Museum of Islay Life Publications

BOOKS

The Isle of Islay - Looking Back with Bobby Hodkinson. Old photographs of Islay and its people. 1998. 80 pages. Paperback. £7.95.
A collection of 76 old black-and-white photographs from the Museum's large archive showing many different aspects of the island and its people from about 1890 to 1972, including villages scenes at the turn of the century, some of the earliest motor and air transport, the first lifeboat, activities such as the Islay Show, the Pipe Band and the Gaelic Choir and some notable Islay folk.

An Islay Miscellany. 104 pages. Paperback. 2007. £6.99.
A collection of articles and some poems on different aspects of Islay under the headings of "The People", "The Sea", "Far Off Times", "Conflict", "The Land", "Myths and Legends" and "Poems", drawn from a variety of sources, including original material and items from the Museum's archives.

An Islay Notebook. By C.Gordon Booth. 1984. 112 pages. Paperback. £3.55.
This is a collection of 23 accounts of Islay, its life and times, taken from the books and papers in the Museum library. They include items as varied as extracts from the Minute Book of the Free Church of Scotland in Bowmore in the second half of the 19th century, the Ellister murders of 1698, falconry, rainfall figures from 1866, industrial archaeology and a delightful piece on charms and divinations. They all add up to a fascinating insight into how the ordinary people lived and worked on the island through the centuries.

PAMPHLETS

These are variously priced between £1.50 and £2.00.

Guide to Places of Interest on Islay. By C.Gordon Booth, revised by Malcolm Ogilvie. 1998. 20 pages.
The purpose of this guide is to help the visitor enjoy some of the more interesting, and accessible, places and buildings on Islay. It takes the form of a geographical tour following the road network and forms the perfect introduction to the island.

Place Names in Islay. Their meanings and pronunciation. By Katie Ferguson and Margot Perrons. 1988. 16 pages.
The majority of the place names on Islay are Gaelic, though there are some which are Norse. This booklet lists about 160 of the more prominent names found on the Ordnance Survey map and gives hints on how to pronounce them correctly, as well as information on their origin and meaning.

Reminiscences of Islay in the 19th century. By W.N.Blair. 1995. 32 pages.
The author was an Ileach who emigrated to New Zealand in the 1860s. Thirty years later, he wrote this account for his children and grand-children. He summarises the island's history and then paints a wonderful picture of what the island was like 150 years ago and of the day to day life of its inhabitants.

Dunyveg. By Clifford Jupp. 1989. 12 pages.
A description of one of the most important historical sites on the island, with details of its history and a guide to the castle ruins.

The Old Parish Church, Kildalton, Islay. By Domhnall MacEacharna. 1996 revised edition. 12 pages.
The Old Church at Kildalton (often called the Kildalton Chapel) is the site of the most famous Celtic Cross in Scotland. This pamphlet describes the Church, the High Cross and several of the fine carved graveslabs which lie within the Church and its graveyard.

Musical Life on Islay. 1900 to the present day. By Debbie Cunninghame. 1990 revised edition. 16 pages.
Based on a Highers Project by a pupil at Bowmore High School, this pamphlet explores the different kinds of music-making on the island, including the Mods, the pipe bands and includes examples of the writing of Duncan Johnston, the well-known Islay bard.