Kirkwaa
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Kirkwaa is the lairgest toun an caipital of the Orkney Islands, aff the north coast o Great Breetain. The toun is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recordit as the residence o Rögnvald Brusason the Earl o Orkney, who wis killed bi his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty. In 1486, King James III o Scotland elevatit Kirkwaa tae the status o ryal burgh; modren roadsigns still indicate "The City and Royal Burgh of Kirkwall".
 | The "Scots" that wis uised in this airticle wis written bi a body that haesna a guid grip on the leid. Please mak this airticle mair better gin ye can. |
Kirkwaa [1]
| |
|---|---|
.JPG) Kirkwall in August 2012 | |
| Population | 9,293 [5] |
| OS grid reference | HY449109 |
| Cooncil area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Kintra | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | Unitit Kinrick |
| Post toun | Kirkwall |
| Postcode destrict | KW15 |
| Diallin code | 01856 |
| Police | Scots |
| Fire | Scots |
| Ambulance | Scots |
| EU Pairlament | Scotland |
| UK Pairlament | |
| Scots Pairlament | |
The name Kirkwaa comae frae the Norse name Kirkjuvagr (Kirk Bay), which later chyngit tae Kirkvoe, Kirkwaa an Kirkwall.
Situatit on the northren coast o Mainland Orkney an wi a population o aboot 9,000, Kirkwall is a port wi ferry services tae Aiberdeen an Lerwick, as well as the principal north islands in the group. At the hert o the toun staunds St. Magnus Cathedral, which wis foondit in memory o Saunt Magnus Erlendsson, Yerl o Orkney 1108–1117 bi Yerl (later Saint) Rögnvald Kali. Next tae the Cathedral are the ruins o the umwhile Bishop's Palace an Earl's Palace. The toun haes twa museums, the lairger bein Tankerness House Museum, which conteens items o local historical interest athin ane o Scotland's best-preservit saxteent century toun-hooses. The prehistoric, Pictish an Viking collections are o internaitional importance. The ither museum is the Orkney Wireless Museum, dealin wi the history o radio an recordit soond.
Apairt frae the main historical biggins mentioned abuin, Kirkwall haes mony 17t–18t-century hooses an ither structurs in the local vernacular style. The 'Kirk' o Kirkwaa wis no the Cathedral (which wis oreeginally at Birsay), but the 11t-century kirk o Saunt Olaf o Norawa. Ane late medieval doorwey survives frae this kirk, an a aumbry frae the oreeginal kirk survives athin the late 19t Century structur o the present-day Saunt Olaf's Kirk (Episcopal) in the toun's Dundas Crescent. Kirkwaa forbye ance haed a medieval castle, which wis destroyed in the 17t century.
On the wast edge o the toun, surroondit bi Hatston Industrial Estate, is a prehistoric auncient monument, Grain Earth House (Historic Scotland), a short law stane-wawed passage deep unnergrund leadin tae a smaw pillared chamber. This is the fuirm o yird hoose or souterrain characteristic o the Northren Isles (awtho Grain is unuisually deep belaw grund). It wis oreeginally connectit tae a surface dwellin, which haes syne disappeared, an the oreeginal purpose o these Airn Age structurs remains unkent. Further wast towards Grimbister is the similar Rennibister Earth House.
Ane o the major annual events in the toun is the Ba Gemme, held each Christenmas Day an New Year's Day atween the Uppies an the Doonies, each team representin ane hauf o the toun. Kirkwall forbye haes the maist northerly o the warld's Carnegie libraries, which wis opened bi Andrew Carnegie an his wife in 1909. The biggin survives, awtho the librar itsel haes syne muivit tae a lairger biggin on Junction Road.
As wi the rest o Scotland, Kirkwall experiences a maritime climate wi ceul simmers, mild winters, aften strang winds, plentiful rainfaw, frequently owercast lift an spairse amunts o sunshine.
| Climate data for Kirkwall, 26m asl, 1981–2010, Extremes 1951– | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record heich °C (°F) | 12.2 (54.0) |
12.8 (55.0) |
18.9 (66.0) |
18.3 (64.9) |
22.0 (71.6) |
22.8 (73.0) |
25.6 (78.1) |
24.8 (76.6) |
22.8 (73.0) |
19.4 (66.9) |
14.5 (58.1) |
12.8 (55.0) |
25.6 (78.1) |
| Average heich °C (°F) | 6.4 (43.5) |
6.4 (43.5) |
7.6 (45.7) |
9.5 (49.1) |
12.0 (53.6) |
14.0 (57.2) |
15.9 (60.6) |
16.0 (60.8) |
14.1 (57.4) |
11.4 (52.5) |
8.6 (47.5) |
6.8 (44.2) |
10.7 (51.3) |
| Average law °C (°F) | 1.9 (35.4) |
1.7 (35.1) |
2.4 (36.3) |
3.8 (38.8) |
5.6 (42.1) |
8.1 (46.6) |
10.2 (50.4) |
10.3 (50.5) |
8.8 (47.8) |
6.7 (44.1) |
4.2 (39.6) |
2.3 (36.1) |
5.5 (41.9) |
| Record law °C (°F) | −7.8 (18.0) |
−7 (19) |
−6.8 (19.8) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
1.0 (33.8) |
3.4 (38.1) |
3.7 (38.7) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
| Average rainfaw mm (inches) | 109.7 (4.32) |
93.3 (3.67) |
95.7 (3.77) |
60.3 (2.37) |
48.0 (1.89) |
52.7 (2.07) |
57.4 (2.26) |
66.3 (2.61) |
95.3 (3.75) |
126.0 (4.96) |
126.0 (4.96) |
107.8 (4.24) |
1,038.5 (40.89) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 20.1 | 16.8 | 17.9 | 13.4 | 10.6 | 10.7 | 11.6 | 12.5 | 16.2 | 19.6 | 20.8 | 18.5 | 188.7 |
| Mean monthly sunshine oors | 32.2 | 59.3 | 98.2 | 136.8 | 190.0 | 148.6 | 132.2 | 129.7 | 105.3 | 75.8 | 40.1 | 24.5 | 1,172.4 |
| Source #1: Met Office[6] | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute/KMNI[7] | |||||||||||||
Kirkwaa wis a pairlamentar burgh, combined wi Dingwal, Dornach, Tain an Weik in the Northern Burghs constituency o the House o Commons o the Pairlament o Great Breetain frae 1708 tae 1801 an o the Pairlament o the Unitit Kinrick frae 1801 tae 1918. Cromarty wis addit tae the list in 1832. The constituency wis a destrict o burghs kent an aw as the Tain Burghs till 1832, an then as the Wick Burghs. It wis representit bi ane Member o Pairlament till 1918, when the constituency wis abolished an the Kirkwall component wis mergit intae the coonty constituency o Orkney and Shetland.
The Orkney Library and Archive is locatit in Kirkwall.
Media an the airts
The composer Peter Maxwell Davies wis amang a group which foondit the annual St Magnus International Festival which is centred on Kirkwaa each midsimmer.[8]
Kirkwall Harbour can be seen in The Highlands and Islands – A Royal Tour, a 1973 documentar aboot Prince Charles' visit tae the Hielands an Islands, directit bi Oscar Marzaroli.[9] Scots film-maker Margaret Tait wis born in Kirkwall, an mony o her films (in pairticular the Aspects Of Kirkwall series) are set thare.
The Simpsons character Groundskeeper Willie is said to be frae Kirkwaa.[10]
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