Photograph of a lobster boat and dinghy at Scarinish pier in July 2000.
Tiree may be known as Tìr an Eòrna, the land of barley, but the abundance of shellfish on its shores must have been one of the attractions that brought the first men to the island 7,000 years ago. In the 19th century, dried ling and cod were a major export from the island.
Today the lobster and crab fishery is Tiree’s second biggest earner with an estimated annual catch worth £750,000. By comparison, in 2004 crofting was estimated to be worth £730,000 to the island with a further £680,000 coming in subsidy.
Currently five boats fish out of Tiree for velvet crabs (deiseagan) and brown crabs (crùban or partan) which sell for 50-70 pence a kilo. ‘Deiseagan’ are particularly prized in Spain where they are cut in half and the body contents picked out whole with a spoon.
Colour photograph of Scarinish harbour in July 2000.
Lobster boat and dinghy at Scarinish pier in July 2000.
Colour photograph of a sailing dinghy in Scarinish harbour in 2000.
Sailing dinghy in Scarinish harbour during a Tiree regatta in July 2000. Scarinish Hotel is in the background at the right and the Royal Bank at the extreme left.
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.
