Coordinates: 56°37′N 6°04′W / 56.62°N 6.07°W
| Tobermory | |
| Scottish Gaelic: Tobar Mhoire | |
 The colourful houses and buildings which line the harbour in Tobermory |
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  Tobermory
Tobermory shown within Scotland |
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| Population | 700 (approx.) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Council area | Argyll and Bute |
| Lieutenancy area | Argyll and Bute |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ISLE OF MULL |
| Postcode district | PA75 |
| Dialling code | 01688 |
| Police | Strathclyde |
| Fire | Strathclyde |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Argyll and Bute |
| Scottish Parliament | Argyll and Bute |
| List of places: UK • Scotland • | |
Tobermory (Scottish Gaelic: Tobar Mhoire) is the capital of, and the only burgh on, the Isle of Mull in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It is located in the northeastern part of the island, near the northern entrance of the Sound of Mull. With a current population of approximately 700, the town was founded as a fishing port in 1788, its layout based on the designs of Dumfriesshire engineer Thomas Telford.
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Etymology
The name Tobermory is derived from the Gaelic Tobar Mhoire, meaning "Mary's well".[1][2] The name refers to a well located nearby which was dedicated in ancient times to the Virgin Mary.[3]
History
In 1588, one of the ships returning to Spain as part of the retreating Spanish Armada, the San Juan de Sicilia[4], blew up and sank in what is now the town's harbour, local legend has it that this was the work of the witch Dòideag. During World War II, Tobermory was home to Royal Navy training base HMS Western Isles under the command of the legendary Commodore (later Vice Admiral) Sir Gilbert Stephenson. The so-called Terror of Tobermory's biography was written by broadcaster Richard Baker, who trained under him[5][6].
Geography
Many of the buildings on Main Street, predominantly shops and restaurants, are painted in assorted bright colours, making it a popular location for television programmes, such as children's show Balamory. The burgh boasts the Mull Museum, the Tobermory Scotch whisky distillery, the Isle of Mull Brewery, and An Tobar, an arts centre, while the Clock Tower on the harbour wall is a noted landmark.
71% of Tobermory residents were born in Scotland, 23% in England and 6% elsewhere.[7]
Tobermorite, a calcium silicate hydrate found near Tobermory in 1880 was named after the town.[citation needed]
Notable residents
Tobermory's many famous sons and daughters include Duncan MacGilp and Janet MacDonald, both past Gold Medal winners at Scotland's Royal National Mod. Three generations of the town's MacIntyre family have achieved eminence: Colin MacIntyre is a singer songwriter best known for his now-defunct band Mull Historical Society. Colin's brother is BBC Scotland Sport's Kenny MacIntyre, his late father, also called Kenny, was BBC Scotland Political Correspondent while his grandfather was the so-called Bard of Mull, poet Angus MacIntyre. The late accordionist Bobby McLeod lived in the town from his birth in 1925 until his death in 1991, and owned the Mishnish Hotel, which is still in the family.
Another Tobermory native was Donald McLean (1805-1864), who emigrated to Canada before he was twenty and became a fur trader and explorer for the Hudson's Bay Company in the New Caledonia and Columbia Department fur districts, rising to the position of Chief Trader at Thompson's River Post (Fort Kamloops) in the then-Colony of British Columbia. He was the last casualty of the Chilcotin War of 1864; his halfbreed sons were known as the Wild McLean Boys and were tried and hanged for murder.[8]
Annual events
The visit of the composer Felix Mendelssohn in 1829, en route to Staffa, is commemorated in the annual Mendelssohn on Mull Festival in early July.[9]. Other highlights of the town's calendar include an annual Traditional Music Festival held on the last weekend in April, the local Mòd, which takes place on the second Saturday in September and has established itself as one of the best local Mòds on the circuit, the Mull Fiddler's Rally also in September, and the traditional Mull Highland Games held every summer.
Literary associations
The fictional town of Torbay in Alistair MacLean's novel When Eight Bells Toll was based on Tobermory, and much of the 1971 movie was filmed in the town and other parts of Mull. The writer Saki gave the name to a talking cat in one of his most famous short stories and two well-loved children's TV series have made use of the town's name. Elizabeth Beresford called one of the Wombles Tobermory and, more recently, the town played host to its almost-namesake Balamory for 3 years (2002-2005). Other films made in the area include the 1945 Powell & Pressburger classic I Know Where I'm Going!, whose locations included the magnificent Western Isles Hotel.
Transport
Ferries sail between Tobermory and the mainland to Kilchoan on the peninsula of Ardnamurchan. In addition a new seaplane service, operated by Loch Lomond Seaplanes is due to start from Tobermory to Glasgow city centre's Seaplane Terminal in 2008.
References
- ^ "Guide to Gaelic origins of place names in Britain" (PDF format). Ordnance Survey. Nov 2005. http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/freefun/didyouknow/placenames/Gaelic_guide.pdf. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
- ^ "A Guide to the Meaning of Gaelic Distillery Names". 2003. http://www.peatfreak.com/art-distillery-names-pronunciation.php. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
- ^ Samuel Lewis (1846), Topographical Dictionary of Scotland: Tain - Tobermory pp. 526-46. From the Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 1 September 2006.
- ^ "British Archaeology Magazine - Guns of the Armada - Colin Martin". 2002. http://www.britarch.ac.uk/BA/ba64/feat1.shtml. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
- ^ Baker, Richard (1972). The Terror of Tobermory: Vice-Admiral Sir Gilbert Stephenson, KBE, CB, CMG. W.H. Allen. pp. 196. ISBN 978-1841581972.
- ^ Baker, Richard (2005). The Terror of Tobermory. Edinburgh: Birlinn. ISBN 978-1843410232. Paperback edition of the above biography of Vice Admiral Sir Gilbert Stephenson KBE CB CMG and history of HMS Western Isles
- ^ National Statistics online
- ^ Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online entry "Donald McLean"
- ^ "Mendelssohn on Mull Festival". http://www.mullfest.org.uk/index.html. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
External links
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