A Visit to Islay in July 2002
Pamela and I
decided that it was high time our summer cruise on “Black Pepper” should
include a visit to Islay so that I could try to find out more about the island
which had been the birthplace of my great grandparents and their ancestors in
the Sinclair family. I had already
discovered quite a bit but I had never spent time on Islay, although we had
anchored there on a number of occasions.
From a sailing point of view Islay is neither well designed nor positioned! If it were further north and west, I have no doubt that we would have visited it as often as we have sailed to Mull or Skye. If it had more sheltered anchorages, it would be as popular as Mull or Gigha for visiting yachts.
The deciding
factors this year were that Yachting Life magazine reported that pontoons were
being installed at Port Ellen, in a newly dredged section of the harbour, and
some musician friends were involved in the Cantilena on Islay Festival which we
wanted to support.
We had planned to sail to Port Ellen on Sunday 7th July and had spent a few days making a gentle progress in that direction from our home port of Craobh, visiting Lussa and Craighouse on Jura and then crossing to Gigha.
On Saturday 6th, after hearing a deteriorating forecast involving strong westerlies, we decided to head for Port Ellen without delay. Needless to say there was not much wind at the time and we ended up motoring due west from Gigha to round Texa island and enter Port Ellen at about 15.30hrs.
We quickly found
the new pontoons and after going aground briefly – they haven’t quite
dredged enough – we tied up and celebrated with a dram.
Port Ellen has
spruced itself up a lot from my recollection of two brief overnight visits many
years ago, but sadly is still blighted by the derelict Islay Hotel, which we
passed on our first run ashore to stock up at the local supermarket.
We also passed two rubber drunks and a community garden unbelievably
littered with alcopop bottles, despite the provision of a substantial waste bin.
Things did not look promising.
We quickly
realised however that everyone we spoke to was very friendly, the garden was
cleaned up a few days later and we didn’t see any more overt drunkenness.
Black
Pepper (on the left) at the pontoons in Port Ellen
Monday 8th July
Monday was a bright sunny day although very windy. We had decided to rent a car which was accomplished easily with a phone call to D&N MacKenzie who delivered a Volkswagen Golf to the pier.
We set off to
find Islay House at Bridgend where our friends were staying.
Islay House is
an imposing residence with echoes of grand Edwardian living.
It is owned today by a former USAAF airman, Captain Tom Friedrich.
Although he was not in residence he had generously turned over his home
to Cantilena, providing accommodation, rehearsal space and, in the music room, a
venue for chamber concerts.
Cantilena was
formed many years ago from principal players in the Royal Scottish National
Orchestra. Our friend Paul Marrion,
a double bass player, is now principal with the BBC Symphony and with the
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, in London.
We were looking forward to meeting up with him and his wife Marion.
Yes that’s right Marion Marrion.
We arrived just
as the morning rehearsal finished and the four of us went off to Bowmore for
lunch. Much catching up was done
over excellent crab bisque and langoustines in the Harbour Inn.
As we drove down the driveway of Islay House on our way back to Port Ellen Pamela pointed out a graveyard through the trees on our left. “That must be Kilarrow” I said and we got out to find a way in. This turned out to be round the corner off the main road but, using the directions given to me by Toni Sinclair in Canada, we soon found the gravestone of John Sinclair and his spouse Effy Clark who I was pretty sure were my great, great, great grandparents. I subsequently confirmed this at home after obtaining a copy of my great,great grandfather’s death certificate from Scots Origins.
The inscription
on the stone reads:
Here
lies the
remains of
John Sinclair
late tenant
of Curaloch
Died March 6th
1831 aged 71
years. And
Effy Clark
his spouse
Died Dec 11th 1846
aged 76 years
John
Sinclair and Effy Clark’s Gravestone
This was quite a
remarkable find and we returned to the boat for dinner, and to make plans for
Tuesday, happy to see that the wind had abated and a good night’s sleep was in
prospect.
Tuesday 9th July
We had noted
that the Islay Family History Society in Bowmore , which is an entirely
voluntary organisation, was only open twice a week and that Tuesdays between
10.00 and 12.00 was one of their sessions.
We pitched up a bit early so we had a stroll round the churchyard of the
Round Church, in the course of which we found a stone for a family McLean the
wife being a Euphemia Sinclair. This
rang a bell as I knew that Donald, above, had re-married after the death of his
first wife and had had a daughter Effy. I
took a photograph and decided to investigate further.
By now the
History Society would be open so we went along and had a fascinating hour and a
half with George Rhind who confirmed much of my research and produced some old
maps so that we could establish the whereabouts of Curalach, a name which
continually cropped up in the research. He
also gave me some useful contacts.
It was a
beautiful day and lunch was beckoning so we drove to Port Charlotte where we had
the fabulous seafood platter in the Port Charlotte Hotel.
We then spent some time at the Museum of Islay Life which has won awards
for its excellence. It was good but I have to say that I thought it a bit tired.
We have seen better elsewhere. One
worrying exhibit though was a school room where both of us recognised school
books which we had used at school – I don’t feel old enough to be in a
museum!
Some gentle weeding at Kilarrow
That evening we returned to Islay House for a chamber concert in the music room where we met even more musical friends from Glasgow and beyond, including Morrison Dunbar who is the chairman of the festival board and whom we see regularly at concerts in Glasgow.
Listening to
Schubert’s Trout Quintet in an Edwardian drawing room with views over Loch
Indaal on a long summer evening was quite magical.
Wednesday 10th July
Wednesday was a
fine sunny day and would be our last day on the island so we determined to find
Curalach.
We drove out the
single track road towards Bridgend to Laggan Bridge where we parked and set off
on foot to walk along the north bank of the River Laggan towards Corrary on the
Bowmore road. The land is owned by
Laggan Estates and is clearly organised for fishing.
The entire riverbank is fenced off with well maintained stiles, bridges
and shelters. It was no problem
however to walk along the track, which is in any case passable by car with care.
A number of the anglers had taken their cars along.
We found evidence of what could have been croft houses on a rise overlooking an oxbow in the river. It is marked on the map as Linne Churlaich. The land in the oxbow was flat and probably very fertile while to the rear grazing land rose up the slopes of Beinn Churlaich to the dizzy height of 83 metres.
It is quite an extraordinarily beautiful place.
The remains are not much, considering that the buildings may have lasted into the twentieth century. Neil McLean mentioned above died at Curalach in 1913.
I suppose it is possible that the development of the estate led to disused buildings being demolished. That will have to be the subject of a future visit when it may be worth contacting the estate office.
The River Laggan looking east towards Curalach. The croft remains were on the high ground above the river.
Sitting among the remains of the crofts
From the croft site looking towards the river with the lower flat oxbow land on the left
The flat oxbow land of Linne Churlaich. The curved line of the River Laggan is the dark vegetation in the background
This then was where John Sinclair had been a tenant, according to his gravestone, and where his son Donald had farmed and had died in 1882 at the age of 86. My great grandfather Alexander Sinclair was born here in 1836 and married Elizabeth McEwan from over the hill at Cruach.
Shortly after
their marriage in 1861 they left the island and settled in Crossmyloof, Glasgow,
where he was a founding elder of Langside Parish Church and where he died in
1902.
McLean headstone in Bowmore
After this fascinating morning we repaired to the Machrie Hotel for lunch. Pamela had a holiday there as a child with her parents and was keen to see the place. It is very attractive but sadly the less said about lunch the better.
It would not
have been possible to have made less of the setting or of local produce.
It could have been a lounge bar in Glasgow. In fact in Glasgow the food would have been better.
Not recommended.
In the afternoon
we drove along to the Kildalton Cross, and as would be expected of any sensible
tourist, stopped off at the Ardbeg Distillery for afternoon tea, very good, and
to purchase a bottle of something local.
Later we returned to Bowmore for a Cantilena concert in the Round Church which included among other things a stunning performance of the Bach double violin concerto with Angus Ramsay and Angus Anderson.
The acoustic of
the church is superb and well suited to concerts.
We bade farewell
to our friends with a wee glass of Islay Malt in the Harbour Inn and returned to
Port Ellen to prepare for departure the next day.
Heading Home
Iain Sinclair July 2002
Further
information about the Cantilena Festival can be found at www.cantilenafestival.co.uk
Some extra photographs
Pontoons Port Ellen
Kilarrow Cemetery
The Round Church, Bowmore