This recent Hogmanay fell on a Sunday, so the fireworks in Stornoway finished at 11pm on New Year’s Eve, and most celebrations were delayed to the Monday. Forty years ago, the same applied.
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The Valtos Centre, based in the old Valtos School from shortly after it was closed, was first used in 1972 and developed over a couple of years until a visit there became a major fixture in the educational calendar for island pupils, and for scout groups and the like from further afield.
Read more →“When I was born, and for the period of 23 years after, the whole inhabitants of the parish were sunk in dark ignorance of God. There was not so much as a form of Godliness in the whole place. Wickedness of all descriptions committed in broad daylight “
Read more →The (still unnamed) Uig Walking Group went out on Saturday in fine weather – to Suainebhat and out the peat road. The next outing is Saturday 19 February to Carnish, round the old village and out to the beaches, with an option extension on rougher ground along the coast towards Mangersta.
Read more →An Uig entry to this year’s FilmG competition, written by Eric Macdonald and filmed by Keith Stringer on Uig Sands. You can view the rest of the entries here.
Read more →Bonfire at Crowlista School, circa 1950. Tonight is also bonfire night! Pictures to follow.
Read more →In the winter of 1961, the Commanding Officer of RAF Aird Uig and twenty-six of his officers and men were stranded in Stornoway while returning from the first night of the charity concert organised by the camp in the Town Hall.
Read more →[singlepic=1145,386] See the full gallery here. I was behind the mussel stand for most of it so the selection is limited this year. If you have more pictures, feel free to send them to us.
Read more →Thanks to Donald John Macleod, Enaclete and Bridge of Don, for these memories of Enaclete during the 1940s. As a boy in Enaclete I heard many stories about the war, including the Onslow action, being discussed by Calum Iain Smith and the worthies who used to congregate at night for a ceilidh at Norman Macdonald’s [...]
Read more →It’s time to revive the Airigh Trail, and organise some sheiling walks. We should really do an epic walk to the remote ones, as the Comann Eachdraidh did, with Finlay as guide, some years ago. The pictures are from then. Suggestions regarding this year’s walks are welcome in the comments, or leave your name if [...]
Read more →The renowned naturalist William MacGillivray was born in Aberdeen in 1796 and studied and worked most of his life there or in Edinburgh, but he had a Harris connection through his father and spent much of his childhood at Northton in South Harris (where the MacGillivray Centre now bears his name). As a young man, [...]
Read more →The pressmen get their snaps – Lewisfolk provide a little colour Stornoway Gazette, 21 Jan 1944 American press photographers visited the vicinity of St Pauls on Hogmanay to pick up a few colourful pictures of New Year celebrations in London. A group of Lewisfolk gave them their best ‘shots’ of the evening when Pipers Findlater [...]
Read more →For next year, Uig Museum will be mounting a display of wedding and christening objects, and we’re very keen to collect any items, stories, photographs and archives connected with these events in Uig over the years. Naturally we don’t need to take ownership of them, unless you’d like to give them a safe home – [...]
Read more →[Audio clip: view full post to listen] Verses written by Norman “Conter” Macleod, am Bard Bochd and for many years headmaster at Lochcroistean, on the occasion of the marriage of Agnes Smith, Lochcroistean, to Kenny Maclennan, 15 Kneep. It was sung at the wedding by Kenny Dan Smith, 2 Ungeshader; and the reading here is [...]
Read more →[singlepic=613,399] The Uig football team was top of the league in 1978. Iain Morrison 13 Mangersta (Moggan), Roderick Maclean 20 Brenish (Scratch), Iain A Maclean 5 Aird (Mac Maclean) and Donald Macdonald 22 Valtos (Domhnall Tochie) – missing John Angus Macaulay.
Read more →[singlepic=611,474] Piper Lorne Cousin with Sir Sean Connery at the US Library of Congress. Lorne is an Uigeach, grandson to Murdo Macleod 17 Uigen (Murchadh a Ghobha), himself a piper, and nephew to Murdo Beag. In 2004 he toured with Madonna (Lorne, not Murdo) and has played many high-profile events. On the night of Barack Obama’s [...]
Read more →At the Uig Celebration dinner and ceilidh on Friday, there was an Uig quiz, compiled by Teen Anne Murray. Twenty questions; this site may help you with some of them but for most, you’re on your own. Answers in the comments please. 1. Name the oldest and youngest people currently resident in Uig. 2. Recent [...]
Read more →Theatre Hebrides are bringing Kinloch…Somewhere to Uig on 23 February – a one-man black comedy, written by Eric John Macdonald and starring Iain Macrae. Both are Uigeachs: Eric is well-known around Uig and Iain comes from the Miavaig Macraes. [singlepic=456,320,240,,left]Where did it all go wrong? Brian, once TV’s idealistic young heartthrob Dr. Brodie, sits in [...]
Read more →The winners of the MG Alba FilmG competition for short films in Gaelic have been announced, and the Uig entry, Am/Àite, got three awards: Eric Macdonald for best screenplay and Cristin Mackenzie runner-up best performance, both in the New Entrant section, and Maggie Smith as one of the best new voices. Meal do naidheachd! If [...]
Read more →[singlepic=426,480] Further to the Daily Express cartoon about the alien cause of the disappearing loch at Morsgail, here’s a summary of the international coverage, from the Stornoway Gazette, 29 Dec 1959. Few events in Lewis in recent years have aroused such worldwide interest as the “Morsgail Meteorite”. In addition to the planeload of British reporters, [...]
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