The Isle of Skye is to be officially renamed.
Boat owners planning a cruise ‘over the sea to Skye’ this summer may be disappointed because, from 3rd May, Skye will cease to exist. Highland Council has decided to replace the island’s anglicised name with the Gaelic name Eilean a’ Cheò, which translates as ‘island of mist’.
Government officials have been instructed to use the new official name only, but claim that English-speaking visitors will not find an impenetrable language barrier. However, as many of the island’s visitor moorings are maintained by Highland Council, skippers may find themselves having to deal with the unfamiliar name.
Although most islanders support the Gaelic renaming, many disagree with the choice. It should, they say, have been the more commonly used Eilean Sgitheanach (‘winged isle’), rather than the romantic version selected.