Ron, who runs the popular Islay Info Website created a Youtube Video of the Commemoration Service which was held on the 4th of May at the War Memorial in the Harbour of Port Ellen. During this service HRH Princess Anne laid a wreath at the foot of the Memorial to honour the soldiers who died in the Otranto and Tuscania tragedies as well as the soldiers from Islay and Jura who lost their lives in WW1.
On the eve of the International Service of Remembrance the world’s first “alt-bluegrass” act, The Coal Porters, will be performing in Bowmore Village Hall. Having played to numerous audiences around the world, The Coal Porters are five musicians from the U.S. and U.K. who bring old themes and melodies into the 21st century.
The evening will be chaired by Glenn Campbell of the BBC and will also feature Archie McAllister on fiddle and Islay songs from Libby Morris and Mod Gold Medallist Alasdair Currie.
Tickets: £12 (includes an interval refreshment)
Tickets can be purchased on the door or in advance from The Celtic Shop, Bowmore, and Lauries of Islay, Port Ellen.
The concert is organised by Islay Arts Association with support from Lagavulin Legacy Fund and Mactaggart Third Fund.
Help create a living, growing tribute at Dunlossit Estate to mark the centenary of the First World War. We aim to plant 1,000 trees so need as much help as possible, please drop-in to lend a hand anytime over the day. Pick-up-point at Ballygrant Hall, where there will be light refreshments and children’s activities.
All equipment will be provided and full instruction will be given. Please dress for the outdoors in warm, waterproof clothing and sturdy footwear. It will take place on Saturday 17th March, 10am-3:30pm. For more info check out This Link
Monday 5th February is the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the SS Tuscania by UB-77 in the North Channel between Islay and Rathlin Island. WW100 Islay is organising two commemorative services to give us all an opportunity to remember those that lost their lives and the remarkable dedication and resourcefulness of the Islay men and women who as a community pulled together when this tragedy brought the war directly to Islay’s shores.
The first service will be held at the American Monument (weather permitting). Commissioned by the American Red Cross and designed by Scottish Architect Robert Walker, an American Red Cross publication in 1920 described the Monument thus:
“Islay folk were accustomed to mark their important graves or sites with cairns or towers built of rough hewn native stone. In view of this, the American Red Cross adopted the design of a watch tower sixty feet in height and twenty feet in diameter at the base, to be constructed of stone gathered in the neighbouring fields or from cliffs”.
On clear days there are spectacular views of the waters in which the ship went down and towards the west nearly where, three thousand miles beyond the horizon, America the homeland of those the Monument honours, and who we, 100 years on, will commemorate.
This will be followed by a service at Kilnaughton Military Cemetery managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Private Roy Muncaster, the only American soldier still buried on Islay, lies here alongside five members of the Tuscania crew.
To recognise the part played in the rescue of men from the Tuscania the Stars and Stripes, beautifully sewn by the Islay Quilters in remembrance of the flag sewn 100 years ago, and the Union Jack will be carried by serving members of the Islay Coastguard and RNLI. Wreaths will be laid in memory of the American soldiers and of the ship’s British crew, and in memory of the families in America and on Islay who lost loved ones in the Great War. There will also be wreaths laid by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Coastguards and the RNLI.
Isobel Ferguson will play a lament and Scott McDermott will end the minutes silence with Reveille. Port Ellen Primary Gaelic Choir will start the Kilnaughton service with An Eala Bhan. There will also be a reading in Gaelic by Lewis Davy and a poem by American poet Ryan Van Winkle.
The services will be conducted by the island’s two ministers, Valerie Watson and Jim McNulty.
All welcome.
Timings:
09.45 For car sharing meet at Kilnaughton New Cemetery car park
10.15 Meet at the American Monument/RSPB car park on the Oa
11.00 Service at the American Monument
12.30 Service at Kilnaughton Military Cemetery
Purvey:
Oatcakes, cheese and a dram will be served following the service at the American Monument. A formal purvey, to which all attendees are invited, will be provided at No 1 Charlotte Street after the service a Kilnaughton Military Cemetery.
Please note:
If the wind is above 30mph the formal service at the Monument will be cancelled for safety reasons. If this service is cancelled the service at Kilnaughton will still go ahead.
The walk to the American Monument is 0.7 of a mile over fairly rough and boggy terrain and the site is very exposed, so please wear suitable clothes and footwear.
For Kilnaughton Military Cemetery park at the New Kilnaughton Cemetery car park and walk down the road towards the lighthouse. Then follow the path along the front of the Old Kilnaughton Cemetery and over the sand dunes and down to the site.
WW100 Islay’s Commemorations got some fantastic press coverage today in Scotland. Local Piper Isobel Ferguson was pictured beside the grave of Private Roy Muncaster, the only American soldier left buried on Islay. Our first commemorative services take place on Monday 5th February remembering the loss of the SS Tuscania.
On the eve of the International Service of Remembrance the world’s first “alt-bluegrass” act, The Coal Porters, will be performing in Bowmore Village Hall. Having played to numerous audiences around the world, The Coal Porters are five musicians from the U.S. and U.K. who bring old themes and melodies into the 21st century.
Monday 5th February is the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the SS Tuscania by UB-77 in the North Channel between Islay and Rathlin Island. WW100 Islay is organising two commemorative services to give us all an opportunity to remember those that lost their lives and the remarkable dedication and resourcefulness of the Islay men and women who as a community pulled together when this tragedy brought the war directly to Islay’s shores.
To recognise the part played in the rescue of men from the Tuscania the Stars and Stripes, beautifully sewn by the Islay Quilters in remembrance of the flag sewn 100 years ago, and the Union Jack will be carried by serving members of the Islay Coastguard and RNLI. Wreaths will be laid in memory of the American soldiers and of the ship’s British crew, and in memory of the families in America and on Islay who lost loved ones in the Great War. There will also be wreaths laid by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Coastguards and the RNLI.
WW100 Islay’s Commemorations got some fantastic press coverage today in Scotland. Local Piper Isobel Ferguson was pictured beside the grave of Private Roy Muncaster, the only American soldier left buried on Islay. Our first commemorative services take place on Monday 5th February remembering the loss of the SS Tuscania.