Gometra

Gometra (Gòmastra) is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, lying west of Mull. It lies immediately west of Ulva, to which it is linked by a bridge, and at low tide also by a beach. It is approximately in size. The name is also applied to the island summit, which is a Marilyn. The island has been owned since 1991 by Roc Sandford, a wealthy environmental campaigner who lives mostly in London and part of the year on Gometra. According to Gillies (1906), Gometra is from the Norse gottr + madr + ey and means "The good-man's island" or "God-man's island". Mac an Tàilleir (2003) offers "Godmund's island". The Norse Goðrmaðray may also mean "warrior priest's island". The Gaelic Gu mòr traigh meaning "only at low tide" has been proposed as the meaning of the name, but may be an example of folk etymology. Mediaeval charters render the name "Gomedrach". Like much of nearby Mull and Ulva, Gometra is formed almost entirely from basalt lavas erupted during the early Palaeogene period. A couple of dykes are mapped cutting, and hence younger than, the basalt. In common with other such igneous intrusions assigned to the 'Mull Swarm', they are aligned northwest–southeast. Pipe-amygdales are present in some locations. The island is agricultural, formerly growing grain for the Iona Abbey. Once home to a population of over a hundred, it is now down to a tight-knit community of a handful of people, up to a thousand blackface sheep, highland cattle, pigs, horses, a flock of feral goats, and red deer. Historical sites on the island include settlements, a burial ground, and the remains of two duns. It has no ferry. One of the few services it does have is a weekly postal service; Gometra issues its own local carriage stamps. The island is part of the Loch Na Keal National Scenic Area, one of 40 in Scotland. The island became part of the Kingdom of the Isles, during the Norse era. Whereas nearby Ulva and Staffa belonged to the MacQuarries from the 10th century, Gometra became a possession of the Iona monastery prior to passing into the hands of the Duke of Argyll.