The Life of John Lorne Campbell of Canna by Ray Perman
There is something tantalising about a closed gate. The old green gate into Canna House garden always intrigued me when we walked passed on summer holidays long ago. It gave that hint of a secret place waiting to be discovered. A smart new garden gate is still closed but the garden itself is now open to the public and it is well worth a visit.
An unspoilt view from Sanday
Crates of whisky famously ‘washed up’ on the shores of Eriskay when the SS Politician was wrecked. These days the tides bring in a far less cheering bounty of plastic bottles – and much, much more manmade rubbish – on every shore.
There was a poem in praise of the Gaelic language, love poems, nature poems and … a poem on the coming of venereal disease to Ardnamurchan.
Canna House, newly opened to the public – at least, two rooms and the hall are open for a few hours on a Saturday – will host its first one-day seminar on May 28. Under the title, The Bard and the Birlinn, it will look at the life and work of one of the island’s most interesting past residents, Alasdair MacMhaighstir Alasdair, known in English as Alexander MacDonald. Read more
With the 30th anniversary of John Lorne Campbell’s gift of the Isle of Canna to the National Trust for Scotland approaching and the opening of Canna House for the first time to visitors, how privileged we were to hear Frances Faux playing Margaret Fay Shaw’s Steinway piano.
Canna in 1938, photograph by Margaret Fay Shaw
I’m looking forward to my debut at Aye Write on Saturday (2pm, March 5 in the Mitchell Library, Glasgow, since you ask). I’m sharing the platform with Andy Wightman, who will talk about his new book, The Poor Had No Lawyers. Though we have both done readings and talks before, neither of us has appeared at a book festival. It is a bit daunting to find that we are up against Steve Bell, the Guardian cartoonist, who will be appearing in another room at the same time. He is a seasoned festival performer, extremely funny and vicious about politicians – an unbeatable combination. He is bound to get a full house.
In a democracy it is the privilege of the people to work overtime in their own interests – the creation of a new society where all men are free. Moses Coady 1939
Struggling to explain what he means by the Big Society, David Cameron might take a few tips from a man who had no such trouble. Moses Coady inspired hope and self-reliance in poverty-stricken communities by linking adult education with co-operative business ventures. Read more
A print of this picture, cut from a magazine, is amongst the papers in Canna House. It clearly depicts several of the island landmarks and people going about island activities – farming, lobster fishing, sunbathing. Only the man with the gun is incongruous,since John and Margaret Campbell did not allow shooting (although John sometimes turned a blind eye to the shooting of rabbits, or hooded crows during lambing).
Rum belongs to a very rich & fast young man, by name George Bullough who is hardly ever there but he is building a large and very pretentious fine red sandstone house with dozens of rooms, and a long carriage drive.
The holiday diary of Viola May on the new Canna Local History website gives fascinating glimpses of island life more than 100 years ago. In most ways this is a very different world. At times you have to remind yourself these are the private thoughts of a young woman who is 20 years old. Read more
With a volatile mix of the visionary and a confrontational style, he campaigned mostly in print to turn his passions into reality.
There is a nice continuity about the review in the Scots Magazine – quite apart from the very generous comments by the writer, this is the publication which carried articles by John for many years. At times you suspect the editor must have wondered what was coming next. Read more
Christmases past: “Cables coated with ice have fallen from Shetland down through the Outer Isles, never was there such a Christmas for misery”, wrote Margaret, “I am taking time to pull myself together, John still in bed and I am trying to inspire him to put on his clothes. He will need a little energy in his wobbly shanks”.