Printed memoir of a childhood spent on Tiree during WWII by Barry Kerr, 2015. Barry’s father, George (Jock) Kerr, was posted on the island as an RAF Signals and Telegraph Officer. Barry recalls the ‘black house’ he lived in at Balephetrish, the coal puffers, Cornaig school and prisoners of war.
Click here to view 2015.64.1
Extract from book The Tiree Bards / Na Baird Tirisdeach about the Balephuil fishing disaster of 1856. One boat belonged to Donald MacLean of Cheann-na-Creige at the south end of Traigh Bhi, Balephuil, where The Studio now stands. Plus some information about Ceit Chalein (Katie Dubh) of Am Bail’ Ur who helped Donald MacLean while his house was being built.
Click here to view 2015.63.1
Pair of small, hand-made, wooden butter pats, used for making butter on the croft.
Small brown paper packet encouraging children to “Save the toys – and send for a model farmyard”, from the 1930s. Found in ‘Four Winds’, Kilmoluaig.
Click here to view 2015.59.3
Collection of 73 cigarette cards from the 1930s. Includes samples from four different series: Our King and Queen, RAF Badges, Household Hints, Dogs. Found in ‘Four Winds’, Kilmoluaig.
One of the ceramic red poppies from the display of 888,246 from the Tower of London in 2014 commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of the first world war. Each represented one British or colonial life lost. Bought and donated by Greta Travers who was posted to Tiree as a WAAF in 1945, during the second world war. The poppy was placed in the ground in front of the RAF Halifax memorial at Tiree’s airport for a while during 2015. See also 2017.12.2
Article in Fiddler magazine, 2010, about fiddler Calum MacKinnon, Seattle, whose Gaelic parents were from Tiree. Calum taught fiddle at Fèis Thiriodh 1998, and played at A’ Bhuain – Tiree Homecoming 2016.
Three handwritten Gaelic songs/poems by Rev Hector Cameron, Cornaigmore, around 1920. The first lin/title of each is (1) Air faillirinn o, ‘sna ho orinn o (title – Fear a’ bhata?), (2) Nach aithne shuit fhein?, (3) title – Naire graibh.
Click here to view 2015.50.3
Handwritten letter from Rev. Hector Cameron, Cornaigmore, to his daughter Edith around 1920 about his translation into English of a Gaelic song beginning ‘Fair my dear, my Highland laddie’, which he wrote on the reverse of the sheet. Includes some other news.
Click here to view 2015.50.2
Softback book ‘Eilean Uaine Thiriodh / The Green Isle of Tiree’ by Margaret Bennett and Eric Rose, 2014. Signed “Presented to An Iodhalnn by Ethel MacCallum, May 2015”, it is a biography of Ethel MacCallum who, in 1942, was evacuated from an orphanage in Glasgow to the Island of Tiree. She became fluent in Gaelic and, with her natural gift for music and song, was encouraged to write her own compositions. The book includes some of her original work on a CD.
