Gaelic

Scotland’s history is changing. What picture of the Scottish past should we pass on to future generations?

Stuart McHardy takes a revolutionary approach to interpreting the past. He shows that future generations will understand Scottish history in a fundamentally different light thanks to recent and future developments in archaeology, folklore and oral history.

ISBN 978-1-910021-41-5

This book compiles songs/poems written by John Morrison of Scalpay, Isle of Harris.

The Isle of Lewis, the largest and the most northerly of the islands of the Outer Hebrides, has had an eventful story from prehistoric times through to the present. Evidence of human occupation stretches back to 3000 BC, explicit in the iconic silhouettes of the Standing Stones at Callanish. After the Vikings left in the ninth century, the clans of West Scotland quickly moved in, and Lewis was the site of many feuds between the Morrisons, the MacAulays and the MacLeods. The island operated largely independently until it was purchased by the MacKenzies in 1600 and was finally drawn into Scotland

NEW – BILL LAWSON’S 60TH BOOK
The Isle of Lewis, the largest and most populous of the islands of the Outer Hebrides, has had an eventful history which stretches back thousands of years. In this eagerly awaited second volume of Lewis in History and Legend, Bill Lawson deals with the townships of the east coast of the island, from Tolsta in the north to the boundary with Harris in the south, and with Stornoway, the commercial and administrative capital of the island.

In his own inimitable style, he traces the story of the island from earliest times to the present day, describing the landscape and the physical remains of the past. More importantly, however, he excels in charting the history of the people themselves, weaving his way through the centuries with stories drawn from documented sources, oral tradition, Gaelic song and from his own experiences of many years travelling around the island and researching the history of its families.

The result is a unique insight in to the way of life and history of an island.

Bill Lawson founded the genealogy centre Co Leis Thus? and is genealogical consultant to Northton Heritage Trust, which now runs this research service. He has written sixty books on the genealogies and history of the western Isles. He regularly researches and lectures in North America and Australia. He lives in Northton, Harris.

Traditional songs and music from the talented youngsters of Sir E Scott school in Tarbert, Isle of Harris, with their teacher, Iain MacIver. The group have their roots steeped in the traditional culture of their homeland.

Accordion, fiddle, small pipes, guitar, clarsach, piano and vocals

This book compiles a selection of Gaelic songs from Harris.

A wonderful photographic safari of the largest island in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland – just a sample of the stunning combination of wildlife that can be viewed at few other locations on the planet. This north-western corner of Europe, perched on the edge of the ocean, is a unique mix of geography and biodiversity that has inspired naturalists and poets for centuries. The bilingual text gives an added richness to this visually stunning collection.

ISBN-13: 978-0861525072

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Positioned at the uppermost tip of Britain and facing the battling winds of the Atlantic, the Isle of Lewis has always had a strong identity of its own. A community defined by tradition for hundreds of years, the twentieth century presented huge challenges to its way of life, leaving it completely altered by the arrival of the millennium. Lewis in the Passing is a form of time-capsule, containing twenty-one autobiographical sketches of Lewis natives, all born before the Second World War. From crofter to musician, house-wife to clergyman, the selection spans the spectrum of Lewis society. Theirs are lives which have experienced these great changes, from economic disaster in the 1920s, to mass emigration in the 1930s, the ‘obscenity of battle’ during the Second World War, and afterwards the decline of the Gaelic language and the slow demise of crofting. All are interviewed by fellow islander Calum Ferguson, who presents his subjects’ stories and journeys, and understands how, in spite of the rainy climate and wind-blasted scenery, the island’s hidden magnetism continues to draw them all ‘back home’.

This book, the third of a series on different parishes in Lewis, is suitable for those with a specific interest in genealogy, and also those with a more general interest in the history of these interesting and beautiful islands off the Atlantic coast of Scotland. Read the rest of this entry »