Contact: Joan Morrison Iomairt Nis

Tel: 01851810244 or 01851810800

Email: lvda@supanet.com

Heritage and Culture

Ness is rich in cultural and natural heritage, from prehistoric times, to the time of the Vikings and up to the present.  For example, the Morrisons of Lewis established a fortress named Dun Eistein off Knockaird, giving rise to ten generations of hereditary brieves (experts in law) which held sway over the outer Hebridean islands. This branch of the family vanished from the pages of recorded history from 1616.

Ness was known about a century ago as a sea fishing community, with hundreds of men and women employed in great line fishing.  With the fishing grounds being as much as forty miles out to sea, hunting for prize species like halibut, fishing was a precarious activity for the fishermen, resulting in many tragic drownings.  These events have left a cultural heritage of poetry and song, many about the association of the people with their environment.

Photo Gallery