Latest News
BOOK TRUST EXPANDS ITS ROLE IN SKYE AND UIST
The Islands Book Trust, a voluntary body based in Lewis whose aim is to widen appreciation of the history of Scottish islands through talks, conferences, visits, publications, education, and research, has recently taken some significant steps to extend and deepen its activities in other Hebridean islands:
- The Book Trust has acquired the publications of Maclean Press, the Skye-based publisher, many of which deal with aspects of the history of Scottish islands.
- Four Trustees of the Book Trust are now also Directors of the Uist Building Preservation Trust, which owns Nunton Steadings in Benbecula, where many Book Trust events are already held.
Commenting on the new developments, the Book Trust’s chairman John Randall said:
‘ I am very pleased that these initiatives will reinforce what we are already doing, in conjunction with others who share our aims, to further understanding and appreciation of the history of Hebridean islands in their wider context. We have already held events in all the main islands of the Outer Hebrides, and in Skye, and have a full programme arranged for 2008.
The Maclean Press titles include some wonderful books, for example Mary Harman’s classic account of St Kilda, and the extracts from George Clayton Atkinson’s account of his expeditions to St Kilda and other parts of the Hebrides in the 1830s, which complement our own range of books. We will be offering these and other titles at greatly reduced prices on our website. There is also a very strong Skye flavour to the Maclean Press books, which fits in well with our interest in encouraging comparative research on the history of islands – for example, our forthcoming conference in Staffin, Skye, from 9-10 May on ‘Island Industries’ which will be looking at experience of industrial development on both sides of the Minch.
Nunton Steadings has already proved an excellent venue for our talks and conferences, and I am delighted that our role here will now be strengthened, not least through Alasdair MacEachen, one of our Trustees, taking over as chairman of Uist Building Preservation Trust. The new Trustees have a number of ideas about the future use of Nunton to complement in appropriate ways what is already being done to highlight the cultural heritage of the islands in this historic and beautiful building.’
Support for the Maclean Press move has been expressed by Cailean Maclean, the well-known photographer and writer based in Skye, who was himself closely involved with the Press. He said:
‘As a founder member of Maclean Press, whose purpose from the outset was to produce books and other material relating to the islands, I am delighted that the organisation is now in the hands of The Islands Book Trust. With the Trust’s enthusiasm and wealth of experience, I am sure that the enterprise will prosper and make a valuable contribution to the appreciation of and understanding of our islands.’
Alasdair MacEachen, the new chairman of UBPT, has also welcomed the changes, saying:
‘I look forward very much to the Book Trust’s increased involvement with the good work already being undertaken at Nunton Steadings. I think that this new collaboration will benefit both Trusts as they strive to increase the range of interests in local history and culture, for island residents and visitors alike.’
For full details of the Book Trust programme for 2008, including the Staffin conference and events at Nunton Steadings, and Book Trust publications including the new Maclean Press titles now available at specially reduced prices, see www.theislandsbooktrust.com Further information is available from John Randall on 01851 880365, or the Book Trust’s Development Officer Alayne Barton on 01851 820946.
2008 EVENTS EXTRAVAGANZA FROM THE ISLANDS BOOK TRUST
The Islands Book Trust programme of events for 2008, just announced, is more than simply ‘bigger and better than ever before’ – it is a veritable extravaganza of over 20 talks, conferences, and visits to islands which should have something for everyone interested in the history of the Hebrides and further afield.
Some of the highlights are:
- The well-known broadcaster Sally Magnusson talking about her Icelandic and Hebridean ancestry at An Lanntair in April.
- A major 3-day conference on the Hebridean Contribution to UK Military History at Shawbost in August, taking in the raising of the regiments, the First World War and Iolaire disaster, and Second World War.
- A full programme of events in Uist and Barra, including a 2-day conference to mark the 50th anniversary of the completion of ‘Operation Hardrock’, the establishment of a military base on St Kilda, followed by a visit to St Kilda.
- Boat trips to the Monach Islands, Taransay, some of the Loch Roag islands, and Pabbay (Harris), as well as that ever-popular destination the Shiants.
- A 2-day event in Skye in May about Industry in Skye and the Outer Hebrides.
Introducing the programme, Book Trust Chairman John Randall said:
‘We have tried to get a good blend of speakers from the islands and from the outside, from local communities and from the academic world. The subjects under discussion range from early Christianity in Ness to the Lewis Chemical Works. We have also aimed to combine old favourites, like visiting the spectacular Shiant Islands, with something new – and this year we hope to reach St Kilda, and the Monachs. We have particularly expanded our programme of events in Uist, and are holding another conference in Skye. Our events are open to everyone, but we would encourage as many people as possible to join the Book Trust – this entitles you to reductions at events, and also brings you a regular newsletter with full details and reports on all our events, publications, and other activities. We are not a learned society, but an inclusive organisation where everyone interested in the history of the islands will find a warm welcome.’
The 2008 programme kicks off in style at An Lanntair, Stornoway, on 22 January, when Peter Cunningham will give a showing of the late ‘Dolly Doctor’s unique historic slides of the Outer Hebrides. This will be followed in Tarbert on 20 February by an illustrated talk about some well-known Highland Naturalists given by John Love – who himself qualifies to be included within his title. And a few days later on 23 February Alasdair MacEachen launches the Uist and Barra programme with an illustrated talk on Irish Islands at Nunton Steadings, Benbecula.
December 2008
Brain
Wilson presented the 4th Angus Macleod Memorial
Lecture to a full house at Pairc School.
A publication of the event is available here
Below
John Randall opens the proceedings.
 
THE
FRENCH MACDONALD - ECHOES OF JACOBITE AND NAPOLEONIC
LINKS WITH THE HEBRIDES
Launched at Faclan (The Hebridean Book Festival)
on 1st September
2007
When
Frenchman Jean-Didier Hache bought on impulse
a 'MacDonald print' in a Paris auction in the
1970s, he had no idea what fate lay ahead: the
beginning of close personal links with a remote
part of the Outer Hebrides which would last a
lifetime, and the unfolding of a dramatic story
going back over 250 years which will forever bind
together the history of Scotland and France. The
culmination of this heady blend of personal coincidence
and national destiny is the publication by The
Islands Book Trust on 1 September at Faclan (the
Hebridean Book Festival) of 'The French MacDonald
- Journey of a Marshal of Napoleon in the Highlands
and Islands of Scotland', a truly extraordinary
story:
•
It
is based on the previously unpublished travel
diary in 1825 of Marshal MacDonald to Uist and
other parts of Scotland to see the birth-place
of his father Neil MacEachen and meet some of
his MacDonald/MacEachen relatives.
•
In
doing so, the Marshal was remembering, in a
very different era, the exploits of Neil MacEachen
and Prince Charles Edward Stuart in 1746, when
Neil played the major role in hiding and protecting
the Prince after Culloden.
•
Born
in France , where his father lived after the
failure of the '45, his son Jacques Etienne
Joseph Alexandre MacDonald, achieved a meteoric
rise to power in military and political circles,
a Marshal of Napoleon during the latter's supremacy
but also eventually negotiating Napoleon's abdication.
•
As
a retired elder statesman, the Marshal (who
spoke little English and no Gaelic) visited
Scotland with the assistance of the British
Government, meeting people like Sir Walter Scott,
and eventually setting foot in the land of the
MacDonalds, including Howbeg where his father
was born, and the cave at Corrodale where his
father and the Prince had hidden all those years
before.
•
Only
a few years ago, the Marshal's travel diary,
not written with a view to publication and containing
many frank comments about the Scotland of his
time and the people he met, was discovered in
the French National Archives in Paris by Jean-Didier
Hache , a Frenchman who has been associated
with Benbecula for over thirty years.
Jean-Didier
Hache has translated the Scottish part of the
Marshal's travel diary into English for this publication.
Alongside it appear commentaries on the French
and Scottish backgrounds to the Marshal and his
visit by Jean-Didier Hache and Domhnall Uilleam
Stiubhart of Edinburgh University , with some
beautiful colour illustrations. Jean-Didier visited
many of the locations while working on Caledonia
TV's film 'Dòmhnallaich na Frainge' for
BBC Scotland and the Gaelic Media Service.
This
new publication is important on many different
levels - as a valuable record of Scotland and
particularly the Highlands and Islands at a time
of rapid economic and social change, and as a
fascinating footnote to the momentous events of
Jacobite and Napoleonic history. The book will
be available from 1 September price £10
(plus P and P if applicable).Further details can
be obtained from Alayne Barton of The Islands
Book Trust on 01851 820946, email alayne@theislandsbooktrust.com
The
Islands Book Trust Programme for 2007; bigger
and more varied than ever before..
The
Islands Book Trust is pleased to announce its
exciting new programme of events for 2007. Bigger
and more diverse than ever, we believe that there
is something of interest for everyone.
The
first part of the year features talks by Lesley
Riddoch and Sandy Matheson, and we are delighted
that such well known personalities, each with
their own individual perspective on the history
of the islands, have agreed to speak for us. There
will also be a talk on Tristan da Cunha , given
by Paul Tyler, who has recently lived there, which
promises to be fascinating.
May
sees our first ever event on Skye - a two day
conference at Sabhal Mor Ostaig on links between
Skye and the Outer Hebrides - and also the start
of our summer boat trips, the first outing being
to Taransay. Later in the summer we will be running
another of our enormously popular trips to the
Shiants with Adam Nicholson, and having a second
attempt at reaching Pabbay and Mingulay, bad weather
having prevented it this year. In July, Finlay
Macleod will talk about the Norse kilns and mills
of Lewis, and this will include a visit to the
Norse mill at Shawbost.
The
Islands Book Trust's biggest event of the year
is a three day conference in Tarbert, Harris,
in August. This year's subject is the history
of whaling in relation to the Hebrides and the
North Atlantic - taking in memories of islanders
who travelled on whaling expeditions to places
such as South Georgia . We hope to have speakers
from a range of places, including Shetland, the
Faroes and Norway . August also sees the return
of Faclan, the Hebridean Book Festival, which
we are delighted to sponsor.
In
the autumn, there is what promises to be a fascinating
insight by David Jones into the wildlife changes
in Lewis and Harris, based on evidence from estate
game books, and of course, the fourth Angus Macleod
memorial lecture, which will be given this year
by Brian Wilson. In addition, there will be a
programme of events in Benbecula to mark the 50
th anniversary of the setting up of the military
establishment on St Kilda.
So
don't sit at home getting depressed in the dark,
cold new year - come to an Islands Book Trust
event instead. You never know what you might learn!
See
the 2007 programme
here
ANGUS
MACLEOD LECTURE DRAWS THE CROWDS
A
wonderful evening! I wouldn't have missed it for
the world! These were typical reactions from the
crowd of some 150 people from all over the island
(and one from Somerset!) who packed Pairc school
in Gravir last Tuesday 24 October for the third
annual Angus Macleod memorial lecture.
The main speaker this year was Bill
Lawson, the well-known historian and genealogist,
who spoke on the controversial subject :The Clearances
in Lewis: Truth or Myth?' There were also short
contributions from Alex MacDonald, Convener of
the Comhairle, Donnie Morrison, Chairman of Comunn
na Pairc, and the Reverend Iain T Campbell, Minister
of Pairc Free Church. The meeting was chaired
by John Randall of The Islands Book Trust.
Bill
Lawson argued, backed up with documentary evidence,
that Clearance, in the sense of the eviction of
a whole settlement, affected a relatively small
number of families in Lewis (mainly in the Pairc
and Uig areas) compared with other parts of the
Western Isles and many other parts of the Highlands.
The main period of Clearance was under the Seaforth
MacKenzies rather than the Mathesons. Also, a
substantial proportion of those cleared in Lewis
re-settled in other parts of the island rather
than having to move away.
The
truth of this was indicated in dramatic fashion
by a population graph showing the population of
Lewis continuing to grow rapidly throughout the
19 th century, while the population of Uist and
Harris (like many other areas of the Highlands)
peaked in 1841. Bill emphasised that, while documents
from the estates had to be treated with caution,
so too did oral history and the evidence given
to the Napier Commission on 1883. Myths could
easily arise and be perpetuated, for example the
often repeated, but historically untrue, assertion
that the Bays of Harris were populated mainly
by people evicted from the west coast of Harris.
He suggested that the reason the Clearances figured
so prominently in Lewis memory and folklore might
paradoxically be that more of the families affected
remained here, and they and their descendants
could see the former settlements, sometimes on
a daily basis.
In
introducing the lecture, John Randall said that
he liked to think Angus Macleod would have approved
of the occasion even if he would not have agreed
with everything that was said. Angus was a man
of forthright views, fond of argument and discussion,
and never one to avoid controversy. It was only
by hearing alternative views, and being prepared
to listen to new evidence, that learning and understanding
was advanced. There was general agreement that
the whole evening, rounded off by the singing
of a psalm in Gaelic precented by Murdo Macleod
of Garyvard, was a fitting tribute to a great
man. Angus 'Ease' Macleod was born in Calbost,
South Lochs in 1916 and died in Marybank on 25
October 2002. An illustrated booklet based on
Bill Lawson's talk is available priced £5
from the Angus Macleod Archive, Ravenspoint Centre,
Kershader, South Lochs (telephone 01851 880737).
September
2006
REPORT
ON ALEXANDER CARMICHAEL CONFERENCE - by RONNIE
BLACK
(This
report first appeared in the West Highland Free
Press, and we reproduce it here with the kind
permission of Ronnie Black and the WHFP)
"THE
LIFE and Legacy of Alexander Carmichael", a conference
held in Benbecula from 22 to 25 July, was a huge
success. That was the clear verdict of the participants.
Personally I'd add that it's the most enjoyable
academic conference I've ever attended. And I've
been at quite a few over the past forty years.
It
was organised by the Lewis-based Islands Book
Trust (Urras Leabhraichean nan Eilean) and held
in various locations - the Dark Island Hotel,
Sgoil Lìonacleit and Nunton Steadings,
with an inspiring ecumenical service at Griminish
Church of Scotland on the Sunday. Canon Angus
John MacQueen caught the mood and spirit of the
conference exactly when he recalled in his homily
how "The Genealogy of Bride" would be recited
by his father as the family gathered around the
table every St Bride's Day, 1st February, as a
blessing upon the work of the year to come.
"The
Genealogy of Bride" is a typical example of the
Gaelic prayers, charms and incantations that form
the most celebrated part of Alexander Carmichael's
legacy. Carmichael (1832-1912) was born in the
island of Lismore in Argyll, became an exciseman
or "gauger", and made good use of the years he
spent in Uist to lay down the basis of one of
the most extensive personal collections of folklore
ever created. He subsequently ranged the Highlands
and Islands from end to end in search not only
of prayers, charms and incantations but also of
songs, stories and information of all kinds about
the history, traditions, material culture and
archaeology of the Highland people.
Carmichael
published the cream of his collection in two magnificent
volumes of "Carmina Gadelica" in 1900. Four more
followed after his death, and much remains unpublished
in the Carmichael-Watson collection of papers
in Edinburgh University Library.
The
reason why the conference was so successful, and
why I enjoyed it so much, was that the Islands
Book Trust (John Randall, with the help of Alasdair
MacEachen) had taken the trouble to make sure
that the communities from which Carmichael had
gathered his materials were there in the flesh,
represented by the descendants of some of the
people named as informants in "Carmina", and by
others who could speak for them and about them.
So, in addition to the voices of a pretty impressive
band of visiting writers and academics, those
of Calum Laing, Peter Morrison, Angus MacMillan
and Norman Johnson were often heard from the floor,
while Calum MacNeil spoke with enormous authority
on Carmichael's informants in Barra, and Donald
Black (a fluent Gaelic speaker from Lismore) gave
a fascinating paper on the great collector's slightly
ambivalent relationship with his native island.
Carmichael
was stationed in Uist from 1865 to 1882. He lived
variously at Lochmaddy, Trumisgarry Manse, Creagorry
and Scolpaig House, but his excise "beat" covered
the entire area from South Harris to Barra Head.
In his introductory lecture, Dr Dòmhnall
Uilleam Stiùbhart ( Edinburgh University
and Sabhal Mór Ostaig) concentrated mainly
on these years and on the extraordinary range
of Carmichael 's interests. "A protean, many-sided
figure and an intriguing, complex man, his folklore
collection is more complete than any other. Whoever
we are, he speaks to us."
Dòmhnall
Uilleam has been immersing himself in Carmichael's
papers as part of an Edinburgh University project
aimed at producing a searchable digital catalogue
of this wonderful resource. As a result, his paper
was full of unexpected insights. Like the story
about a visit to Grimsay on excise duty which
resulted in Carmichael being knocked out and left
to die on a tidal island in the North Ford. He
never noted down any folklore in Grimsay after
that!
Later
in the conference, Dòmhnall Uilleam spoke
in detail about the Carmichael-Watson Collection,
which I regard as one of the seven wonders of
Scotland , a great national treasure. He told
us it consists of 577 boxes of papers and 149
manuscript volumes. Among the examples he showed
was a document describing the annual soirée
of the Ossianic Society of Benbecula at Torlum
on 30 May 1878 (Alexander Carmichael, of course,
in the chair).
In
his lecture on Carmichael and "Celtic Christianity",
Professor Donald Meek of Edinburgh University
told us how Carmichael, who always wore the kilt,
was walking through one of the Uist townships
on a cold winter's day when he took a flier on
some black ice. A delighted young spectator remarked:
Ged as e Car-a-Mhìcheil a th' ort,
se Car-a-Mhuiltein a bhios ort a-nist. "Though
your name is Car-a-Mhìcheil (
Carmichael ), you'll be Car-a-Mhuiltein
(Somersault) from now on!"
Donald
got a chance to repeat the joke on Radio nan Gaidheal
next morning, Coinneach Mór being with
us in the flesh. More importantly, he had some
things to explain in his lecture about the traditional
function of the kind of charms and prayers that
Carmichael collected, about memories of them in
his own native Tiree, and, above all, about how
Carmichael was manipulated by others into publishing
his work in the finessed form in which we find
it in "Carmina". It's a product "made to measure"
to satisfy the needs of those with contemporary
political or cultural agendas of their own. "He
was willing to alter or polish the prayers, charms
and incantations that he had collected," said
Donald, "and indeed I believe that he even composed
some of them!"
In
fact, as the conference went on it was wonderful
to observe speaker after speaker walking a tightrope
between Carmichael-bashing and Carmichael-worship.
Donald Meek expressed confidence that Carmichael
's collections are much greater than the sum of
their parts, and that "at the end of the road
we will see a more massive Alexander Carmichael".
Donald Black pointed out that in Lismore the Carmichaels
were regarded as a "superior, slightly stand-offish"
bunch, that Alexander may have been of "mixed
lineage" (wonderful euphemism that!) and that
this perception may have resulted in prejudice
against him, aggravated by his very real tendency
to overstay his welcome. He was an gàidsear
le cheistean , "the gauger with his questions",
always prying into old things. "But," said Dòmhnall
MacilleDhuibh, "if the islanders refused to cooperate
with him, it only goes to show that they were
misguided."
Cue
me. I called my paper "I Thought He Made It All
Up: Context and Controversy". The context is two
distinct strands in nineteenth-century folklore
collecting: the accurate and the "cooked". Carmichael
(no scholar he) floated indecisively between the
two. Doubts about his methods led to controversy
in the 1970s and 1980s. Of the three elements
in "Carmina", I think his prose narratives are
the least accurate and his Gaelic "verse" texts
the most accurate, with his explanatory material
(including translations) in the middle. His texts
can be tested forensically, in ways I've tried
to show now and again in this newspaper.
Cue
also Hugh Cheape of the National Museums of Scotland
, whose main task was to underline the huge importance
of material culture in the wonderful world of
"Carmina", where things like pot-hooks and tether-pins
are everyday objects. Carmichael , he pointed
out, was a conduit. He was responsible for getting
words into Dwelly's dictionary, marked "AC" and
often of doubtful authenticity. He shoe-horned
eager antiquarians into the communities that he
knew so well. And the silver tongue with which
he extracted prayers, charms and incantions from
countless informants was also used to obtain objects
- implements, charter-chests, sculptured stones
- which disappeared into museums almost as quickly
as he could be photographed standing beside them.
Duine sanntach , they called him in Berneray
Harris, according to Dòmhnall Uilleam.
"A greedy man".
There
was a characteristically excellent paper by Professor
William Gillies of Edinburgh University on Carmichael
and the MacMhuirichs, and two equally good ones
on more tangential topics. Jean-Didier Hache,
Island Flodda, spoke on Neil MacEachen and his
son Marshal Alexandre MacDonald, who fought many
battles for Napoleon and visited his father's
native Howmore in South Uist in 1825 - an occasion
mentioned in "Carmina". And Dr Cathlin MacAulay,
archivist of the School of Scottish Studies ,
described and illustrated the School's huge holdings
of Uist material. But to me the biggest revelation
of the conference was a paper by Murdo Macdonald,
professor of fine art in the University of Dundee
, on the visual dimension of "Carmina".
The two volumes of the first (1900) edition of
the book, he pointed out, represent the high point
of Celtic Revival book design, and are the finest
example of it anywhere in the world. 
I
was delighted. I bought the two volumes last month
for £80. Now I know I got a bargain.
These
voices mingled with about fifty more, in Gaelic
and English, in speech and song, through the less
formal settings that make a good conference fun
- tea, coffee, mealtimes, the odd dram, a banquet,
a wonderful ceilidh, and in a bus that took us
hither and thither through South Uist and Eriskay,
while the islands put on a wonderful show of light
and colour for their guests.
Raghnall
MacilleDhuibh
April
2006 News -
The
latest book to be published by the Islands Book
Trust is now available.
The
proceedings of the International Conference on
the Decline and Fall of St Kilda held in Great
Bernera in August 2005 is available from bookshops
and on the web site. The conference was held on
the 75th anniversary of the evacuation of St Kilda
and included a line-up of outstanding speakers
many of whose presentions are now presented in
this essentail addition to those interested in
St Kilda.
October
2005 News -
New
Book launched at Second Angus Macleod Memorial
Lecture
Over
150 people attended the second memorial lectured
delivered by Professor James Hunter at Pairc School
in South Lochs on the 18th October 2005. In a
provocatively titled lecture 'Moorland without
Crofters' Jim Hunter presented an argument
that grasping the opportunity offered by large-scale
renewable energy projects, could provide a stable
future for the Western Isles.
A
new book 'Back to the Wind, Front to the Sun'
The Traditional Crofting House by Caroline Hirst
was also launched on the evening. The book is
based on the collections of the late Angus Macleod
of Calbost
August
2005 News -
ST
KILDA CONFERENCE: NEW LIGHT ON AN OLD STORY
What
were the factors leading to population decline
on St Kilda and the eventual request of the remaining
islanders to be evacuated 75 years ago? This was
the main theme of The Islands Book Trust's international
conference held in the Community Centre, Great
Bernera, Lewis between Thursday 25 th and Saturday
27th August. And every one of the over 100 people
who attended, from as far afield as New Zealand,
Australia, and the United States as well as from
all parts of the UK including many local people
, agreed that the conference was a most enjoyable
and enlightening experience, made very special
by the hospitality of the Bernera community.
The
line-up of outstanding speakers included Calum
Ferguson, Michael Robson (author of a ground-breaking
new book launched at the conference), Estlin Waters,
John Love, Ian Levitt, Isobel Holbourn from Foula,
Patricia Lysaght from Ireland, and Joan Pauli
Joensen from the Faroes. Among the key points
to emerge from the talks and discussions were:
- Much
of the mythology about St Kilda (eg, the mailboat,
the Parliament, the caricature of Free Church
Minister John Mackay) seems to have arisen from
the writings of particular journalists in the
19 th century, who had their own motives for
publicising and sensationalising the so-called
plight of the St Kildans. This has often been
repeated uncritically by subsequent writers,
and needs revisiting.
- A
basic problem in interpreting St Kildan history
is the almost complete absence of records of
the views of the Gaelic-speaking islanders themselves.
Nor were most visitors sympathetic to local
culture, many regarding the islanders as curiosities.
This contrasts, for example, with the experience
of the now-deserted Blasket islands in Ireland,
for which many local accounts of life (in Irish)
survive, and which the Irish Government regarded
as a valuable reservoir of national culture.
- In
contrast, Scottish Office files reveal that
St Kilda was regarded as an embarrassment in
the first part of the 20 th century, and the
fate of the island may have been sealed as early
as 1920 by a decision not to support a regular
steamer service to the island.
- There
was much debate about the dynamics of small
communities, highlighted by Isobel Holbourn's
inspirational account of the continuing struggles
for survival of her island of Foula, and the
role which the Church may have played in different
societies. There was felt to be a need for great
caution before accepting over-simple generalisations
about the influence of religion on local culture,
often promoted by outsiders who had very little
understanding of the circumstances of the islands.
- The
economic problems facing St Kilda needed more
emphasis. The lack of a good harbour was a crucial
handicap, as it had proved for many other depopulated
islands (eg Scarp). Emigration from the island
in search of economic opportunities elsewhere
was a long-term debilitating process, probably
more significant to the population decline than
the well-known problem of high infant death
rate from tetanus during much of the 19 th century.
There was value in seeing St Kilda in the context
of other islands facing similar problems rather
than as a one-off special case.
- On
the other hand, the experience of the Faroes
showed that relatively remote communities could
survive and prosper if the political and cultural
backgrounds were favourable.
The
conference also saw the launch of Michael Robson's
new book entitled 'St Kilda: Church, Visitors
and 'Natives''. This was described as the most
thoroughly researched book ever written on St
Kilda, a detailed and dispassionate account of
the history of the island using hitherto unused
records. The new book, which contains over 750
pages of text and many early photographs and illustrations,
challenges many of the myths which have arisen
in earlier writings. It is now on sale in local
bookshops or direct from the Book Trust (phone
Martin Smith on 01851 820561 for details) .
The
Book Trust has now published the proceedings of
the conference in a new publication entitled The
Decline anf Fall of St Kilda retailing at £12..
Because
of adverse weather, the planned boat trip to St
Kilda linked to the conference on Monday 29 August
had to be cancelled. Book Trust chairman John
Randall commented: 'It was disappointing to be
forced to call off the boat trip after so much
hard work and preparations by many people, but
there was no alternative in the circumstances.
This did not detract however from a most successful
conference which I know was greatly enjoyed by
all who participated. I am most grateful to everyone
who helped, particularly the people of Bernera
whose hospitality and enthusiasm, and contribution
to the ceilidh, made this such a memorable occasion
for all our visitors.'
Publications
more...
THE
FOWLING CONFERENCE - GUGA WITH AN INTERNATIONAL
FLAVOUR
Putting in a wider context the annual expedition
by the men of Ness to harvest young gannets on
Sulasgeir was the theme of a 3-day international
conference organised by Lewis-based The Islands
Book Trust and held in Ness between 9-11 September
2004. The conference proceedings have now been
published under the title "Traditions of
Sea Bird Fowling in the North Atlantic Region"
see Publications
more...
THE
ANGUS MACLEOD ARCHIVE PROJECT
The Book Trust is leading a project to preserve
and make available to the public an important
cultural resource known as the Angus Macleod archive
- the life's work of the late Angus Macleod MBE
(1916-2002) of South Lochs, Lewis. more...
MARTIN MARTIN: 1703-2003
Read the report on the 3-day conference in Ness,
Isle of Lewis, to mark the tercentenary of Martin
Martin's seminal publication in 1703 on 'The Western
Islands of Scotland'.
more...
Book collection described
as a 'unique asset'
fios - Friday 21, June
2002
THE
Ness based Islands Book Trust, a recently formed
organisation to promote the use of a unique collection
of books, was formally launched at a ceremony
at 10 Callicvol last Friday. The collection of
books and manuscripts, assembled by Michael Robson
of Port of Ness over a number of years, has been
described as 'a truly remarkable and unique asset'.
more...
Unique collection of books
opened to the public at Callicvol, Port of Ness
Stornoway Gazette -
Thursday, 6 June 2002
A unique
collection of 2,500 books on Scottish, Irish and
Nordic subjects which has been built up over the
past 50 years by Michael Robson, has been made
available to the public.
more...
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