The Island Books Trust
St Kilda Conference - Lionacleit School, Benbecula
In this major conference, held to mark the 80th anniversary of the evacuation, the Islands Book Trust aims to look behind the myths and re-examine some of the conventional wisdom surrounding the island and it's people, who have been, in the years since the final evacuation under intense scrutiny:
They have attracted a first-class array of speakers to address these and other questions. As always with Book Trust conferences, they aim to bring together people from widely varied backgrounds, and the event will be rooted in a Hebridean community which still has close ties with St Kilda through the rocket range on Uist. In addition to the usual conference sessions, they will be:
St Kilda Conference - Lionacleit School, Benbecula
In this major conference, held to mark the 80th anniversary of the evacuation, the Islands Book Trust aims to look behind the myths and re-examine some of the conventional wisdom surrounding the island and it's people, who have been, in the years since the final evacuation under intense scrutiny:
• What were the motives of writers such as Martin Martin, John MacDonald, and John Sands, whose writings have so influenced our
impressions of St Kilda?
• What is known about how the St Kildans themselves viewed their world?
• What was the real role of the Church in influencing the lives and assumptions of the St Kildans and the eventual request for
evacuation?
• Why did St Kilda produce so little writing from within, in contrast with for example the Blasket islands in Ireland, or the Faroes?
• How different was St Kilda from other islands which became depopulated in the 20th century?
• What was the real role of the Church in influencing the lives and assumptions of the St Kildans and the eventual request for
evacuation?
• Why did St Kilda produce so little writing from within, in contrast with for example the Blasket islands in Ireland, or the Faroes?
• How different was St Kilda from other islands which became depopulated in the 20th century?
They have attracted a first-class array of speakers to address these and other questions. As always with Book Trust conferences, they aim to bring together people from widely varied backgrounds, and the event will be rooted in a Hebridean community which still has close ties with St Kilda through the rocket range on Uist. In addition to the usual conference sessions, they will be:
• Launching two new publications, the autobiography of Calum MacDonald (one of the few St Kildans to write about life on the islands); and a book by David Boddington based on a diary he kept when he was stationed on St Kilda at the beginning of military
occupation in the 1950s
• Hearing archive sound recordings and looking at rare photographs of the islands
• Organising an exhibition of books and other memorabilia about St Kilda
• Enjoying a special showing of 19th century lantern slides by the George Washington Wilson company
• Arranging a ceilidh featuring local musicians and artists
• Comparing and contrasting books about St Kilda with those from island communities in Ireland and the Faroes
• Organising a boat trip to St Kilda for a limited number of participants on a first come, first served basis
Find a full outline of the conference and a detailed programme HERE
occupation in the 1950s
• Hearing archive sound recordings and looking at rare photographs of the islands
• Organising an exhibition of books and other memorabilia about St Kilda
• Enjoying a special showing of 19th century lantern slides by the George Washington Wilson company
• Arranging a ceilidh featuring local musicians and artists
• Comparing and contrasting books about St Kilda with those from island communities in Ireland and the Faroes
• Organising a boat trip to St Kilda for a limited number of participants on a first come, first served basis
Find a full outline of the conference and a detailed programme HERE