Township: Balephetrish

Map Reference: Balephetrish 22

Name Type: sliabh

Meaning: Applies to a piece of rough pasture ground where formerly stood some houses, OSNB (1874, 58)

See Circnis in Longships on the Sand.

Other Forms: Ardkirknish, Reeves 1854, 233-244, quoting Langland’s map
Ard Chircnis, 1878 OS 6inch 1st edition

Related Places: See Cladh Aird Chircnis and Cnoc nan Torraidhean.

Information:“East of Balephetrish hill is a gentle slope called Circnis and Ardcircnis...monastery founded by Findchan at Artchain which Adamnan mentions...in 565 AD.” Handbook to the Islands of Coll and Tiree, Hector MacDougall and Rev. Hector Cameron, Archibald Sinclair, p84.

There used to be a cemetery at Àird Chircnis. There was a murder there once. A man was coming home late after visiting a smithy. He had a coulter [a blade that cut into the soli ahead of the plough] and plough shoe in a sack over his shoulder. Another man thought he would play a trick on him and hide behind the cemetery wall to frighten him. When he jumped out on him the first man was so frightened that he pulled out the coulter and split his skull. The rocks there have been stained red ever since. Àird Chircnis was ploughed in the First World War for the war effort. Angus MacLean, Scarinish, 5/2009


The higher, green area of ground NE of the bend in the Balphetrish road. The site of an old burial ground - AMcL.

Local Form:

Languages : Norse, Gaelic

Informants: OS

Informant 2: Angus MacLean, Scarinish, 1/1994

Informant 3: W. Reeves, Ulster Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 2, 1854, p233-244, quoting Langlands' map.