Friday 20 April 2018

HMY Iolaire Memorial

Last month was the unveiling of the new memorial to the 201 victims of the Iolaire tragedy of almost 100 years ago.  A new memorial cairn was unveiled in Cam gardens next to the town hall,  Each individual stone on the cairn represents one of the victims collected around the Islands to represent the individuals village or community.  The cairn carefully documenting where each man came from.






A wonderful tribute and surrounded by such a beautiful building which in itself holds so much history.





It is quite a poignant memorial which remembers lives lost as young as 17, so it was quite fitting that students from the Nicolson Institute had been involved at every stage of the process, the design, the construction and even the unveiling service.


We continued with a walk around the harbour, catching glimpses of the castle and choosing our favourite yacht to sail away into the sunset.





We have no real plans for the weekend, other than making a start with some seeds and pottering in the garden if we are lucky with the weather.  Hope you have a wonderful weekend and that the weather is good for you. 

See you soon.

25 comments:

  1. What a tragic thing but a wonderful memorial to always remember the tragedy. Your island is so wild and beautiful. I really appreciate you taking us with you on your adventures. I hope your weekend turns out well. We hope to open up our lake trailer tomorrow. Maybe then spring will decide to make an appearance. :-)
    Blessings,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a lovely tribute.x

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a fitting memorial to such a terrible event. It looks like you had beautiful weather to be out and about your lovely island. I hope you enjoy planting your seeds and the sun continues to shine on you! ♥

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would love to sail away. Lovely island to explore. I hope the weather is good for you to plant seeds. I plan on doing the same thing. Happy Weekend, Betsy

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for sharing this piece of history. Wishing you lits of sunshine for the weekend xx

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a fitting tribute. It's important that we remember lives such as these which have been lost.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Just seeing your glimpses of the water makes me long for a beach somewhere. That orange boat sure is a sight. Kinda cheerful and hey look at me!

    ReplyDelete
  8. oh those photos near the water make me wistful. I love when people decide to set up memorials for the future to remember the past. And people STILL forget.

    ReplyDelete
  9. That's a wonderful tribute to those lost. Your photos of the town and harbour are super. Hope you have a lovely weekend:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Such a lovely tribute to those who lost their lives. Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  11. That's a lovely memorial and how nice that it tells where each man came from.

    ReplyDelete
  12. wonderful images and tribute. kiss

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a wonderful tribute. Your pictures are very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a lovely memorial.

    When I see your photos it is so hard to remember that you live there and aren't on holiday. Such a very stunning place.
    Hugs-x-

    ReplyDelete
  15. It’s been a while since I popped by! So glad Gerard is on the mend... such a scary experience! Your pictures are lovely, as always. Your corner of the world certainly has amazing sights and scenes. Cheers for a healthy and happy spring!

    ReplyDelete
  16. It's good to memorialize losses such as that. I always enjoy seeing around your island. What I wouldn't give to hear your accent! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

    ReplyDelete
  17. That was very sad.The memorial is beautiful..

    ReplyDelete
  18. You don't have to go away for holidays, you are permanently ! Sometimes I wonder if the wars continue in the world just to make a memorial out of it. Very sad !

    ReplyDelete
  19. My son just planted some tomato plants because the weather was finally holding. It amuses me that he's such a gardener - as I do not have a green thumb at all!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great coverage of a tragic event. It makes me wonder whether we will ever have a time when there will be no need for more memorials. We never seem to learn our lesson and we continue to find new and creative ways to keep killing each other. It is so sad.

    ReplyDelete
  21. After reading this post, Lorraine, I searched online for information about this maritime tragedy. The sinking of the Iolaire was quite interesting to learn about, however it was quite unfortunate how close the ship was to Stornaway harbor before hitting the rocks.

    ReplyDelete
  22. A meaningful tribute! Lovely view of the buildings, castle and the harbour!

    ReplyDelete
  23. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Great place and photo my dear
    HAve an happy Sunday

    ReplyDelete
  25. You certainly have a lot going on for a small island. No wonder you love it there. Great photos.

    ReplyDelete