Audio cassette recording of Hugh Macleod of Cornaigbeg talking to Maggie Campbell in November 1999.
Hugh MacLeod (Eòghann Charrachan) of Cornaigbeg talks to Maggie Campbell in November 1999 about the smiddy in Cornaig and the blacksmith Seumas MacCallum who worked there in the 1930s and 1940s shoeing horses, the two churches in Cornaig and the preacher, Hector Meek of Caoles, church attendance, the Cornaig mill, the livestock at Whitehouse which was once a school, the weather station, the old ferries, good singers from Cornaig including Mod medallists.
Local news about the new pier manager Mr Anderson, golf competitions, school board elections and the retiral of Sunday School teacher Hector Campbell of Kenovay from Cornaig Indepenedent Church.
Local news about the Mary Stewart, fishing for ling, collecting tangle, visits by school inspectors and Lady Frances Balfour, preaching by Rev Alex Brown of Taynuilt at Balemartine and Scarinish hall, and Dr Fleming of Glasgow who is assisting Dr John Buchanan.
Local news about a visiting artist, the arrival of cement for the new pier, the home visit of Chief Engineer John Brown of Mannal, the opening of the schools after the summer holidays, harvesting, the new club house at Vaul golf course, the end of the tourist season, the meeting of the Parish Council at the Reading Room and return from holiday of Miss Robertson to Scarinish Post Office
Audio cassette recording of a Gaelic Radio interview with Niall Brownlie of Barrapol in January 1998.
Radio interview with Niall Brownlie of Barrapol talking about his bilingual book Township and Echoes, the Viking influence on place-names, the difficulty of translating poems and songs into English, Tiree bards, conservation orders, early religion, St Columba and the churches on Tiree, the airport, links with Barra and World War II, Tiree seers and songs he himself has written.
Due to difficulties in obtaining use of the Congregational Chapel in Cornaig, the Kirkapol Session decided to build a new church accommodating 200 worshippers. The Duke of Argyll granted one eighth of an acre in Cornaigmore at an annual feu of one shilling.
A building committee was set up comprising the minister, Rev Thomas MacPherson, and six elders. Donald MacDonald of Caoles put in the successful tender of £530 for the building work. Grants were promised by the Church of Scotland and one of the elders, Thomas Barr, offered to advance the money at 4% interest.
The new church opened for public worship in 1899 ‘notwithstanding the very boisterous nature of the weather’ and continued as a place of worship until the mid-1970s. It has since been sold as a dwelling house.
Black and white photograph of the old Church of Scotland at Cornaigmore.
Audio cassette recording of Jean MacCallum, Balevullin talking to Maggie Campbell in 2000.
(Continued from AC238) Jean MacCallum of Balevullin talks to Maggie Campbell in 2000 about pilgrims preaching in Balevullin School and about going to church, the names and location of various rocks and cliffs near Balevullin, carrageen and fishing, how crofting now is not as close to nature, Easter and the different moons, potatoes and crops that used to be grown, natural fertilisers, the faster pace of life now, Cattle Shows, Clydesdale horses and knitting.
Two transcriptions from theTyree OPRs dated 24/1/1774 and 12/2/1774 about charges of adultery by the miller Donald MacCallum and Katherine MacFarlane, both of Heylipol, brought before the minister and session of Heylipol Church.
Audio cassette recording of Alasdair MacArthur, Balemartine recorded by himself.
Alasdair MacArthur (Alasdair Sheumais Alasdair) talks about the island of Tiree starting with the beauty of Happy Valley then going through the townships naming shops, hills, churches, harbours, shebeens, lochs and schools and describing the different views; Alasdair also recites two poems composed by himself, one called A’ fàgail Thiriodh and the other in memory of the people named on the War Memorial in Scarinish. Tha Alasdair Sheumais Alasdair a’ bruidhinn mu Eilean Thiriodh tòiseachadh le maise a’ Chlèit an sin a’ dol troimhe na bailtean ag ainmeachadh bùthan, beanntan, eaglaisean, puirt, ‘shebeens’, lochan agus sgoiltean agus toirt cunntas air na diofar sheallaidhean; tha Alasdair a’ gabhail dà rann a’ sgrìobh e fhèin, aon dhiubh A’ fàgail Thiriodh agus am fear eile mar chuimhneachan air na daoine a tha ainmichte air fas-charn a’ chogadh ann an Sgairinis.
Photograph of blacksmith Archie MacEachern and his sister Fileag at Leverburgh Sunday School in Harris in the 1920s.
Courtesy of Mrs Mairi Brady
In this photograph taken at Leverburgh Sunday School in Harris in the 1920s, Archie MacEachern is in the centre and his sister Fileag is second on the left. Their father was Archibald MacEachern, the blacksmith at Creag Mhòr in Cornaigbeg.
Archie worked for around eleven years on Harris as a blacksmith and missionary. Part of his work involved making spearheads for the harpoons used in the whaling industry. He returned to Tiree in the 1930s to work in the smiddy at Creag Mhòr.
He married Catherine MacLean from The Brae, Cornaigbeg and the couple had three children, Archibald, Hugh and Mary. Archie continued his missionary work, preaching in the United Free Church in Kirkapol in the 1930s.
Black and white photograph of Archie and Fileag MacEachern in Harris in the 1920s.
Leverburgh Sunday School, Harris, in the 1920s. Archie MacEachern is in the centre and his sister Fileag is second left. Archie was the blacksmith at Creag Mhor in Cornaigbeg and also a lay preacher and missionary. He preached in the United Free Church in Kirkapol in the 1930s.
