Merkinch

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Merkinch is a long-standing neighbourhood in the city of Inverness, in the Scottish Highlands. Its Gaelic name, Marc-Innis, means “The Horse Island.” Once it was an island separated from the rest of Inverness by a small river called The Aban and a sea loch called Loch Nabon. Today it sits in the city’s north-west, between the Caledonian Canal to the west and the River Ness to the east.

Historically, Merkinch was linked to shipbuilding, fishing, farming and milling. It has been a working-class area that faced deindustrialisation over time. Notable places include Grant Street Park (home to Clachnacuddin football club), Merkinch Primary School (one of Inverness’s oldest), the Carnarc Point nature reserve and the old Thornbush brewery site.

In 2020, a Scottish index of deprivation ranked Merkinch as the 8th most deprived area in Scotland, but residents point to a strong community spirit.

Merkinch kept Inverness’s local Gaelic dialect longer than many parts of the city, with older residents still speaking Invernesian Gaelic into the 1960s.

The area is mentioned in historical records from 1232, when it was granted to Inverness by royal charter and was described as farmland on what had been an island. Today the Caledonian Canal sits where the old river once flowed.

In 1846, during the Highland Potato Famine, protests in Merkinch and nearby Muirtown grew over rising potato prices; a 12-year-old drummer, John Fraser, led a march. The unrest spread, and soldiers were called in.

Before World War II, Merkinch was home to shipbuilding, and a ferry linked the area across to South Kessock. Distilleries operated in the area as well. Today, industry remains at the Carse Industrial Estate and the Telford Retail Park.