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Onich - at one time Ounich is a settlement on the east shore of Loch Linnhe, Scotland and, together with North Ballachulish at the entrance to Loch Leven, forms Nether Lochaber.

Onich is the sunniest place in the Scottish Highlands. However, this is no great claim to fame since the Scottish Highlands are the wettest part of Scotland

Nether Lochaber in Lochaber is the modern (1950s) name for the Parish of 'Ballachulish and Onich'. This Parish was formed, in 1911, out of the Quoad Sacra Parish of 'Ballachulish and Corran of Ardgour' which itself was formed, in 1829, out of the Parish of 'Kilmallie' when the Thomas Telford Parliamentary churches were built at Creag Mhor in (north) Ballachulish and at Ardgour.

The village of Ballachulish in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, is centred around former slate quarries. The name Ballachulish was more correctly applied to the area now called North Ballachulish, to the north of Loch Leven, but was usurped for the quarry villages at East Laroch and West Laroch, either side of the River Laroch, which were actually within Glencoe and South Ballachulish respectively.

The principal industry is now tourism, although most visitors pass swiftly by the village itself.

The name Ballachulish (in Gaelic, Baile a' Chaolais) means "the Village by the Narrows". The narrows in question is Caolas Mhic Phàdraig - Peter or Patrick's son's narrows, at the mouth of Loch Leven.

As there was no road to the head of Loch Leven, until it was built in 1927, the Ballachulish ferry, established in 1733, and those at Invercoe/Callert and Caolas na Con were essential. The Ballachulish ferry closed in December 1975 when the Ballachulish Bridge finally opened.

The Ballachulish Hotel (Tigh Craig)(Tigh means House), and Ballachulish House (now a country house hotel) are located near the narrows at (south) Ballachulish Ferry rather than in the 'modern' village some three miles east. Ballachulish House was reputed to be haunted, and the drive leading to it was ridden by a headless horseman.

The hamlet of Glenachulish (pronounced Glen-ah-choolish) lies in Gleann a'Chaolais, the glen that runs down to the narrows. This is the subject of the beautiful Gaelic song, Gleann Bhaile Chaoil written by John Cameron (1865-1951) and known locally as the Paisley Bard. He is often confused with another local bard also called John Cameron (1822-1898). Gleann a'Chaolais is ringed by Beinn a'Bheithir (pronounced Ben Vair), a massif which contains two munros - Sgorr Dhearg and Sgorr Dhonuill. Glenachulish originally consisted of a row of forestry houses. In recent years, a number of new houses have been built locally along with holiday chalets and an art gallery. In recent years, the fields of Gleann a'Chaolias have been turned into a 9-hole golf course.

Overlooking the narrows is the monument to James of the Glen, "hanged on this spot for a crime of which he was not guilty". Robert Louis Stevenson based his novel Kidnapped around the story of the Appin Murder. Whoever did kill the Red Fox (Campbell of Glenure) is still not known, but the story is a reminder that a people subject to unjust occupation and persecution, as the Jacobite Highlanders were, will sometimes resort to violence and rebellion.

Slate from the East Larroch quarries, established just two years after the infamous Glencoe Massacre of 1692, was used to provide the roofing slate for much of Edinburgh and Glasgow's skyline in the 18th century Victorian. It is of good quality but one weakness is the presence of Iron Pyrite in the rock. These crystals quickly rust away when exposed to the weather, leaving clean square holes and a brown rusty streak. Over 75% of the slate cut from the quarries was unusable as roof covering for this and other reasons. The quarries closed in 1955 however, tests have recently (2008/9) been carried out to see if it is feasable to extract slate from them again.

Between 1902 and 1905 the Ballachulish community was badly affected by two protracted conflicts in the slate quarries.