Carloway

Carloway (Càrlabhagh) is a district on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides and a village situated on the west coast of the Island. The village has a population of around 200, but the district of Carloway, including the village has just over 500, leaving it the largest settlement between Ness and Leurbost on the main road.

Carloway is also fairly attractive for Tourism, with many buses going through everyday to see what there is - The Garenin Blackhouse Village or Doune Carloway Broch for example.

The village is proud to have a main hill called Beinn Iomhair (Ivy Hill in Scots Gaelic). The hill, which has a cairn on the top, celebrates the place where the village had two bonfires - one for the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897 and the coronation of her son Edward VII in 1902. On special occasions in Carloway, for example the local Agricultural show, New year or a royal visit, the Carloway Flag would be furling up on top of the hill beside the cairn.

The Carloway Bridge is said to be one of Scotland's oldest fly-overs, being built in the mid 19th century. The bridge goes over the Carloway River and the Pentland Road leading to the village's Pier and Harbour or to Stornoway the other way.

The district of Carloway (after the village of that name) which hitherto had fallen partly within the parishes of Lochs and Uig, became a separate civil registration district in 1859 .

The district is broken up into 8 townships - they are; Knock, Park, Doune, Upper Carloway, Garenin, Borrowston, Kirivig and Dail Mhor. The Estate starts from Callanish / Garynahine grid in Callanish and ends at the Bragar Cattle Grid, just leaving Shawbost towards Bragar .

Carloway has a few Historical sites. Some of the first ever fanks were built in Carloway due to popular demand. A pictish Broch in Doune and a Blackhouse Village in Garenin and many others, including a standing stone called "Clach Na Thursa in Upper Carloway, Carloway just on the slope below the upper carloway road.

There are a few quality services in the district that it boasts about. There's a post office, a police station, school, youth hostel, hotels, restaurants, a tweed mill for Harris Tweed, a pier, phone box, a community hall, churches, a football pitch, historical society, war memorial and more. Also plans for a petrol station, convenience store and Post Office is to be built in the Park area of Carloway.

The village has its own Agricultural show - which is on the first Wednesday of August each year. Last year the 54th Agricultural show took place and 3,000 people attended, more than last year's attendance. It is the longest running Agricultural show on the Island and officially the oldest since the Beinn-na-Driobh Agricultural show stopped in Stornoway. It is locally known as the island's "Premiere Show". The 55th Carloway Agricultural Show (Emerald Anniversary) will be held on the first Wednesday of August this year (2008).

There are three ways to get to the Main town of Stornoway from Carloway, two of which go via the Main road. The first way is the Main road northbound which takes you through Shawbost, Bragar and Barvas where the Main road will split one way to Stornoway and one way to Ness . The second way is by the Main road Southbound which will take you through Breasclete, Callanish and Leurbost which again will split one way to Stornoway and one way to Balallan and Tarbert, Harris. The third and most popular way for a person living in Carloway to get to town is the Pentland road, which will take you to Stornoway straight across the Island's Pentland Moor.

The village is proud to be in the Gaelic heartland and is very holy in the Christian Faith. It also has a football club named after the village and all the players come from Carloway all the way to Breinish.

The new Carloway district website has just been launched - http://www.carloway.com

Carloway Townships

• Borghastan - Borrowston
• Gearrannan - Garenin
• Cnoc - Knock
• Pairc - Park
• Mullach Charlabhaigh - Upper Carloway
• Dun Charlabhaigh - Doune Carloway
• Cirivig - Kirivick
• Dail Mhor - Dalmore

Streets of Carloway

• Heather Street
• Pentland Drive
• Uraghag
• Gead Gorm
• Pentland Road
• James Street
• The Passage
• Pier road
• Main road

Famous people from Carloway

• Lord Carloway (Colin John Maclean Sutherland) - One of Scotland's Top Judges
• Norrie "Tago" MacIver - member of Scottish band Bodega
• Christine Primrose - Singer
• Alex Macdonald - Convenor of the Western Isles and Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council)
• Donnie Macaulay - Chief Executive of the Western Isles Enterprise
• Donald "Cam" Macaulay - Hero and leader of the Clan Macaulay
• '''Angus MacInnes - actor of fictional character Sonny Munro in the Scottish soap River City
• John MacKay - Main News Reporter on Scotland today on STV
• Ronnie McKinnon - Ex Rangers, Scotland National Football Team and Carloway player - 1960s (twin brother of Partick Thistle player, Donnie McKinnon)
• Donnie McKinnon - Ex Partick Thistle Player (Twin Brother of Ex Rangers and Scotland player, Ronnie McKinnon)