Easdale
| Gaelic name | Eilean Èisdeal |
|---|---|
| Meaning of name | Uncertain |
| Location | |
 Easdale
Easdale shown within Argyll and Bute
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| OS grid reference | NM735172 |
| Coordinates | 56°17′32″N 5°39′29″W / 56.29222°N 5.65806°WCoordinates: 56°17′32″N 5°39′29″W / 56.29222°N 5.65806°W |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Slate Islands |
| Area | 62 acres (25 ha) |
| Highest elevation | 125 feet (38 m) |
| Administration | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Scotland |
| Council area | Argyll and Bute |
| Demographics | |
| Population |
59 |
| Population rank | 53 |
| Pop. density | 295 people/km2 |
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| References | |
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Easdale (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Èisdeal) is one of the Slate Islands, in the Firth of Lorn, Scotland. Once the centre of the Scottish slate industry, there has been some recent island regeneration.
A ferry sails from Easdale to Ellenabeich (Gaelic: Eilean nam Beathach) on the nearby island of Seil (Gaelic: Saoil), which is separated from Easdale by only a narrow channel. Confusingly, Ellenabeich is sometimes known as Easdale as a result of its traditional connections with the island.
In 1549, Donald Monro, "Dean of the Isles" wrote, in brief reference to Easdale, of an island "namit in the Erische Leid Ellan Eisdcalfe" However the derivation of "Eisdcalfe" and this word's etymological relationship to "Easdale" is not clear. Haswell Smith (2004) notes that eas is Gaelic for "waterfall" and dal is Norse for "valley". Nonetheless, it is not clear why either description should apply to the island which is low lying and has no waterfalls.
The Gaelic name, Èisdeal ([ˈeːʃtʲəl̪ˠ]) or Eilean Èisdeal has a long vowel and local folk legend attributes this to a derivation from èist thall "listen to that yonder".Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland states that the first element is obscure, the second Norse dalr. It is not clear if this Èisdeal shares its derivation with Gleann Èisdeal (Glen Ashdale) (Glen of Ash trees) on the Isle of Arran.
Ellenbeich is usually analysed as Eilean nam Beathach ([ˈelan əm ˈpɛhəx]) "island of the animals" but this may be a reflex of an earlier and homophonous form Eilean nam Beitheach "island of the birch trees".
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