↑ Statistical account of Scotland - Account of 1791-99 vol.12 p.318
4. ↑
5. ↑ http://www.machrihanish.net/Machrihanish_McTaggart.html Machrihanish Online] Retrieved 4 April 2007.
6. ↑ Kelvingrove Art Gallery Retrieved 4 April 2007.
7. ↑ Bowker, Gordon: George Orwell (London, Abacus, 2004)
8. ↑ Bowker, p. 383, 399.

Gallery

<gallery> Image:OirSummit.jpg|The scree-covered peak of Beinn an Òir Image:Beinn Shiantaidh from the south.jpg|Beinn Shiantaidh from the south Image:SunsetOverThePaps.jpg|Sunset over Beinn an Òir and Beinn Shiantaidh (two of the paps of Jura) with Corra Bheinn to the right. Photo by K Gow Image:Wfm jura landsat.jpg|Satellite picture of Jura </gallery>

External links

• The Isle of Jura - Feolin Centre - World's largest collection of Jura information
• Jura on Scotlandview Isle of Jura Pictures and Comprehensive info
• Australasian gardens at Ardfin

br:Diùra cs:Jura (ostrov) cy:Jura (ynys) de:Isle of Jura es:Jura (isla) fr:Jura (Écosse) gd:Diùra gl:Jura nl:Jura (eiland) ja:???? nds:Jura (Eiland) pl:Jura (wyspa) sv:Jura (Skottland)