Shillay (Scottish Gaelic: Siolaigh) is an uninhabited island which lies 2 km north of Pabbay in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

Shillay
Scottish Gaelic nameSiolaigh
Old Norse nameselr-øy
Meaning of nameseal island
Location
Shillay is located in Outer Hebrides
Shillay
Shillay
Shillay shown within the Outer Hebrides
OS grid referenceNF880913
Coordinates57°48′N 7°15′W / 57.80°N 7.25°W / 57.80; -7.25
Physical geography
Island groupLewis and Harris
Area47 ha (116 acres)
Area rank208 [1]
Highest elevation79 m (259 ft)
Administration
Council areaNa h-Eileanan Siar
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Demographics
Population0[2]
Lymphad
References[3][4]

The name is derived from the Norse selr-øy meaning seal island and is a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve owing to its international importance for breeding grey seals.

There is no record or evidence that it has ever seen human habitation.

Footnotes

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  1. ^ Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
  2. ^ National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  3. ^ Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
  4. ^ Ordnance Survey. OS Maps Online (Map). 1:25,000. Leisure.

57°48′08″N 7°15′15″W / 57.80220°N 7.25415°W / 57.80220; -7.25415