Merkinch

Merkinch (from the Scottish Gaelic: Marc-Innis, meaning "The Horse Island") is an area of the city of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. Originally an island separated from the rest of the city by a small river to the south known as The Aban (An t-Àban) as well as a sea loch known as Loch Nabon (Loch an Àbain) to the west, it is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Inverness.

Sometimes referred to by its poetic name Balhulish or Baile Chaolais (Town of the Sea Narrow) in the past, it is situated in the city's north-west, flanked by the Caledonian Canal to its west and the River Ness to its east. Historically associated with industries such as shipbuilding, fishing, horticulture and various forms of milling, it is a traditionally working-class area of the city which has felt the effects of deindustrialisation.

Grant Street Park, home to Clachnacuddin Football Club, and Merkinch Primary School (one of the oldest schools in the city) are noted landmarks, alongside the local nature reserve, Carnarc Point and the former brewery of Thornbush (Preas a' Bhealaidh).

In February 2020, Merkinch was ranked as the 8th most deprived area in Scotland in a report by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). Despite this, residents were quick to defend Merkinch, noting in particular the strong sense of community associated with the area.

Notably, Merkinch was one of the last areas in Inverness to retain the city's own dialect of Scottish Gaelic, with many elderly residents retaining knowledge of Invernesian Gaelic until the 1960s.