Garynamonie, Na h-Eileanan Siar, Scotland, United Kingdom

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Garynamonie, South Uist, Scotland is part of the The Barraigh, Bhatarsaigh, Eirisgeigh agus Uibhist a Deas ward.

South Uist (Uibhist a Deas; Sooth Uist) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. The island, in common with the rest of the Hebrides, is one of the last remaining strongholds of the Gaelic language in Scotland. South Uist's inhabitants are known in Gaelic as Deasaich (Southerners). The population is about 90% Roman Catholic.

The island is home to a nature reserve and a number of sites of archaeological interest, including the only location in the British Isles where prehistoric mummies have been found. In the north-west, there is a missile testing range. In 2006 South Uist, together with neighbouring Benbecula and Eriskay, was involved in Scotland's biggest-ever community land buyout by Stòras Uibhist. The group also owns the "biggest community wind farm in Scotland", Lochcarnan, on South Uist which opened in 2013.

Geology In common with the rest of the Western Isles, South Uist is formed from the oldest rocks in Britain, Lewisian gneiss brought to the surface by old tectonic movements. They bear the scars of the last glaciation which has exposed many of them. The rocks had high-grade regional metamorphism around 2,900 million years ago: in the Archaean eon. Some show granulite facies metamorphism, but most have slightly cooler amphibolite facies. A number of metabasic bodies and metasediments occur locally in the gneiss.

On the east side of the island between Lochboisdale and Ornish – part of the Outer Hebrides Thrust Zone – is the Corodale gneiss, dominated by garnet-pyroxene rock. A narrow zone of pseudotachylyte occurs along its western margin with the regular gneiss. The Usinish peninsula is formed from ‘mashed gneiss’, within which the banding has mainly been destroyed. Between these two gneisses is a band of mylonite (as offshore on Stuley). Mashed gneiss occurs again in the extreme southeast. Small occurrences of Archaean granites are found in the centre of the island.

The island is traversed by many normal faults: E to W, to NNW to SSE, many being NW to SE. Numerous NW to SE dykes cut through the island: quartz-dolerite, camptonite and monchiquite dykes of Permo-Carboniferous age and later Palaeogene tholeiitic dykes. More recent geological deposits include blown sand along the northern and western coasts and peat inland along with some (glacial) till.

Geography Looking west to Nicolson's Leap. In the background are Gèideabhal, also known as Beinn Mhòr, on the left, and Hecla on the right.

The west is machair (fertile low-lying coastal plain) with a continuous sandy beach, whilst the east coast is mountainous with the peaks of Beinn Mhòr (Gèideabhal) at 620 metres (2,030 ft) and Hecla at 606 metres (1,988 ft). The island is linked to Eriskay and Benbecula by causeways.

The landscape is characterised by numerous lochs and lochans, the largest of which is Loch Bì.

The main village on the island is Lochboisdale (Loch Baghasdail), from which Caledonian MacBrayne operates ferries to Mallaig (Malaig) on the Scottish mainland (some sailings to Oban in winter when the only large vessel able to dock at Mallaig, MV Lord of the Isles, is covering elsewhere on the Calmac network for vessels in drydock, or in drydock herself). The company previously operated services to Castlebay (Bàgh a' Chaisteil) on Barra, however as of the 2016 fleet reshuffle these have been removed. There is a separate service to Ardmhòr (Barra) operating from Eriskay numerous times a day. (Smaller settlements include Daliburgh (Dalabrog), Howmore (Tobha Mòr) and Ludag (An Lùdag).

Economy Tourism is important to the island's economy and attractions include the Kildonan Museum, housing the 16th-century Clanranald Stone, and the ruins of the house where Flora MacDonald was born.

South Uist is home to the Askernish Golf Course. The oldest course in the Outer Hebrides, Askernish was designed by Old Tom Morris, who also worked on the Old Course at St Andrews. Morris was commissioned by Lady Gordon Cathcart in 1891. The Askernish course existed intact until the 1930s, but was partly destroyed to make way for an aircraft runway, then abandoned, and ultimately lost. Its identity remained hidden for many years before its apparent discovery, a claim disputed by some locals. Restoration of the course to Morris's original design was held up by disagreements with local crofters, but after legal challenges were resolved in the courts, the course opened in August 2008. The summer music school, Ceòlas, takes place every year from the first Sunday of July in Daliburgh School on the island. In 2019, it was estimated that the school contributed around £210,000 to the local economy. It is then followed by the local children's summer school, Fèis Tir a'Mhurain.

The Explore South Uist Web site discusses attractions to tourists: Loch Druidibeg a National Nature Reserve, the Cladh Hallan Roundhouses archaeological site, Ormacleit Castle (completed in 1708 and destroyed by fire in 1715), Uist Sculpture Trail "of seven commissioned works by artists", the Statue of Our Lady of the Isles, the Askernish Golf Course, Flora MacDonald's Monument, Kildonan Museum and Crafts and some Standing Stones. The community group owner of South Uist, the Stòras Uibhist, owns the Lochcarnan 6.9MW wind farm project which began operation in 2013. It is composed of three Enercon E-70 2.3MW turbines. In 2019, the operation required re-financing which was easily obtained. A spokesperson for Stòras Uibhist said that the wind farm is important because it "generates income we can reinvest back into the communities… to boost the economy, protect local crofting practices and generate employment opportunities".