Merkinch (Gaelic: Marc-Innis) is an area of the city of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. One of the Inverness's oldest areas; it is in the north-west of the city, flanked by the Caledonian Canal to the west and the River Ness to the east. It has traditionally been known as a working-class area.Originally, Merkinch was home to Inverness's shipbuilding industry and the Kessock Ferry sailed across the Moray Firth from a pier in South Kessock, to the north of Merkinch.