It's hard to imagine, looking at the little pier, but Eilean Iarmain (Gaelic for Isle Ornsay) was once the main port on the south of Skye. In the 19th Century, everything coming into the south of Skye came through here, from coal to the post, fresh fish to the news. People also arrived and, more significantly, departed from here, whether they were heading on short trips to Portree, Mallaig or Glasgow for work or to collect provisions, or to seek new lives abroad. In 1837, the William Nicol ship left here bound for Australia with 332 emigrants onboard. According to the Sleat Local History Society, many of those on board were forced to leave their homeland due to hardship and food shortages.
