The pointed top of modern cairn that sits on Carn na Faire can be seen on the skyline. The Gaelic name for this bay is Port na Righ… ‘Port of the King’. As far as I can establish there are only two other places in Scotland that bear this name, the modern Portree on Skye and a bay at Carradale, East Kintyre. Not an everyday name.
I found this immediately to the west, alongside the cairn – which is of an unusually large size. I believe this to be the true lookout point which affords shelter, unlike the exposed to the elements top of that cairn, whose Gaelic translation is ‘pile of stones watch point’. A watch point for where? Reckon I have found the answer to that downslope when fieldwalking. As of date of publication of this image fieldnotes and images are yet to be uploaded but local official bodies have already been informed. Perhaps I’ve found hidden in the vegetation the most important prehistoric site on the island… we’ll see…
The east side of the cairn on the skyline, top centre.
The modern embellishment echoes the Paps..
South. Modern cairn on top
The South side
At the northern extremity of the island, on the top of a hill, there is a circular heap of stones, called Carn-na-faire, or Watch Cairn, 53 feet diameter. It seems to have been a place of some strength, and intended, as the name implies, to give the alarm in case of an invasion, for it commands a very extensive view of the sea from S.W. by N. to S.E.
From volume 7 of the New Statistical Account of Scotland (1845).
In ancient times, the dead were buried in a cairn on this high vantage point. Islanders lit fires to send signals to passing vessels or kept lookout for friends or foes arriving by water. In 1615, on low ground to the south, the MacDonalds and Campbells of Calder clashed over ownership of the island, leaving behind a cannon ball and flints. Now the waters carry ferries to Islay and beyond.
From ‘Visit Gigha‘
