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Chris Lawson – International Women’s Day #IWD2025
On this International Women’s Day, we remember Chris Lawson, Bill’s late wife and business partner, behind the success of the incredible Hebrides People genealogical resource. Originally from Point, on the Isle of Lewis, Chris trained as a nurse and midwife before returning to the island to care for her mother. Chris was always interested in…
A Short Illustrated History of Rubh’ an Teampaill, Northton
The shores around the chapel at Northton (called Rubh’ an Teampaill in Gaelic, meaning Headland of the Temple) are some of the earliest places we know of that people settled in the islands. In 2001, archaeologists found charred hazelnut shells deep beneath the ground that were dated to around 7,000 BC, meaning there were people…
Rachel Martin
Scadabay to Cape Breton My name is Raonaid a’ Bhreabadair, and you can tell from my name that my father was a weaver. Now that they are starting to keep records in the English language, they are calling us Martins, and as for my own name – sometimes they are making it Rachel or Ronalda…
Donald Morrison
Pabbay to Cape North I am Donald Morrison, and I was born in Baile na Cille, on the Isle of Pabbay in the Sound of Harris – and you will easily find the ruins of my father’s house, for there is a well just at the corner of the house – Tobar Fhionnlaidh – and…
Caitriona Aonghais Ruaraidh
Horgabost to Australia They say that if you once leave home it doesn’t matter how far you go – and that surely must apply to me, for I am right on the opposite side of the world from where I was born in Cuidinish. I am Catriona Aonghais Ruairidh, and my people came originally from…
Margaret MacKinnon
Seilebost to Manitoba My name is Margaret MacKinnon – Mairead Phannaidh – and my father’s name, Panny, is short for Bannatyne, for my great grandfather’s father was called after Lord Bannatyne, whose family had the farm at Luskentyre at one time – and they say that he got a golden guinea as a christening present…
John MacLeod
Teilisnish to North Carolina My name is John MacLeod – Iain mac Mhurchaidh ‘ic Dhomhnaill Bhàin (John son of Murdo son of Fair-haired Donald) – and I was born in the village of Teilisnish, in the deer forest of North Harris. My father and my uncles were foresters – gamekeepers you would call them today…
A Look Back on Manish (part 3)
with Donald MacDonald (Domhnall Shàm), Horgabost Leaving Manish We came to the machair on the 28th of May 1937. I remember it as though it were only yesterday. It was two years before that that the machair was broken up into crofts. There were 8 crofts in Horgabost and 20 in Seilebost. There were so…
A Look Back on Manish (part 2)
with Donald MacDonald (Domhnall Shàm), Horgabost Houses In my grandfather’s day, the cattle were in the house along with them; my great-grandmother’s sister lived beside our own house, and she had the fire in the middle of the floor. When she stoked the fire in the morning on a still day, you had to go…
A Look Back on Manish (part 1)
with Donald MacDonald (Domhnall Shàm), Horgabost Schooldays The longest distance I was ever away from home when I was at school was on the day of the King’s Coronation on the 12th of May 1937. The Manish schoolchildren were taken to Scarista sands, and that was the first sands I had ever seen! To me…
