Insh Island

{{Short description|Island in Argyll and Bute, Scotland}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox Scottish island

|official_name=Insh Island

|location_map=Scotland Argyll and Bute

|caption=Insh Island shown within Argyll and Bute

|coordinates = {{coord|56.311109|-5.672493|display=inline}}

|GridReference=NM729192

|Image=Insh Island.jpg

|celtic name=Innis

|norse name=

|meaning of name= island

|area= {{cvt|33|ha|acres}}[http://www.argyll-yachtcharters.co.uk/Scottish%20Islands.pdf Rick Livingstone’s Tables of the Islands of Scotland] (pdf) Argyll Yacht Charters. Retrieved 12 Dec 2011.

|area rank=

|highest elevation= {{cvt|69|m}}

|Population=0

|population rank=

|main settlement=

|island group=Slate Islands

|local authority=Argyll and Bute

|references=Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 78{{Ordnance Survey}}

}}

Insh Island ({{langx|gd|An Innis}}) or simply Insh is an uninhabited island west of the island of Seil in the Firth of Lorn, Scotland.

One of the Slate Islands, Insh Island lies a mile (1.5 km) northeast of Ellenabeich in Seil. It is separated from it by the Sound of Insh. The island rises to {{convert|69|m|ft|abbr=off}} and is {{convert|36|ha|acre|abbr=off}} in area. A previous owner, David Brearley lived in a cave at the north end of the island between 1973 and 2003. It was "Eilean nan Caorach" on the 1875 OS maps, which was thought to have been an error, with its correct name being "Inis-Capul".{{cite web| url=http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst1520.html | title=Insh Island| publisher=Gazetteer for Scotland| access-date=14 November 2009}} It is now on OS maps as "Insh Island".{{cite web|url=http://data.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/doc/50kGazetteer/125679|title=Insh Island|publisher=Ordnance Survey|access-date=20 November 2018}} Insh was previously known as Sheep Island.{{sfnp|Baird|1995|p=117}}

The name is tautologous. The Gaelic An Innis means simply "The Island" and the derived English language name thus means "The Island Island."Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 65{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.scot/Gaelic/placenamesF-J.pdf|title=Placenames F-J|publisher=Scottish Parliament|access-date=1 January 2021|archive-date=16 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116011532/http://www.parliament.scot/Gaelic/placenamesF-J.pdf|url-status=dead}}

The {{cvt|49.3|m|ft|0}} long wooden sailing ship Norval ran aground in fog near the southern tip of Insh on 20 September 1870. The wreckage was still visible in 1995.{{sfnp|Baird|1995|p=117}}

The Northern sea fan (Swiftia pallida) is found in the waters off Insh Island.{{cite web| url=http://www.seasearch.co.uk/downloads/insh%20seafans.pdf| title=The Insh Island Sea Fans| publisher=Northern Sea Fan Project| format=PDF| access-date=13 November 2009}}