News from the Isle of Jura for Jan / Feb 2005

Christmas and New Year

For the first time in several years and much to (almost) everyone’s delight, Jura woke up to a blanket of snow on Christmas day. I say almost because the lads who man the gritting trucks probably were not too happy especially one chap who also looks after the water and electricity supplies! It was a busy day for him!!

While Christmas on Jura tends to be a quiet family affair, Hogmanay (New Year) is a wild time of celebrations. It’;s the only night of the year when the pub is empty before midnight (except sometimes for the odd bewildered visitor) as people head to their own homes to “bring in the bells”. Then it’s off first footing around friends and neighbours with most people ending up in the village hall at some point of the night for a Ceilidh.

After the terrible events in South East Asia, it was decided this year to hold a fundraising party in the hall after the bells. This was a great success with £860 raised on the night (not bad for a wee place like Jura). With collection bottles doing the rounds for the next couple of weeks, a grand total of just over £1600 was sent to the appeal.

Burns night

Another excuse for a party, as Jura remembers the Bard, Robbie Burns. The traditional supper of haggis, neeps and tatties (turnips and potatoes) was held in the village hall at the end of January with poetry, song music and dancing keeping everyone entertained until the wee sma hours.

Jura’s doctor

No fewer than 36 applications were received and the latest news is that a new doctor has finally been appointed. It’s amazing what a bit of press coverage can do!

Well, the weather got the better of me and I didn’t get any more photo’s of or from the Lairds’s View (as it has now been christened) when I was on Jura at New Year. Keep an eye on the Laird of Jura site, though, as we hope to have some new pictures up shortly.

During the spring, we hope to put a couple of picnic tables on the site and carry out some bracken control. This is merely to enhance the estate for any visiting Lairds and in no way will
it be over developed.

Isle of Jura Gifts

Within the next couple of weeks, the Isle of Jura gift shop will be on line. Go to www.isleofjuragifts.com to purchase some unique gifts from the island and also books about Jura.

Next time, I hope to bring you a story from Jura’s past and more news about the Isle of Jura gift shop.
Slainte
David

Isle of Jura newsletter October 2004

Welcome to your Isle of Jura newsletter. In this issue I am bringing you news of the Isle of Jura Music festival, Isle of Jura 365 : The Landscape Photographic Exhibition, and a poem on Farewell to Jura written in 1871.

Isle of Jura Music Festival 2004

The annual Isle of Jura music festival took place on the last weekend in September. This is now arguably the biggest event in the Jura calendar, attracting visitor numbers that more than double the population for the weekend.

This is no doubt due to the musical talent on display - ranging from the “locals” concert on the Friday night through to the main concert and dance on the Saturday, the numerous sessions, pipers, fiddlers, Gaelic singers, a jazz band, a bit of Irish/country and western and even a samba band (that managed to collapse the stage in the field!) At one point on Saturday night this author counted no fewer than 5 different places to go to hear music. Not bad for a wee island like Jura!

This year’s headline act at the main concert on Saturday night was the Michael McGoldrick Band. Supported by accomplished musicians there ain’t nothing Michael can’t do with a flute. Brilliant!

Meanwhile, up in the hotel bar the Gillespie brothers had them dancing on the tables with their pipes and accordion. Then it was the Jimmy Shandrix Experince that had us dancing in the hall until 3 am!

A few sore heads on the Sunday but it was on with the show! The Islay Pipe Band, the Jazz band (who also played in the church), singers and Gaorsach with their dancing display. Finally, the children put on a play with masks and shadow puppets in which Buie the Dwarf put paid to the wicked witch of Beinn an Oir (one of the Paps).

The bar remained packed for the rest of the night with a few game musicians battling on, but most of us by this time were partied out!

If you are interested in coming to Isle of Jura for the festival, it is held over the last weekend in September (a traditional Glasgow holiday weekend).

Accommodation books up very early but camping is available in the field in front of the Jura hotel. Please be warned, the place can be very busy.

Isle of Jura 365 : The Landscape Photographic Exhibition

A 3 year photographic project, carried out on Jura by Dr Gary Mckay from the USA, captured some 46,000 raw images in every season. The focus of the project was to interpret Gaelic place names within the landscape, and to capture them according to their translations. A selection of these images will be displayed at various locations on Jura, Islay and the mainland over the coming months. Go to www.theisleofjura.co.uk for further information on the exhibition and the island.

Isle of Jura Stories from the past

This month a poem, written by Jessie Scott on Feb 27th 1871 of Knockintavill (Barnhill). It is believed it was written just before she left for America knowing she would not be coming back to the Isle of Jura.

Farewell to Jura

No more I’ll climb the mountains high
To view the meeting sea and eye.
The stately vessels passing by
On every side of Jura.

Give honour to the great the brave,
To sordid souls the gold they crave,
Give me a walk at dusky eve
Along the shores of Jura.

How dear to me thy every scene,
When sun shines o’er the Western Main,
Or when he walks and spreads again
His golden beams o’er Jura.

By simple nature’s power impressed
There friendship glows in every breast
The stranger is a welcome guest
At every hearth in Jura.

From strife of noisy towns secure,
There mortals spend their lives obscure,
And long may harmony endure
Throughout the Isle of Jura.

Though ne’er to tread thy shores again,
My heart with thee shall aye remain
Where’er I wander I’ll retain
My dearest wish for Jura

Until next month, slainte. David

How did this thorny Thistle flower become the national emblem of Scotland?

Answer — That Scottish Thistle saved the lives of a whole army of Scots from being slaughtered while they slept.  What better reason could you have!

An unusual wildlife topic.

In introducing the section on wildlife of Scotland we could not resist producing a page on the thistle — the national emblem of Scotland setting out why this rather prickly tough looking plant should be honoured in such a way.

The thistle plant grows wild all over Scotland with some 200 variations in growing all over the northern hemisphere. (One variety in the USA — known appropriately as the "Tall Thistle" — grows to a height of ten foot. However most other varieties of the Thistle grow to a height of only one to three foot.)

Thistle plants are tough wildlife with virtually no grazing animals eating them due to the very sharp spines and needles. However some animals such as a donkey will nip off the flower heads and enjoy them without touching the sharp needles.

Why make the thistle a national Emblem?

According to legend in 1263 one army led by King Haakon of Norway slipped ashore at Largs during the night hoping to take the Scots by surprise whilst they were still asleep prior to a battle planned for the following day.

In order to be able to move more quietly towards the sleeping Scots the invaders removed their footwear. Unfortunately for them that night they met up with something else hiding in the darkness. One of the invaders stood on a thistle and cried out in pain as the thorns went deep into his bare feet.

The Scots having been awakened by the cries arose and were able to fight driving the invaders back into the North Sea.

To honour the thistle plant that had so decisively saved their lives the Scots adopted the Thistle as their national symbol. Some two hundred years later James III put the thistle on silver coins in 1470.

Click to discover also the Order of the Thistle an ancient title first awarded in 1540 by the Scottish King.

The following article was taken from "A Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland" written by Samuel Johnson (1775). In order to preserve the original version as much as possible I have not altered any of the spelling differences you will see.

The Isle of Colonsay

About two leagues to the north of Islay lies the isle Oronsay. It is separated from Colonsay only at the tide of flood. This peninsula is four miles in circumference, being for the most part a plain arable, dry, sandy soil, and is fruitful in corn and grass; it is likewise adorned with a church, chapel, and monastery. They were built by the famous St. Columbus, to whom the church is dedicated. There is an altar in this church, and there has been a modern crucifix on it, in which several precious stones were fixed; the most valuable of these is now in the custody of MacDuffie, in black Raimused village, and it is used as a catholicon for diseases. There are several burying-places here, and the tombstones for the most part have a two-handed sword engraven on them. On the south side of the church within lie the tombs of MacDuffie and of the cadets of his family; there is a ship under sail and a two-handed sword engraven on the principal tombstone and this inscription, Hic jacit Malcolumbus MacDuffie de Collonsay; his coat of arms and colour-staff is of red in a stone, through which a hole is made to hold it. There is a cross at the east and west sides of this church, which are now broken; their height was about 12 feet each; there is a large cross on the west side of the church, of an entire stone very hard; there is a pedestal of three steps, by which they ascend to it, it is 16 feet high, and a foot and a half broad; there is a large crucifix on the west side of this cross, it has an inscription underneath, but not legible, being almost worn off by the injury of time; the other side has a tree engraven on it.

About a quarter of a mile on the south side of the church there is a cairn, in which there is a stone cross fixed, called MacDuffie’s Cross; for when any of the heads of this family were to be interred, their corpse was laid on this cross for some moments, in their way toward the church.

On the north side of the church there is a square stone wall, about two stories high; the area of it is about fourscore paces, and it is joined to the church wall: within this square there is a lesser square of one stored high, and about 60 paces wide, three sides of it are built of small pillars, consisting of two thin stones each, and each pillar vaulted above with two thin stones tapering upwards. There are inscriptions on two of the pillars, but few of the letters are perfect. There are several houses without the square which the monks lived in. There is a garden at twenty yards distance on the north side the houses.

The natives of Colonsay are accustomed, after their arrival in Oronsay Isle, to make a tour sunways about the church, before they enter upon any kind of business. My landlord having one of his family sick of a fever asked my book, as a singular favour, for a few moments. I was not a little surprised at the honest man’s request, he being illiterate; and when he told me the reason of it I was no less amazed, for it was to fan the patent’s face with the leaves of the book, and this he did at night. He sought the book next morning, and again in the evening, and then thanked me for so great a favour; and told me the sick person was much better by it, and thus I understood that they had an ancient custom of fanning the face of the sick with the leaves of the Bible.

The Isle Colonsay is four miles in length from east to west, and above a mile in breadth. The mould is brown and sandy on the coast, and affords but a very small product, though they plough their ground three times; the middle is rocky and heathy, which in most places is prettily mingled with thick evergreens of erica-baccifera, juniper, and cat’s tail.

The cattle bred here are cows, horses, and sheep, all of a low size. The inhabitants are generally well proportioned, and of a black complexion; they speak only the Irish tongue, and use the habit, diet etc., that is used in the Western Isles: they are all Protestants, and observe the festivals of Christmas, Easter, and Good Friday; but the women only observe the festival of the nativity of the blessed Virgin. Kilouran is the principal church in this isle, and the village in which this church is, hath its name from it. There are two ruinous chapels in the south side of this isle. There were two stone chests found lately in Kilouran sands, which were composed of five stones each, and had human bones in them. There are some fresh-water lakes abounding with trouts in thus isle. There are likewise several forts here, one of which is called Duncoll; it is near the middle of the isle, it hath large stones in it, and the wall is seven feet broad.

The other fort is called Dun-Evan: the natives have a tradition among them, of a very little generation of people, that lived once here, called Lusbirdan, the same with pygmies. This isle is the Duke of Argyll’s property.

The Order of the Thistle (sometimes referred to as the Order of St. Andrew) is one of the most important regal order in Scotland.

The order was founded in 1540 by King James V anxious to set up his own religious order based in Scotland.

James had been honoured with the order of the Garter from his uncle King Henry VIII of England and with the Golden Fleece from the Emperor, and the order of St Michael from France, resolved to be in the royal mode, and so made the order of the Thistle for himself and twelve knights, in imitation of Christ and his twelve apostles. Then celebrating all the festivals of the orders, he set up the Order of the Thistle arms and badges over the gate of his palace at Linlithgow, joining St. Andrew with them.

The common badge (shown left) worn by the knights are, a cross surmounted by a star of four silver points, and over them a green circle bordered and lettered with gold, containing the motto; and in the centre is a thistle proper, the whole being embroidered on the left breast

The collar (shown below right ) is always worn with the other ensign, which is a green ribbon spread over the left shoulder, and brought under the right arm, pending to which is the image of St. Andrew within an oval of gold, enamelled green, with the same motto.

Immediately after King James V had established this order, he died (1542) which put an end to the design; for it being in the religious time of the reformation it was thought impious to make so free with Christ and his apostles; nor was it any more heard of till King James VII renewed it, by making eight knights on 6th of June 1687, from which time the beginning of this order is more truly to be dated.

The revolution intervening, no more knights were added till February 1703, when Queen Anne made the number twelve, according to the first plan, adding also some new rules to the Order.

King James VII appointed the knights to wear the image of St. Andrew upon a blue ribbon, which continued so till Queen Anne changed it for that of green, as it is now worn.

(Description taken  From the Peerage of Scotland, 1834 )