BlĂ r (Battle) is a community musical event taking place on Islay on 30 May which will see at least 140 island musicians staging a performance of new Gaelic music composed by the outstanding Gaelic traditional musician Clare Jordan. The new music is based on a Gaelic poem by the long neglected Islay bard William Livingstone, which tells the story of the infamous Battle of Gruinart, which took place on Islay in 1598. Every musical group on the island will take part: the traditional instrumentalists, the island brass band, all the primary school Gaelic choirs, the junior Gaelic choir, the high school choir, the senior Gaelic choir, and the Islay Pipe Band. The performance will be an innovative multimedia event featuring a dynamic digital art work commissioned of local artist and writer Raymond Lafferty.

Clare Jordan said: “Last year Còisir Ghàidhlig Ìle commissioned me to compose a suite of three songs with words from William Livingstone poem Blàr Thraigh Ghrunieard. I wasn’t aware of Livingstone’s poetry when I started on the project but I became fascinated by this forgotten masterpiece. The Battle of Gruinart was the last clan war fought on Scottish soil and behind the bloody and brutal depictions of 16th century Scottish warfare is the tragic story of two families the MacDonalds of Islay and the MacLean of Mull torn apart over ownership of Islay lands. Sir Lachlan Mòr MacLean was killed in the Battle and he was Sir James MacDonald’s uncle. There’s a further layer to the poem: the folklore and legends surrounding the battle and in particular the story of the evil Dubh Sìth (Black Fairy) who in spiteful rage killed MacLean with an arrow. These are great stories, well-known on Islay, but we’re now going to be sharing them with a wider audience.” Continue reading....

Whisky for Girls (& Guys!) are hosting a Whisky Theme Art Exhibition in the Gaelic College, Bowmore. The exhibition runs from 18 May – Sat 8 June as part of the Feis Ile celebrations. It is open when the college is open. The exhibition features work from six great artists. Each artist interprets the Islay world of whisky and distilleries in their own very distinct way.

Ernie Button from Phoenix, Arizona is Art from the Bottom of Your Glass! He takes photographs of the dried film of whisky left in your glass, puts coloured lights on them and the images created are like beautiful planets floating in space. Dietmar Finger from Germany designed James Bond’s motor bike in Tomorrow Never Dies, now he paints beautifully coloured pictures of Islay distilleries and villages and exhibits them at the Whisky for Girls (& Guys!) Art Exhibition.

Miss Whisky Distilleries herself, Jane Taylor from Bridgend, has created a distinct look and a graphic imagery to portray Islay’s distilleries ~ no old fashioned ‘shortbread box’ feel here. Her images are clean, blocked colours, fresh; and reminiscent of old Russian work poster of the past. Ultimately stylish! Konrad Borkowski from Jura is a great photographer with a sweeping eye and a technical perfection in his work. His photograph of snow covered casks at Ardbeg is one of the iconic distillery images of recent years. This print is available to buy at the exhibition. Continue reading....

When we completed a series of walks on Islay a few weeks ago I finally had enough pictures and hands on information to complete a section of the website which was very much out-of-date, the walks section. Up until yesterday the walks page was what it says, one page, with rough descriptions and some pictures. In the last weeks I've been working hard to create individual pages for 17 walks so far which are accesible from the main Islay walks page. Each walk now has clear directions on where to start, a map of the area and detailed instructions on how to complete the walk. I've also graded the walks, from easy to strenuous and pointed out the wildlife you can see.

Since many families visit the island, or have plans to visit Islay in the future, we have tested fifteen out of seventeen walks ourselves with our 4yr old daughter. This gave us a good indication whether it was possible for families with young children to do these walks themselves. We understand that each kid is different but the walks that are marked "Ok for Children" are both interesting from a nature and wildlife point of view but they also present many challenges for the younger ones as well. Picknicks, flying a kite, playing on the beach, identifying trees and birds and beachcombing all add to the pleasure.

You are hereby invited to check out the new walks page with access to the 17 walks. If you want to share a walk that isn't listed yet then please contact me. Thank you!

Tag: walking families

The annual Islay Festival is getting closer and it's a little over a week when hundreds of whisky aficionados from all over the world will come to Islay to enjoy the many festivities the island has to offer and to visit the open days of the single malt whisky distilleries. The schedule of all events will be published later here on this blog.

For now I would like to point out a rather unique whisky event during the festival, which is called Dancing Drams. The organiser of this event is Martine Nouet and on her beautiful new website she wrote: "Be one of the first to enjoy that ultimate sensory experience of whisky and dance pairing. I will present four great Islay single malts which will be paired to four styles of dance performed by Paula Davidson, a talented dancer who worked with the Scottish Ballet in Glasgow." The Dancing Drams event will start on Monday 27th of May at 4.00 pm at Bruichladdich Hall. The entrance fee is ÂŁ15. Below is Martine's promotional video which will get you in the mood for this special festival event!

Direct link to video on Youtube

Tag: islay festival martine nouet

I like my coffee black, as black as a moonless night so to speak, and strong, very strong! I also want to taste the beans where it's made from as pure as possible. That's why I don't like coffees other than Espresso's. I've been in places where I had to pay a couple of pounds and had no idea if they served me Tea or Coffee, now that's a shame. And much like whisky tasting, there is a whole world behind a good coffee: "Coffee cupping, or coffee tasting, is the practice of observing the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee. It is a professional practice but can be done informally by anyone or by professionals known as "Master Tasters". A standard coffee cupping procedure involves deeply sniffing the coffee, then loudly slurping the coffee so it spreads to the back of the tongue. The coffee taster attempts to measure aspects of the coffee's taste, specifically the body, sweetness, acidity, flavour, and aftertaste. Since coffee beans embody telltale flavours from the region where they were grown, cuppers may attempt to identify the coffee's origin."

Now I'm not into coffee tasting professionaly, or in whisky for that matter, but I think I'm quite capable of identifying a good espresso and in the last few days I've been served two fabulous espresso's. The first time during an informal tasting at the Celtic House in Bowmore and the second time today, again at the Celtic House, who opened The Celtic Coffee House Coffee Shop last Monday on the first floor. They are open from 9.30am to 5pm from Monday to Saturday. The words that came to mind when I had their espresso was "This is — excuse me — a damn fine cup of coffee!" These were the legendary words spoken by Dale Cooper, the FBI agent in Twin Peaks, and seemed appropriate for the excellent quality coffee they serve!

Tag: coffee shop bowmore

After I had returned from the excellent Islay welcome evening, organised by the Islay naturural history trust, I got settled in front of the television with a dram to watch the first episode of the long anticipated BBC series "Hebrides - Islands of the Edge". The tension had been building up quite a bit recently, both on Twitter and through stories from people on Islay who were more or less involved. Also an article in the Ileach raising awareness for the series, added to the tension. The editorial team of the Ileach had received a DVD with a preview and I heard that they were quite impressed with what they had seen.

When the first episode finally started tonight showing dramatic scenes of the Isle of Skye and Gannets diving into the Ocean, I already had a feeling that this was going to be great, and it did, it was better than great, it was amazing! The four episodes cover a year in the Hebrides to show off Scotland's wild west coast. In tonight's episode one you get to see spectacular aerial scenes, basking sharks, a nest of Swallows at Ardbeg distillery and a young otter being sent off by his mother to become independent during the start of the autumn season and a whole lot more.

When the rain and wind arrive on the island you see the Jura Ferry, the MV Finlaggan and some amazing scenes of the Islay Lifeboat in spectacular weather and light conditions. From the storm battered shores they switch to the beautiful and much more serene underwater world where you see dead mans fingers and sea slugs and from there it's back to the seals on Colonsay and the Red Deer Rut on the Isle of Rum. Continue reading....

Hebrides – Islands on the Edge - part of BBC Scotland’s Wild Scotland season screens on Monday 6 May on BBC One Scotland, 9.00-10.00pm and is well worth a watch. A fair amount of the first episode, which the Ileach staff have previewed at their office, was filmed on Islay. And no wonder: Executive producer Nigel Pope said: “It is THE most amazing place for wildlife in the whole of the UK. Added to that is the most fantastic scenery, which in itself is set against the Atlantic ocean and the all the majesty and dramatic weather that brings. You just don’t get more dramatic than all that but at the same we worked very hard to bring very intimate moments of the lives of an unforgettable cast of animals to the screen. There are young swallows in Islay distilleries ‘finding their wings’, stags on the sands of Rum battling for supremacy, seals fighting the Atlantic waves to protect their newborn cubs, mighty basking sharks and the aeronautic grandeur of Britain’s largest predator – the white-tailed eagle. And lots more.” Continue reading.....

With the summer coming up, and hopefully the warmer weather as well, it's great to see a few new businesses starting up who offer new sea related things to do on the island. If all goes as planned Islay will finally have wildlife boat trips in four weeks or so. They will initially sail from Port Ellen pontoons twice a day, one boat trip in the morning and one in the afternoon. The initiative for these trips comes from Gus Newman who used to run the Islay Dive Centre and now owns Stormcats, the boat building company at Lagavulin. His new venture will run under the name Islay Sea Adventures and looks very promising. When I spoke to Gus this week he also mentioned chartered trips and other options for bespoke tours, diving etc. This is a great new addition for families on the island. You can follow the progress and final starting dates/times on their Facebook page

Another type of "Sea Adventure" is a new fitness trend, called Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP), which originated mainly from Hawaii around the 1960s. Now what is this exactly? Here we go: "Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) is like surfing only on a much bigger, more stable board with a big paddle. This makes it relatively easy to learn on the right equipment and its great for fitness. Most importantly its great fun and offers you the chance to try a watersport in a safe environment." The great news is that Islay now has two licensed instructors, Shona Ramsay and Rhona MacPhee, who can teach you everything you need to know before you can venture out on your own. For more info visit their new website at www.islaysup.co.uk

The waters around Islay are also excellent for sea kayaking, hence the presence of the Islay Canoe Club. Now one of the members of the Canoe Club, Dave Protherough, has started a new business and takes people out to sea for instruction and guided tours. The name of this new business is Kayak Wild Islay and has its base in Port Ellen. Dave said: "Half or Full day introduction to sea kayaking days are perfect if you wish to try sea kayaking for the first time. The Half day is best suited for those wishing to try Sea Kayaking for the very first time, we will kit you out, provide a safety demonstration and introduce the basics of boat handling to allow you to explore the bay and its surrounding skerries." If you need more information and contact details you can find them on www.kayakwildislay.co.uk.

Tag: paddle boarding boat-trips kayaking wildlife