View source for Egilsay

{{Short description|One of the Orkney Islands in Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox Scottish island |
| Image=St Magnus Church.jpg
| ImageCaption=Egilsay from [[Rousay]] with St Magnus Church on the skyline
| location_map=Scotland Orkney
| caption=Egilsay shown within Orkney
| coordinates = {{coord|59.15|-2.916|display=inline}}
| GridReference=HY470301
| celtic name=?Eaglais (see meaning)
| scots name=Egilsay
| norse name=Egilsey<ref name="Anderson, Joseph 1893">{{Orkneyinga}}</ref>
| meaning of name=Disputed – either Norse "Egil's island" or Norse "ey" + Celtic "eaglais" – "Church island"
| area=  {{convert|650|ha|acre}}
| area rank= 67
| highest elevation=  {{convert|35|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| Population=26<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/media/oksbv0u5/rel1c2sb.pdf |page=12 |title=National Records of Scotland: Statistical Bulletin |accessdate=2022-01-29 |date=2013-08-15}}</ref>
| population density =4/km<sup>2</sup>
| population rank=62
| main settlement=Skaill
| island group=[[Orkney Islands]]
| local authority=[[Orkney]]
| references=<ref name="Smith">Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh. Canongate.</ref>
www.aroundrousay.co.uk/egilsay.shtml
}}

'''Egilsay''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɛ|g|ɪ|l|s|iː}}, {{langx|sco|Egilsay}}) is one of the [[Orkney Islands]] in [[Scotland]], lying east of [[Rousay]]. The anglicized name of '''Eagleshay''' was used in past centuries. The island is largely farmland and is known for [[St Magnus Church, Egilsay|St Magnus Church]], dedicated or re-dedicated to [[Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney|Saint Magnus]], who was killed on the island in 1117 by an axe blow to the head. For hundreds of years the story of St Magnus, part of the [[Orkneyinga saga]], was considered just a legend until a skull with a large crack in it, such as it had been stricken by an axe, was found in the walls of [[St Magnus Cathedral]] in Kirkwall.

== Etymology ==
Unusually for the [[Northern Isles]], it has been suggested that Egilsay may have a partly Gaelic name.<ref name="Anderson, Joseph 1893" /><ref name="Smith" /> While at first sight, it appears to be Egil's island, "Egil" being a Norse personal name, the Gaelic ''eaglais'' (Celtic "eccles") meaning church, may be part of the root, as the island is dominated by a church of pre-Norse foundation. The island of [[Kili Holm]] just to the north, may represent ''cille'', a monastic cell.

== Present day ==
The island's population was 26 as recorded by the [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 census]]<ref name="NRS">{{NRS1C}}</ref> a drop of almost a third since 2001 when there were 37 usual residents.<ref>{{GRO10}}</ref> During the same period, [[List of Scottish islands|Scottish island]] populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23711202 "Scotland's 2011 census: Island living on the rise"]. BBC News. Retrieved 18 August 2013.</ref>

[[Orkney Ferries]] sail from the island to [[Tingwall, Orkney|Tingwall]] on the [[Orkney Mainland]] via [[Wyre, Orkney|Wyre]] and Rousay.

== See also ==
* [[Sir Alexander Douglas of Eagleshay]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Egilsay, Orkney Islands|Egilsay}}
* [http://www.aroundrousay.co.uk/egilsay.shtml Information on the island of Egilsay]

{{North West Orkney}}
{{Orkney Islands}}
{{Islands of Scotland}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|59|09|N|2|55|W|type:isle|display=title}}

[[Category:Islands of the Orkney Islands]]