Results of an academic study ‘Ancestral tourism & heritage work in a Hebridean island’ conducted by Joanna Rodgers, UHI, on Tiree in 2015-2018. From the book ‘Creating Heritage – unrecognised pasts and rejected futures’, Routledge 2020.
Abstract Roots-seeking travel is an increasingly popular activity around the world, and such visitors are particularly ubiquitous in Scotland. As a heritage practice, this ‘ancestral tourism’ has been predominantly interpreted in terms of its national or regional significance, with previous research focusing largely on ancestral tourists in the context of official heritage institutions or commercial tourism events. The distinctive contexts of ancestral tourism destinations at the local scale are rarely attended to on their own terms and residents’ perspectives have received little attention. Consequently, the practices and meanings connected to this form of tourism are only partially understood: the “heritage work” (Byrne, 2008; Harrison, 2010) of both residents and visitors in quotidian, unofficial spaces remains unexamined. Drawing on 18 months of multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in the island of Tiree, this chapter addresses these gaps and explores the heritages connected to ancestral tourism “from below” (Robertson, 2012).
A digital photocopy of the full text is available from An Iodhlann.
Booklet ‘Tiree 50 years ago’ composed of photocopied photographs, documents, notices and newspaper articles from 1968. Created in 2018 by An Iodhlann for Tigh a’ Rudha Eventide Home, Scarinish, to commemorate its 50th year since opening.
‘The Countryman’ magazine (Aug 2019) containing an article ‘Not the Last Straw’ on the traditional making of corn-dollies and harvest knots in Staffordshire, pages 24-31. The tradition was also part of Tiree’s harvest culture – see A’ Chailleach and harvest knots.
Tiree Memories calendar 2019 produced by Alec Walker. Images include the ferry Columba, Archie MacLean with his boat at Scarinish in 1934, sheep shearing on the Reef in 1934, Balemartine School photograph 1947, Baugh & Heanish postcard 1906, postcard of a crofter’s stable with mare and foal in the 1920s, postcard of Rossdhu in Kenovay 1938, Ruaig football team 1928, Johnny MacKay collecting tangles by donkey and cart 1957, Scarinish harbour 1935, Ruaig School 1950s, airport control tower 1960s, tramlines on the Gott Bay pier 1920. All of these images are available independently via An Iodhlann’s website.
Softback book ‘Flight from the Croft’ by Bill Innes, 2019. Bill recounts his career as a pilot during the 1950s-1996, which included flying BEA passenger aircraft between the Scottish islands. Tiree and Captain David Barclay are mentioned on pages 31, 41, 72 & 73.
Transcript of a tribute to the artist Kirsty Laird (nee Noel-Paton; 1934-2019) given by her children at Mortonhall Crematorium in August 2019. Much of Kirsty’s art was inspired by Tiree, where she spent many years working from her house at Brock.
Booklet ‘Smuaintean bho Cheann a’ Bhara – Òrain agus bàrdachd le Niall M Brownlie’, 2016. A collection of Gaelic songs and poems written by Niall Brownlie, Barrapol (1925-2015), compiled by his niece, Flora MacKinnon.
Porthole from the WWII warship, HMS Sturdy, which was wrecked on rocks off Sandaig during a storm in 1940. The porthole has been re-painted by Donald Brown, Vaul, and decorated with a sketch of the ship. The stainless steel bolts and backing (made from an old fish box) were added by Donald.
Articles about the loss of the RAF bomber that went missing in action over the English Channel during WWII, carrying Charles McLean (1917-1941), son of Donald Archibald McLean, Kenovay and Linlithgow. (1) Newspaper article written around the event. It is not clear whether those missing included Charles, but the description fits the event. (2) Print-out of article from ‘Aircrew Remembered’ written by Donald Price, nephew of Charles McLean, in 2017 aircrewremembered.com/halley-george-charlton. Part of a large collection of items belonging to and about Donald Archibald McLean, Kenovay (1890-1981), and his family.
