The Secret Island

Towards a History of Tiree

Keypoints: Tiree is one of the few Hebridean islands without a full-length recent book published about its remarkable history.  In the summer of 2013 the Islands Book Trust held a three-day conference on the island of Tiree in an attempt to explore this hidden history.  This is the fascinating result of those few days.

Contents: Tiree is one of the most fertile Hebridean islands and has had a relatively large population since early times. One of its Gaelic names – ‘Tìr ìseal an eòrna’ (the low land of barley) -encapsulates its reputation for productive agriculture, while another – ‘Tìr bàrr fo thuinn’ (the land below the waves) – illustrates its generally very low lying nature.

About the authors: The Islands Book Trust conference brought together a wide range of people, from the academic world and from the local community, with knowledge of aspects of Tiree’s history from 1600 to the present day.  This publications includes submissions from Donald E. Meek, Rob Dunbar, Bob Chambers, John Holliday, Donald S. Murray and others.

Categories: History, Culture, Society, Religion, Literature

Readership:  General

Published: 2014