In Focus: Islay Through the Years
By Sheena MacKellar, Marion McGregor, Etta Shaw, Catherine MacTaggart, Catherine Johnston and John Cameron
Catherine MacTaggart, Sheena MacKellor, Marion McGregor, Catherine Johnston, John Cameron and Etta Shaw.Image provided by Smartify
This audio forms part of a series of audio interviews conducted in 2022 by Smartify as part of the Spirit of the Highlands and Islands project. Listen and discover the Spirit of the Highlands and Islands through the eyes of the people who live, work and visit here.
In our 'In Focus' audio mini-series, take a closer look into a wide range of topics spanning the vast natural and cultural heritage of the Highlands and Islands. In this edition of 'In Focus', join Sheena MacKellar, Marion McGregor, Etta Shaw, Catherine MacTaggart, Catherine Johnston and John Cameron at Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle, as they discuss life on Islay through the years, extraordinary wedding traditions and their thoughts on the nature of community spirit on the island.
[John Cameron] People ask me, as I'm living on my own, "are you lonely John?". No - I'm alone but never lonely.
[Etta Shaw] That's the same with me, I don't know what lonely means. I'm never lonely - I'm just happy, I enjoy my own company and that's it.
[Catherine MacTaggart] The Gàidhealtachd spirit is all about that isn't it? In different ways, in freedom and looking after people.
[Catherine Johnston] I think kindness, there's a lot of kindness in Islay. It's not a forced kindness it's just a natural way of treating people.
[Sheena MacKellar] It's built in, it's in our genes.