Eric Macdonald and Keith Stringer: Taigh Dhe (filmed in Baile na Cille Church)

Leodhas Macleod: Mac an t-Sronaich (with Iain Baba)

Keith Stringer: Smuantain (with Iain Baba and wee Finlay)

Cristin Mackenzie: Blas Cianalais

Elly Welch: Oidhche Samhach

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwhxVDKERy4

Intriguing, isn’t it. There will be a full film in due course. Script by Eric Macdonald; produced by Theatre Hebrides.

It’s Film G time again – this is filmed in our shop, with some familiar faces. (We don’t have line dancing in the hall though.) Don’t forget to vote.

This short video by Ged Yeates was part of Uig’s proposal for the St Kilda Centre – spectacular even in the face of Youtube compression.

To view only until 7 April from this link, or to download (both options for UK viewers only.)  In Gaelic with subtitles.

Edit:  no longer available from the link but here’s the transcript (actually the subtitles) from the Uig weather section, with Iain Macdonald (Iain Toby) Islivig and Finlay Maciver (Fionnlagh Beag) Carishader.

Iain:  There have been big changes since I was young.  We hardly get any snow now.  You can see the changes in the weather from the birds and the sheep.  The loch in our village has a path and even if the weather is good, if you see the gulls gathering on that spot a change would come in two days.  The sheep also have their way.

Finlay: There’s a few round here and if they heard the sound of the shore, they could tell what was coming.  It would be from different beaches.  I think if you heard Bosta beach, it would be frosty.  If you could hear Cliff, it would rain but on Berie beach would bring good weather.  There’s Bowmore near Brenish and if they heard that sound it was rain for that one for certain.  They didn’t want to see St Kilda at all because that was a sign of rain two days later.

Iain: The south westerly wind is the rainy wind here.  There was an old fellow up our way who had a funning saying for a south westerly wind.

Finlay:  They always looked toward the Monday after the old new year [12 Jan] and around midnight they looked to see which direction the wind came from.  If it came from the south west it would be the predominant wind for the rest of the year.  Then there’s St Swithin’s Day.

Iain: You  would get rain from six weeks then.

Finlay:  That’s what they said, for 40 days.

Iain: It was all true.  What was the date again Finlay?

Finlay:  Was it not the 15th of July?  I think that’s St Swithin’s Day.

The St Swithin’s Day tradition is common throughout Britain.  I expect there is more weather wisdom to add to this – any contributions?

1. Name the oldest and youngest people currently resident in Uig.

2. Recent excavations on Cnip headland uncovered Bronze Age burials.  Approximately how old would the burials be?

3. Coming from Stornoway on the B8011, there is a hill with a prominent bump on the left above Kinlochroag. Name it.

4. Here are the names of four wells. Name the four villages in which they are situated: Tobar Maree, Tobar nam Bodaich, Tobar an Dèididh, Tobar an Luib.

5. Dr Donald Macdonald, Dolly Doctor, wrote Tales and Traditions of the Lews.  Where was he born?

6. Why was a dam built on Loch Coirgabhat?

7. What was found at Bealach Bàn in 1831?

8. Whisky is once again being distilled in Uig, this time not illicitly.  What is it called?

9. A well known author wrote, or part wrote one of his books while on holiday at Uig Lodge. Name him and the title of the book.

10. Where is Seilero and what is it?

11. A pier was built in 1820 at Traidh a’ Chidhe for a busy fishing village.  Name the village.

12. What is the height of Suinabhal?

13. An ancestor of Cree Mackenzie, Scaliscro, assiduously kept a diary in 1851. Who was he?

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14. Where was this building? Who built it? What happened to it?

15. A group of islands known as the Seven Hunters can be seen clearly (on a clear day!) from Uig. What is the more common name?

16. Rev Dr Malcolm Maclennan compiled a comprehensive Gaelic/English dictionary. Where was he from?

[singlepic=584,180,right] 17. What are the English, Gaelic and Latin names of this bird (right) which is commonly seen and heard around Uig?

18. 1n 1896, a Danish schooner ran aground on the coast of Uig and the crew were saved by the farmer’s wife. Where? Can you name the ship?

19. There are two beautiful ladies in Uigen, one dark brunette and one red-head, who entice passers-by with their soulful, come-hither eyes.  Name them.

20. What is the next line of this song, written by Mary Maciver, Valtos?  Extra points if you sing it.

Och nan och, tha mi fo mhulad -

Partial answers accepted.

For now here’s Margaret Stewart (from Upper Coll) with Théid is gun téid e leam.

Dir. Don Haldane, 1962, 69min

For something lighter and even farther off-topic, try the classic animated shorts, Log Driver’s Waltz (1979) and The Cat Came Back (1988) .  And lots of other good stuff.

All the songs can be sampled online, and here’s Fear a’Bhàta:

The launch will take place at the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA), 5-6pm.  If you’d like to attend, contact Kirstie at Pròiseact nan Ealan or ring 01851 704493… bring your voice.  More about the DVD, including how to buy it, can be found on the website.

The Comann Eachdraidh is having its own Gaelic singalong on Tuesday 10 February at the Uig Hall – though without the karaoke, this time.  Maggie Smith and the Uig singing group will perform some traditional waulking and spinning songs; 8pm, free, all welcome.