FROM THE ARCHIVIST'S DESK.
Peninver School.
A boy in the above school, son of Mr Donald Armour, Blacksmith,
only about six years of age, said off the CXIX psalm, from beginning to
end, without once making a mistake. Moreover, this same boy, about 7 months
since, said off perfectly the Shorter Catechism from the chief end of man
to the conclusion of the Lord's Prayer.
Argylishire Herald, Dec 28 1860
The Columba lmtiative, or Iomairt Chaluim Chille, may be of interest to many in Kintyre and Argyll. The initiative links Gaelic in Scotland and Ireland, north and south. It will promote cooperative ventures which enhance the ability of Gaelic to survive in the future, and to act as a focus and medium for community development community education and the arts.
The Initiative was first announced by Brian Wilson MP during the visit of then President Mary Robinson, to Iona in 1997, during the celebrations of the 1400th anniversary of the death of St Columba. The initiative widens the context for Gaelic in both countries, and this is seen as being particularly helpful in Northern Ireland.
Mary Robinson spoke of the diverse traditions, Protestant and Catholic, which lie behind the Gaelic language in the two countries. She also spoke of the need to create a new 'island space' or ways of meeting, sharing and mediating culture, and of the importance of identities and communities that are on the margins, away from metropolitan cultures.
Staying in Kintyre this summer with my family, we were greatly enriched by the hospitality of friends there. A host of place-names, including Kilcolmkill, the Irish-sounding Polliwilline, combined with family names and the thick, round gate pillars in South Kintyre, served as a constant reminder of the central place Kintyre and Argyll have had in interaction between Gaelic Scotland and Ireland.
Iomairt Chaluim Chille is focused on
Irish and Scottish Gaelic, but through education and community development
it extends beyond those who presently speak the language. The initiative
is intended to act as a catalyst rather than to have all the answers. The
Scottish office is based at Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Sleat, Isle of Skye IV44
8RQ, where the project officer is Domhnall Angaidh MacLennan, tel 01471-844373.
I have recently taken up post as Domhnall Angaidh's counterpart in Northern
Ireland. Like him, I would be interested in hearing of ideas and
suggestions and answering queries, and can be contacted at Iomairt Chaluim
Chille/Columba Initiative Room, 205 Fountain House, Donegall Place, Belfast
BTI, tel 01232 238293
'They Go Much From Home': Nineteenth-Century Islanders of Gigha, Scotland, by Margaret Storric, in Scottish Economic & Social History, Volume 16, 1996, Edinburgh University Press.
It is not generally realised that Gigha has by 60 years the earliest register of deaths in the Highlands and Islands. Dating from 1792, it was started by the Rev Wifliam Fraser shortly after his arrival in 1791. He contributed to the First Statistical Account (1791-98) and a successor, the Rev James Curdie, who lived on Gigha for 50 years from 1827, contributed to the Second Statistical Account (c 1843). Both had a more than normal interest in vital statistics. Indeed, in 1801 only 99 out of 850 Scottish parishes, mostly in the Lowlands, possessed such regular registers as Gigha.
Gigha's population varied from around 600 in 1801 to fewer than 400 by 1891. The decennial Censuses do not, however, give an accurate picture. They were taken in the spring or early summer when many of the young men were absent at the fishing and the girls in service on the mainland. The 1851 Census showed a small decline and the minister explained that, 'In the course of the last two years three families have migrated to Canada - two removed to Campbeltown - one to Kilberry - another to Inverneil ... [otherwise] the population of this parish would have shewn an increase...'
There is much interesting information in the undernoted article. In 1793 the minister noted that 60 of the male population were engaged in the herring fishing from January to June. In the 1790s the proprietor encouraged the fitting out of eight line-fishing boats, which employed 30 men exporting cod to Glasgow and Ireland, and by 1828 there were '26 boats, each manned by 4 to 6 hands ... reckoned among the ablest fishermen in the Hebrides'.
The mobility of the Gigha population is particularly noticed: 'As they go much from home as sailors or farm servants in the low country, they see more of the world and its ways.'
Mr Curdic noted in 1843 that the enlarging
of farms was a major cause of depopulation, but that 'the tenants and cottars
have fallen off greatly in their circumstances, owing to the fall in the
price of agricultural produce, the failure of the potato crop and of the
fisheries for several successive years, and the withdrawal by Government
of the bounty on cod and ling fish'. Anyone interested in life in Gigha
in the nineteenth century should read the article in question.
AIB Stewart
The Place-names of South Kintyre. The preceding is the proposed title of a publication, planned for several years' hence, which our Society has agreed to undertake, finances permitting. The suggestion came from the Magazine Editor, whose idea is to amalgamate two booklets which the Society published more than 50 years ago, The Place Names of the Parish of Southend (1938) and The Place Names of the Parish of Campbeltown (1943). These have long been out of print and it is intended to incorporate into the booklet the many place-names which were not included in these compilations. If you can offer any names, with precise locations, please get in touch with me. There will be more on this. Angus Martin
Argyll FM. For a short period in May/June of this year, the Society had a half-hour spot on the local radio, Argyll FM. This took the form of a discussion on local history, with members and invited guests, and proved to be popular, so please look out for it when the local radio comes back on air. Elizabeth Marrison.
Glensfolk visit Kintyre. On Wednesday 19th August, a long-awaited visit took place when 50 members of the Glens of Antrim Historical Society arrived on a visit to Kintyre. They had hired a bus from West Coast Motors and Elizabeth Marrison and I were their guides on a trip round Kintyre. We gave them a brief historical outline on Campbeltown and Kintyre and made our first stop at Killean, the 13th century chapel and graveyard associated with the Macdonalds of Largic. I was amazed at their interest in and knowledge of the Macdonald/Macdonnell connection between Argyll and Northern Ireland.
We had lunch in Tarbert and, just before the bus left, Ian Macdonald joined us for a brief talk. We crossed over to the East side and travelled south to Saddell for a tour round the Abbey which was founded by monks from Mellifont in Ireland. The sun shone here long enough for photographs to be taken, but on the whole the weather was poor, so no views were seen of either Islay or Arran. We didn't stop at Kildonan, but slowed down; time was getting short.
I must say that 1 was astonished by the number of members. Anna McCaughan, the secretary, said that she could have filled the bus twice over. Last year, when the Antiquarian visit was cancelled owing to bad weather, only 10 of us were going. I was also very impressed by their knowledge of our area, and we hope this will not be the last of exchanges across the water. Frances Hood
All this page No 44 Autumn 1998
Page 2: Janet and Marie Morrison's 1999 Trip to Scotland - Part Two
Page 3: A Series of e-mails from Daniel Stevenson
Page 4: An American Lady in Southend, 1878
Page 5: Bits and Bobs
Page 6: Antiquity and Technology
Page 7: Lt Colonel John Porter: A Gallant Provost
Page 8: By Hill and Shore