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The village of Kyleakin (Scottish Gaelic: Caol Àcain) is situated on the east coast of the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides, along the strait of Kyle Akin opposite the northwest Scottish mainland town of Kyle of Lochalsh. It is located in the parish of Strath which was formerly in Inverness-shire, but is now in the Highland Council Area. Its name derives from 'Strait of Haakon' named after the King Haakon IV of Norway whose fleet moored there prior to the Battle of Largs in 1263 which ended Norwegian rule of the island. From 1841 to October 16, 1995 a ferry service operated from Kyleakin to the mainland across the narrow strait of Loch Alsh, until it was replaced by the controversial Skye Bridge. Initially a toll bridge, the tolls were discontinued in 2004 following protests by local people. In the early 19th century, Lord Macdonald conceived a grandiose plan for the development of Kyleakin, to be re-christened "New Liverpool". A contemporary print, intended to illustrate his plans, shows row upon row of tenement buildings but the project never came to fruition. For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Kyleakin. [edit] Notes for the Highland Council Area and the Western Isles Council AreaThe local archives are held by The Highland Archive Service which is based in Inverness with branches in Stornoway, Fort William and Caithness. It is "responsible for locating, preserving and making accessible archives relating to all aspects of the history of the geographical area of the Highlands." Family history societies and historical associations covering the Highland Council Area and the Western Isles Council Area are:
These associations publish their aims on their websites as well as a list of publications. In many cases the publications are also available through the Scottish Genealogy Society (see below).
[edit] Transcriptions of Gravestone Inscriptions
[edit] Sources for Emigration Records
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