Tong, Lewis

Tong Scottish Gaelic:Tunga
Tong School
Tong Location within theOuter Hebrides
Population	527 (2001)
Language	Scottish Gaelic English
OS grid reference	NB448365
Civil parish	Stornoway
Council area	Na h-Eileanan Siar
Lieutenancy area	Western Isles
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ISLE OF LEWIS
Postcode district	HS2
Dialling code	01851
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Na h-Eileanan an Iar
Scottish Parliament	Na h-Eileanan an Iar

Tong(Scottish Gaelic:TungafromOld Norse:Tunga) is a village on theIsle of Lewis,Scotland, 4 miles (6 kilometres) northeast of the main town ofStornowayon theB895 roadtoBackandTolsta.The population of the village is 527 (2001 census). Fishing forms part of the local economy.

The mainland of Scotland is 40 nautical miles (75 kilometres) away via a two-hour ferry ride.

History

Until the 13th century, Lewis – and Tong with it – was part ofNorway.Fishing, farming and weaving made up Tong's economy by the 1800s.Later in the century, landlords throughout much of Lewisousted their tenantsto install sheep farms anddeer forests,industries which used huge swathes of land with few farmers.Many families moved to Tong, causing "horrific overcrowding."Scottish historianJames Hunterquotes a mainland land manager's 1828 description: “It is worse than anything I ever saw in Donegal [in Ireland] where I always considered human wretchedness to have reached its very acme.”

Between 1919 and 1921, Tong, along with nearbyCollandGress,was the scene of severalland raids.(See theColl, Lewisarticle for more).

During the land raids, men raided estates with absentee landlords by planting crops and marking out farms on land used for sheep herding. Tong in particular was considered particularly radical;John Maclean,a Scottish socialist, who visited the area afterWorld War I,"saw it as a" hotbed of insurrection "during a visit afterWorld War I,and even through the 1990s, Tong’s residents were called "Bolshiveeks" by aStornowayslang dictionary.

Tong's economy struggled in the early 1900s – crops were failing, the herring industry lost its main clients due to AmericanProhibitionand theRussian Revolution,the1918 flu epidemickilled many, and World War I killed thousands more of Hebridean men and the government failed to keep its promises of land for the survivors, pulverizing the summer social seasons where young people found their future spouses over putting the sheep out to graze. Though emigration was long a trend on Lewis, all these factors increased the rate significantly.

Circa 2016, Tong received much attention due to the candidacy ofU.S. PresidentDonald Trump,whose mother was born in Tong. The land nearby is described as flat and marshy with fields of peat, with fishing and sheep farming still parts of the local economy.

Facilities

The village has a community centre with a football pitch and a primary school. Its religious establishments include aFree Church of Scotlandmission house and aScottish Episcopal Churchmeeting house. On 6 August 2014 The Tong Shop (Bùth Thunga) opened in the former Episcopal Church building. The shop is open from Monday to Saturday and it sells a range of essentials such as milk and bread, as well as local produce such as vegetables andStornoway black pudding.

Culture and sport

Every July theLewis Highland GamesandWestern Isles Strongest manare held at the community centre with heavy events such astossing the caber,Highland dancing,bagpipecompetitions and other attractions taking place on the football pitch. The Lewis Highland Games have been held at Tong since 1977 and is the second oldest Games on the isle of Lewis. The local football club isTong FC.

Notable people

• Sìne NicFhionnlaigh, who composed the song "Fear a' bhàta",lived in Tong in the 1800s
• Mary Anne MacLeod,mother of formerU.S. PresidentDonald Trump,was born in Tong
• Alasdair White,fiddler with theBattlefield Band,was born in Tong

Gallery

• 
  Fàilte gu Tunga (entering Tong from direction of Coll)
• 
  View towardsPoint(An Rubha),Broadbay(Loch a Tuath) andStornoway Airport(Port-adhair Steòrnabhagh)
• 
  Tong football pitch and community centre
• 
  Tong Community Centre
• 
  Main Road looking towards Coll
• 
  Towards Coll
• 
  Towards the crossroads
• 
  Into the village (Point across the bay in the background)

External links

• Tong Primary School
• Visitor's guide for the Isle of Lewis
• Websiteof theWestern Isles Councilwith links to other resources
• Disabled access to Lewis for residents and visitors