by Franco Pelliccioni, Italian Geographical Society, Rome, Italy

It will be outlined the up-to-date socio-economic and cultural position acquired by the islander communities which are still deeply rooted into the Gaelic cultural tradition. These communities are now experimenting an interesting cultural change due to the improvement of communications which has brought, as a "feed back", a consistent touristic presence, too.

The analysys of the communities will privilege six main fields: a) the "Great Cultural Tradition" so typical of isolated Gaelic speaking communities; b) the relation in existence between the persistence of a tradition deeply rooted in the Gaidhealtach (due mainly to the centuries old isolation from Mainland) and the endurance to cultural change (or its acceptance); c) man-environment relation. An historical reading of the habitat will be more directly at hand through a side-survey in the remote island of St Kilda; d) relations among "communities-islands" modulated by the people's belongings to different religions (Presbyterian and Catholic, each one with its own different "world vision" - Weltanschauung -) and to the several "artificial" junctions of different islands. These characteristics cannot but to have made, in the long run, a silent "cultural revolution": in bringing nearer some communities and driven away other-ones; e) the traditional and innovating economy : crofting and farming, fishing, weaving, tourism; f) "quality of life"=development reached by the communities in the four islands-sample approached by the survey: Lewis, Harris, North Uist, Barra.

 I wish to express my heartily thanks to:

at Stornoway(Steornabhagh): Mr. Murdo Morrison, Marketing Manager of the Western Isles Tourist Board; Allan Cameron (Italian Translator and Interpreter) - Point- ; Mr. Alasdair G. Macrae, Councillor of the Western Islands Isles Council (Bayhead Electoral Division), and Vice Chairman Arts and Leisure Committee; Alex MacDonald (Crofting Development Officer), Ian Macleod (Fisheries Development) and Keith Bray (Planning Assistant), all of the Western Islands Isles Council; Mr. Malcom Mac Lean, Director of The National Gaelic Arts Project (Proiseact Nan Ealan); Fred Silver, Chief Editor Stornoway Gazette; archaeologist Carol Knott, Tourism Development Programme; Mr. Alistair Morrison, BBC Gaelic Correspondent.

At Ness: Mrs Annie McSween (Dail Bho Thusth) and her husband;

At Arnol: Mr. Norman Campbell "Gigely": ex whaler, sailor, operator in the petrol platforms, crofter and Harris Tweed weaver;

At Scadabaigh (Hillhead): Mrs. Ina MacLeod, Mr William (Willie) MacLeod and Mr.Donald MacLeod -crofter-;

Mrs. Maggie Morrison, retired Teacher and Stornoway Gazette Correspondent (Sollas); Mr. Archie Morrison crofter and Historian; Rev. John Smith "Hamersay" (of Clachan), retired Minister of the Church of Scotland; Mr. Donald Laing (of Joiner), retired crofter; Mr. Allan Macdonald (Baleshare), old crofter and father of Donald, Vicepresident of the Scottish Crofters Union; Dr. John MacLeod, my most precious host in the island: General Pratictioneer (Lochmaddy). He is one of the seven Country Doctors that form the WONCA Rural Group, World Organization of National Colleges Academique of Family Practice, crofter James (I didn't write down his surname, sorry…) at Ceathramh Meadhonach;

 At Castle Bay: Mrs Doreen Macneil, Western Isles Tourist Board; Captain Roderick "Roddy" Mackinnon (Ruairidh MacFhionghuin), Councillor of The Western Isles and Islands Council - Northbay Electoral Division-; Joseph MacDougall (from Vatersay), Chairman of the Community Council; Donald Manford (Secretary of the Community Council and Chairman of The Barra Branch Crofters Union).

Robert Morrison, skipper of the Eilean Na Hearadh ("Harris Island"), and Sandy Gillies, co-owner of the "Rosa Hebridean Cruises"

To: the well-known Geographer, Prof. Ian Thompson, Department of Geography and Topographic Science, University of Glasgow, who has been my wonderful host in Scottish land. Thank to him I had the very first and precious Outher Hebrides key-contacts; the colleague Anthropologist, Dr. Simon Charsley, Department of Sociology, University of Glasgow; Alan R. Macdonald (Aílean Bàn Mhurchaidh-Eòghainn), Hebridean Social Worker and Mrs. Morag Macalpine.

 It has been writing on the Outer Hebrides Research:

"Italian takes time to study Isles" (SG. 14857), Stornoway Gazette, 31 July 1997, 6.

From the Stornoway Gazette Photo: in the Stornoway Harbour

For an Internet article (titled "Guga") go to the Site of the Stornoway Gazette and West Coast Advertiser (Guth Nan Innse-Gall),

http://www.hebrides.com/news/1997/0824.htm

Stornoway

Western Isles Islands Council / Western Isles Tourist Board / Hebrides Info: Virtual Hebrides / Callanish / Gaelic Culture/ Island Of Lewis / Island of Lewis 2 / Harris / Barra / Kisimul Castle / St. Kilda / Boreray / and what about the St. Kilda puffins? / Western Isles Islands Council: Links / Scottish Music Real Audio: A.Fraser / Every Celtic Thing on the Web / Guide to the Higlands / Celt Net / Piping / Bagpipe Web / University of Glasgow: Home Page - Library - Department of Geography & Topographic Science - Department of Sociology / The Scotsman / Statistics UK / British Library /

YAHOO! UK & IRELAND

Northern Atlantic Maritime Communities Program

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UPDATED  2, 7, 2006