The Shiant Isles ( Scottish Gaelic : Na h-Eileanan Seunta) are an island group in the Minch, east of Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The main islands are Eilean Garbh and Eilean an Tighe, which were inhabited until 1901 and are actually joined by a narrow isthmus, and Eilean Mhuire. The islands are known for their dolerite columns, similar to those on Staffa, and for their population of seabirds, threatened only by fl rats.