Saturday 19 January 2019

H.M.Y. Iolaire

It is the centenary of the Iolaire which I have spoke about on this blog a few times.  Men returning from the war safe and sound only to die in the sea as the ship hit the rocks so close to the shore.  There were and still are many stories abound about the heroism and  the following years hardship of the families who had lost men in this tragedy.   There have been many services and exhibitions to honour all those who were lost.  At An Lanntair there is a display from the artist Margaret Ferguson who was commissioned to paint those lost from old photographs.


  It was heart wrenching to see these paintings, it certainly made it real and highlighted how young these men were.



Each loss of life represented by a stone around the cart.



The library also have a display, which makes for some interesting reading.



There is also a wonderful display in the Chemist window to honour and to remember this disaster.






The most striking is the memorial that has now been built .  A slate engraving and stone cairn at Carn Gardens.  


The stone cairn included stones to represent each man lost and were collected from the home villages of each of the 201 sailors lost.



What a beautiful place to sit and remember the bravery and heroism of these young men.



On a lighter note the chickens are doing really well and all are now laying.  We are getting six eggs a day which delights the neighbours as I pass them around.  They are such fun and we spend many a happy hour watching their antics from the window.





My daughter treated us to a plant depicting the talking tree from Efteling on our recent trip, it survived two ferry trips and the long drive home.



My plan for today is to now make a start on the my Christmas scrapbook before some of the little details are forgotten.  A walk also seems a possibility as the sun is shining down and enticing us outside.  What have you got planned?

As always I thank you for your visit to my humble blog and for your uplifting comments.


33 comments:

  1. Lovely exhibits in memory of the lives lost at sea. Your chickens are looking good and healthy! May they be fruitful in laying plenty of eggs.

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  2. My oh my! I think I have one chicken the same as yours. I have four chickens, all different breeds. I love watching the chicken ladies, they are a delight. I read that you love Florida. That's where I live for the moment. Where in Florida is your favorite? I love that you live in Scotland, correct?

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  3. That's a wonderful exhibition and a lovely place to sit and ponder. Your chickens look happy and at home and six eggs a day is a real coup!!

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  4. What nice memorials to those that served. I love watching my chickens as well. I have a bit more than you and mine stick together in little groups - 5-6 hens/rooster. I have the "boss" rooster and the other roosters know it. The plant tree is sweet.

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  5. Interesting memorials for such a sad event.

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  6. What a lovely exhibition for those lost to the sea. Chickens are wonderful creatures, I could watch their antics for hours. This weekend I am catching up on ' me' time !

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  7. What an ironic, tragic event. It is good that the men lost are remembered and honored in these ways.

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  8. So much care and thought has been put into those memorials, they were all beautifully done. Your chickens are doing well and look very happy with their lot!

    (One of these days I must do a post about my father's great uncle who drowned in Stornoway harbour a few years before the Iolaire tragedy.)

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  9. Fantastic exhibition for such a sad event. Lovely too to see the shop window.

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  10. Wonderful remembrance of an awful happening...

    Chickens are cute, but they are work too. Son next door, has some.

    🍷❄✨

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  11. thanks for the comment, for some reason I never got it in my email

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  12. This does look a very good exhibition and really brings home the awful fact about the number of people whose lives were lost and families affected. I do like the quiet area where you can sit a while and reflect, say a prayer.

    Yes, on a brighter note your chickens are doing well.

    I hope you have a good weekend, ours started dry but now we have rain.

    All the best Jan

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  13. How poignant to see the stones around that cart and again stones on the memorial gathered from each man's village.

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  14. How fitting to remember the men who lost their lives 100 years ago.
    The hens must certainly give you joy along with fresh eggs!
    We've been on a walk and I made stew to enjoy as we pick up our daughter from the train station. ♥

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  15. I find it very touching that those fine men are remembered still today and honored. I'm glad your hens are happy and laying well.. ours are doing well too as we're having a mild winter. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  16. What a nice way to remember the sailors who died years ago at sea! Sailing was so different back then. Sorry for the loss. Thanks for sharing! I'm glad your hens are laying eggs and so delicious! I'm working photos for calendars I'm way behind on. January is half gone...but it will be ok with my friends, then get on with a quilt! Have a blessed weekend!

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  17. How wonderful that the sailors are so honored. Quite a touching story, though! I love your hens! What beauties they are! What a wonderful job you are doing in caring for them.

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  18. The rocks make for a heart-wrenching display. So sad to see so many losses.

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  19. Wonderful memorials of such an awful event. How tragic that they had survived the war and were nearly home. Your chickens look very happy:)

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  20. I always have the same reaction when I see the graves of young men, youths even, killed in wars past - yet we continue to fight, and send off the flower of our youth to die - and never learn our lesson.

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  21. Such a tragedy, it is so sad. I am glad these brave men are being remembered. Thank you for sharing this with all of us. By the way love all your wonderful gifts in your past post.

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  22. The chickens are my favorite. I just think they are so sweet and I miss mine. I used to trudge through the snow drifts and visit them for a while in their coup. They liked to be sung to. They would get totally silent while they listened. A very appreciative audience. Good luck with your new hobby of needle felting. It warms my heart that you have good friends and neighbors that took care of your homestead while you were gone. We should all be so blessed.

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  23. the sitting spot in the memorial is beautiful!! I love when you tell of the history to your newly adopted community!!

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  24. Thank you for that little history lesson and beautiful memorials. Your hens are actually quite pretty. How nice that you get enough eggs to share.

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  25. It’s wonderful that the whole community comes together in remembrance...Your picture tour was most embracing .... We had a big snow storm so our chickens are huddling closely together with no eggs in sight... Your chicken are definitely in better place for chicken antics( ha ha)..Good luck with your new hobby....Hugs

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  26. This is the first I've heard of the Iolaire and I enjoyed seeing your photos of the exhibit. What a sad story, how terrible. Your hens are beautiful!

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  27. Oh, such a heartwarming post. God Bless the community for pulling together and building such a fine memorial.
    Your chickens are cuties.
    My poor bunnies are out in this cold. We keep them well fed, and with plenty of straw in their wood shed/house. We got them some corn to warm their bellies, too. We use a heater for their water also. I used to bring them in the house, but that just made them shed out...then putting them back outside was not good...so we just leave them in their house, and keep plenty of straw and food to keep them warm. they've made if four years now...so I guess it's all okay. Have a wonderful week!!
    Debbie xo

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  28. Such an unbearable tragedy. I would love to compose a poem about it but find it too sad. poemblog15.blogspot.com

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  29. I respect those men so much, is such a great thing to be remembering them.
    The cock I ate this Christmas looks exactly like yours. I hope it didn't come back to life
    Wonder Cottage
    The Glossychic

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  30. As sad as the Iolaire tragedy was, it's wonderful that the community has not forgotten these men and honors them in this way. It's nice to have a supply of fresh eggs and sure your neighbors are grateful and appreciative too, Lorraine.

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  31. You share such wonderful historical events and memorials!
    Oh the chickens...I dream of having some as they are wonderful to be around. Plus you get eggs.
    I hope you have a wonderful day!

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  32. What a wonderful tribute to those brave young men.

    Love your happy face tree.

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