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LAMLASH


Lamlash


Lamlash L


amlash sits in a shel-


tered bay protected from the elements by Holy Isle, which rises 1,000ft out of the sea.


The unusual village name dates back to an Irish monk called Lais or Laisren who spent some time in a cave on Holy Isle in around 590AD. Lais was more commonly known as Molias or Molios so the Gaelic name for the small island came from Eile- an Molaise.


This seems to have gradual- ly evolved through Elmolaise and Lemolash to Lamlash, which is what Holy Isle was called until the early 1880s. Since then the name has been more commonly


12


Rainbow over Lamlash Photo: Hugh Boag


attached to the village facing it.


There was a time when Lam- lash vied with Brodick to be the main port on the island. In 1263, before the Battle of Largs, the Norse king, Haakon, anchored his fl eet in Lamlash Bay.


During both world wars the bay was used as a naval base and the offi cers on board these ships made the most of local hospitality at Lamlash golf club. Two future Kings, Edward VIII and George VI both signed the club’s visitor book when naval ships they were serving on moored in the bay. The natural harbour is still a haven for boat users, wa-


ter sports enthusiasts and


fi shermen alike. This love of sailing is clear to see when walking along the shore in Lamlash as hundreds of boats can be seen moored in the bay and on a sunny day the harbour becomes a hive of activity.


Last year part of the bay be- came Scotland’s fi rst com- munity marine conservation area, focusing on the re- generation of scallops. This means that there are certain areas of the bay where fi sh- ing is not allowed – large no- tice boards at the pier advise which areas to avoid. Lamlash is the site of the only secondary school on the is- land, Arran high school, as


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