A seagull on the quayside, at the colourful village of Tobermory, on Mull
A seagull on the quayside, at the colourful village of Tobermory, on Mull

10 fascinating facts about… Mull

August 20, 2019 / Kenny Smith /
August 20, 2019 |

The Isle of Mull is the second-largest island of the Inner Hebrides and lies off the west coast of Scotland.

It’s known all over the UK thanks to children’s TV series Balamory, but there’s far more to it than just that.

Here’s 10 fascinating facts about Mull.

Local folklore says a 1558 spell cast by Mull witch Doideag caused the explosion that sank a member of the Spanish Armada in Tobermory harbour.

Duart Castle was part of the dowry when Mary Macdonald married Lachlan Lubanach in 1350 after he kidnapped her father until he agreed to the marriage.

Mull is home to white-tailed eagles Skye and Frisa, made famous by Springwatch. They are internet stars as their @skyeandfrisa account has 5006 followers on Twitter.

St Columba landed on Iona in 563 after being exiled from Ireland. He built a monastery there for evangelising to the Picts.

A seagull on the quayside, at the colourful village of Tobermory, on Mull

Tobermory was built in 1788 as a planned settlement by the British Fisheries Society.

In Gaelic, Tobermory means ‘Mary’s well’ and refers to a well dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

A resident of Mull is called a Muileach. Plural is sometimes given as Muileachs but this is really a mix of Gaelic and English and the Gaelic plural is Muilich

Entrapment, Highlander: End Game and some of Harry Potter were filmed on Mull.

Mull Little Theatre’s last performance was in 2006. In 2008 Mull Theatre moved to a custom built venue in Druimfin near Tobermory. Mull Theatre and An Tobar, the arts organisation joined together a number of years ago forming an organisation called Comar.

The critically-acclaimed Scottish band Mull Historical Society took its name from a genealogical society on the island.

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