Fèis Litreachas Innse Gall THE HEBRIDEAN BOOK FESTIVAL 28 - 31 Dàmhair / October
Chapter 20: Cianalas - Nostalgia WWW.LANNTAIR.COM
INTRODUCTION
Faclan began in 2006, and this will be its twentieth edition. Originally held in late August, in 2011 it migrated from summer to Samhain, when the nights draw in and the clocks go back. So, there is a sense of perspective and a strain of nostalgia running through this year’s programme. Of longing and belonging. Of life in the rear-view mirror albeit with an eye on the road ahead. Time past is vividly and movingly evoked - in fact and in fiction – through three events that transport us to Uist and Barra in 1978 (World Cup Year), to South Lochs in the 50s, and to wider Lewis from the late 60s up to the present day. Accounts that scratch deep beneath the local historical record. Further back still, we enter the global phenomenon that is Outlander. An inside account from Gillebrìde Macmillan, originally cast as a bard in the show, and who subsequently worked as the Gaelic consultant on the series, as a singer and songwriter, and eventually had a special part written for him. In advance, to offset this version of Scotland, whether as an introduction or a corrective - you decide - we will also be screening the astonishing 1964 film Culloden. The last battle on British soil and arguably the defining event in modern Highland history.
ROIMH-RADH
Christmas comes early with the Hebridean Baker launching his new festive cookbook. But we are back on schedule later that evening with a live music presentation of the silent classic The Phantom of the Opera for Halloween.
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Other events include classic film, a Saturday morning breakfast event looking at the Island from above and below, and an acclaimed and spellbinding evocation of Louisiana in the 1920s. 2026 is also the 25th anniversary of the Island Books Trust, who along with Acair, are a pillar of publishing in the Islands. Congratulations and Happy Birthday! They have joined with us and the Library to create a new and exciting fringe programme. Roddy Murray Head of Visual Arts & Literature
FACLAN FRINGE
5.30PM A HOMELAND CARRIED IN WORDS
Murtaza Barlas
DIHAOINE / FRIDAY 30 DÀMHAIR / 30 OCTOBER FACLAN FRINGE
11AM POSTCARDS & MEMORIES
FACLAN FRINGE 12PM FLOW MAGIC WORKSHOP
DISATHAIRNE / SATURDAY 31 DÀMHAIR / 31 OCTOBER BREAKFAST EVENT
10AM OS CIONN - AIR TÌR - GU H-IOSAL ABOVE - ON LAND - BELOW Roddy Murray, Colin Tucker & Alasdair Macleod
Molly Murray
FACLAN FRINGE
FACLAN APERITIF
7PM STORYDRAM
DIARDAOIN / THURSDAY 29 DÀMHAIR / 29 OCTOBER
1PM THE STONES OF STORNOWAY
PROGRAMME
DICIADAIN / WEDNESDAY 28 DÀMHAIR / 28 OCTOBER
Ian McHardy
2PM A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT
FILM
AUTHOR EVENT
12PM THE HEBRIDEAN BAKER with Alasdair Macleod
FACLAN FRINGE
11AM POSTCARDS & MEMORIES
FACLAN FRINGE
1PM THE STONES OF STORNOWAY Ian McHardy
FACLAN FRINGE
3PM AUTHOR EVENT
FROM PITCH TO PRINT
5PM BUINTINN : BELONGING
CUIMHNE: Memory
An illustrated talk and screening of Dalziel + Scullion’s short film RAVEN
5PM
AUTHOR EVENT
2PM WHAT THE RIVER WASHED AWAY Muriel Mharie Macleod
AUTHOR EVENT
A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER Martin MacIntyre
FACLAN FRINGE
2PM OUT & ABOUT, PENCILS AT THE READY CHILDRENS WORKSHOP Louisa Macdougall & the Stornoway Children’s Writers Group
FACLAN FRINGE
5.30PM SPOOKY STORYTIME
AUTHOR EVENT
FACLAN FRINGE
6PM ISLANDS BOOK TRUST
7PM CIANALAS: HEBRIDES UNCUT R. M. Murray
5PM UNDERLAND
FILM
25 Years in Print, Celebration & Awards
FILM
7PM CULLODEN
AUTHOR EVENT
8.30PM OUTLANDER & SCOTLAND Gillebrìde Macmillan
Angus Macmillan in coversation with Dolina Maclennan
OIDCHE SHAMHNA: Halloween 8PM THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA with live accompaniment from Andrew Wasylyk & Tommy Perman
FILM
PRÒGRAM
AUTHOR EVENT
8.30PM BETWEEN THE ECHOES: PLACE - HOME - LEWIS
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EXHIBITIONS
GLUASAD GUN SGUIR PERPETUAL MOTION Society of Scottish Artists
Artists from across Scotland, and beyond, reflect on the migration of people, animals, objects, systems or ideas. The SSA is the largest artistled organisation in Scotland with members based all over the world. For further information visit www.s-s-a.org
EALAN
NAKED GNEISS Photography by Ian McHardy
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Main Gallery, An Lanntair 17 Oct – 5 Dec
Stripping away 3,000 years of peat growth at Arnish.
Bar Gallery, An Lanntair 16 Oct – 7 Dec
A HOMELAND CARRIED IN WORDS
Wed 28 Oct, 5.30pm
Stornoway Library
An evening of conversation, food & poetry with Murtaza Barlas, a poet, writer, and cultural and community activist from Afghanistan. His life and work have been shaped by his deep connection to homeland, memory, suffering, and the search for freedom.
FRINGE
All Faclan Fringe events are FREE but booking is advised - see www.lanntair.com for more info
STORYDRAM
Wed 28 Oct, 7pm The New Lewis A whisky tasting & evening with self-published Lewis based author Jane Harlington: A Figment of Paradise (The Blue Pig in Carloway). Enjoy a dram and some storytelling in The New Lewis by the fire.
POSTCARDS & MEMORIES
Thur 29 & Fri 30 Oct, 11am Stornoway Library
Step back in time exploring the vintage postcard collections held by Stornoway Library and Stornoway Historical Society.
THE STONES OF STORNOWAY
Thur 29 & Fri 30 Oct, 1pm Stornoway Library
Join archaeologist Ian McHardy for a guided walk exploring the mysteries of Stornoway’s lost stone circle. Beginning in Stornoway Library to look at historic maps, this storytelling walk uncovers the hidden history of the town’s ancient stones and landscapes.
SPOOKY STORYTIME
Thur 29 Oct, 5.30pm Stornoway Library
Spooky Storytime marks the return of our popular Libraries After Dark series. Join us for an evening of ghostly tales, ghoulish songs, and Halloween fun perfect for little ones. Come along in your favourite costume and enjoy a delightfully spooky adventure filled with stories, laughter, and seasonal surprises.
ISLANDS BOOK TRUST: CELEBRATION & AWARDS CEREMONY
Thur 29 Oct, 6pm Caberfeidh Hotel
FLOW MAGIC WORKSHOP THE STORIES WE WEAVE
Fri 30 Oct, 12pm Stornoway Library
A celebration of 25 years of Islands Book Trust publishing, recognising the people, publications and work that have shaped the Trust since 2000.
Make the past come alive by writing it into the present in a playful writing workshop that blends the line between historical fact and fiction. Weave your own memories and family stories into your work or use our prompts and be inspired by the history of the island. Bring your notebook and pen. Writers new and old are welcome.
Fri 30 Oct, 11am Stornoway Library
OUT & ABOUT, PENCILS AT THE READY
Sat 31 Oct, 2pm Stornoway Library
Ever wondered what happens after a manuscript lands on a publisher’s desk? Join our Publishing Panel for a lively discussion on bringing books from idea to publication. Whether you're an aspiring or established writer, this is a unique opportunity to hear from those who can help turn great ideas into printed pages.
Whether you're just starting out or already have a story taking shape, join author Louisa Macdougall & members of the Stornoway Library Children’s Writers Group for a friendly and supportive workshop to explore ideas, gather inspiration, and develop your writing skills. All abilities welcome.
IOMALL
FROM PITCH TO PRINT PUBLISHING PANEL
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THURSDAY 29 OCTOBER
DIARDAOIN 29 DÀMHAIR 6
5pm: Auditorium, An Lanntair
Author Event: £10 / £8
BUINTINN : BELONGING An illustrated talk and screening of Dalziel + Scullion’s short film RAVEN
For more than 30 years, Dalziel + Scullion have created artworks that serve as conduits between people and nature, renewing our connection with landscapes and the non-human species we share our world with. Rather than viewing nature as separate from us, they understand it as the home we all inhabit. Since moving to Uig on the west coast of Lewis in 2022, their practice has increasingly examined how a heightened sense of place reveals the complexity and enriches the meaning of ‘home’.
Faclan Film: £8 / £6
CULLODEN
(Peter Watkins 1964) A seminal docudrama that depicts the defeat of the Jacobite Army by government troops at Culloden in 1746 that, in the words of the narrator, "tore apart forever the clan system of the Scottish Highlands ." Described as "an account of one of the most mishandled and brutal battles ever fought in Britain," it was hailed as a breakthrough for its presentation of a historical event in the style of modern TV war reporting , as well as its use of non-professional actors. The film was based on John Prebble 's study of the battle.
THURSDAY 29 OCTOBER
7pm: Auditorium, An Lanntair
8.30pm: Auditorium, An Lanntair Author Event: £10 / £8
OUTLANDER & SCOTLAND Inspired by Scotland’s tumultuous history of ‘treachery, betrayal and murder’, Outlander has fired unprecedented global interest in Highland dress, Scottish history and Gaelic culture. Outlander and Scotland offers a fascinating and sometimes surprising range of insights. Informed voices from the worldwide Outlander community discuss the storytelling, the characters, the real histories behind the fiction and the questions of gender and power it raises. GILLEBRÌDE MACMILLAN is from Milton in South Uist. Gaelic is his first language and Gaelic songs and traditions were always an important part of family life. He was the Gaelic language teacher on Outlander.
DIARDAOIN 29 DÀMHAIR
Gillebrìde Macmillan
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FRIDAY 30 OCTOBER
2pm: Auditorium, An Lanntair Faclan Film: £8 / £6
A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT (Robert Redford, 1992)
Set in Montana and based on Norman Maclean's 1976 semiautobiographical novella, it stars Craig Sheffer and Brad Pitt as the two sons of a Presbyterian minister while they come of age. The film spans a period of time from the World War I era to the early days of the Great Depression. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, winning the Oscar for Best Cinematography. While Robert Redford was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Director.
CUIMHNE: MEMORY 3 EVENTS ON PAST LIFE IN THE ISLANDS
Special Offer - Attend all three ‘Cuimhne’ events for only £15
DIHAOINE 30 DÀMHAIR
Buy a ticket & be in with a chance to win a bottle of the new Harris Whisky.
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5pm: Auditorium, An Lanntair
Author event: £10 / £8
A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER Martin MacIntrye
In the summer of 1978, young Colin Quinn spends time on South Uist with his uncle, Dr Ruairidh Gillies. As Scotland’s World Cup hopes in Argentina stir the nation, Colin and Ruairidh forge a deeper bond amidst the beauty, isolation and rich storytelling of the Outer Hebrides. But, as the days pass, a dark cloud gathers over this idyllic summer and the local folklore to hold a sobering mirror to the present. A moving exploration of family, connection, and the haunting forces that shape our lives, Martin MacIntyre’s compelling narrative draws us deeply into that complex changing world, making us care every step of the way.
Author event: £10 / £8
Buy a ticket & be in with a chance to win a bottle of the new Harris Whisky.
CIANALAS: HEBRIDES UNCUT R. M. Murray
This spare, deadpan and unvarnished portrait of life on Lewis and Harris by the Saltire Prize–winning author of Bleak: The Mundane Comedy, is a foil to the picture postcard version. Island life as it was and is, with its rip tides and contradictions. Lyrical, unsentimental, often funny, this is not the curated Hebrides of lonely crofts and empty moorland, but a live, working place: of council estates and supermarkets, industry and hardship, memory and change. A deeply personal and original tribute to a place, too often flattened into cliché. Laced with affection, seasoned with salt. No sugar.
FRIDAY 30 OCTOBER
7pm: Auditorium, An Lanntair
a ticket & be in with a 8.30pm: Auditorium, An Lanntair Buy chance to win a bottle of Author event: £10 / £8
the new Harris Whisky.
BETWEEN THE ECHOES: PLACE-HOME-LEWIS
Angus Macmillan in conversation with Donlina Maclennan The Lewis-born poet and writer and a member of The Lochies folk group, reflects on his upbringing in the Gaelic-speaking crofting village of Lemreway. His account is structured through the prisms of the four elements – earth, air, fire and water – to evoke a sense of place, home and belonging.
The work also considers nostalgia, and what can and cannot be returned to in the context of social change and the passage of time.
DIHAOINE 30 DÀMHAIR
Drawing on lived experience, Macmillan presents a series of elegiac, poetic narratives rooted in the landscape and community of Lewis. These are then considered alongside psychological and philosophical perspectives, offering a broader reflection on how individuals and communities understand their past.
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SATURDAY 31 OCTOBER DISATHAIRNE 31 DÀMHAIR 10
COFFEE & BREAKFAST ROLL INCLUDED IN THE PRICE.
10am: Auditorium, An Lanntair
Breakfast event: £15
OS IS AIR IS FO: ABOVE - ON LAND - BELOW Time and change. Three perspectives on the Isle of Lewis. The topography of villages, the roads & transport that connected them, and the vessels swallowed by the sea. Aerial photographs from the nineteen-sixties: Roddy Murray On the Road: Mitchell’s buses: Colin Tucker Shipwrecks round the islands: Alasdair Macleod
Author event: £10 / £8
THE HEBRIDEAN BAKER with Alastair Macleod
Recipes draw on traditional Scottish favourites alongside dishes from around the world. Food that feels generous. Food that works. Food you’ll want to make again and again, long after the Christmas decorations have been packed away. N ollaig Chridheil a h-uile duine, agus Bliadhna Mhath Ùr! ( ‘Nuair a thig i.) International best-selling author and BBC TV presenter Coinneach MacLeod, the Hebridean Baker is from South Lochs in Lewis. His four cookbooks have made him Scotland’s best-selling cookbook author. A regular on both ITV and the BBC’s Morning programmes his debut BBC series Hebridean Baker: Nordic Islands saw him cross Scandinavia learning about the recipes, culture and people. Winner at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards & Scottish Podcast of the Year.
DISATHAIRNE 31 DÀMHAIR
From Scotland's bestselling cookbook author, this irresistible festive collection is packed to brimming with seasonal recipes. A celebration of tradition, warmth and Scottish hospitality it is bolstered with stunning photography of wild Scotland in Winter.
SATURDAY 31 OCTOBER
12pm: Auditorium, An Lanntair
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SATURDAY 31 OCTOBER
‘A spellbinding novel’ Booker prize-winner Marlon James
2pm: Auditorium, An Lanntair
Author event: £10 / £8
WHAT THE RIVER WASHED AWAY Muriel Mharie Macleod A missing child, a buried tin of coins, and a terrible secret lie at the heart of Muriel Macleod’s extraordinary first novel set deep in the back country of early-20th-century Louisiana, where lawlessness still reigns and the voodoo curses and charms of the old ways hold sway.
Muriel is from Stornoway, graduated in Fine Art and is a distinguished artist and animation film producer. For nine years she was Director of the British Fulbright Scholars Association, and for twenty years illustrated articles for the Scottish edition of the Times Educational Supplement. She lived in the Caribbean for many years, where much of her inspiration comes from. 5pm: Auditorium, An Lanntair
DISATHAIRNE 31 DÀMHAIR
Faclan Film: £8 / £6
UNDERLAND
(Robert Petet, 2025) To most of us the world beneath our feet is but a place of fear and darkness, though to a brave few it is one of knowledge and wonder to be found nowhere else. Based on the bestselling book by Robert Macfarlane, Underland is a cinematic documentary that voyages into worlds rarely glimpsed by human eyes. Beginning in the shallow soils beneath an old ash tree, the film follows several ‘astronauts of the underworld’ as they travel into ancient sacred caves, flooded storm drains, melting glaciers, underwater burial chambers and a deep underground laboratory built to solve the mysteries of the Universe. Underland is a deep dive into the Earth that ultimately presents a groundbreaking vision for 12 rethinking our lives on this fragile surface.
Special Faclan film event: £12 / £10
OIDHCHE SHAMHNA: Halloween
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
(Robert Julian, 1925) with live score written and performed by Andrew Wasylyk & Tommy Perman. A special Halloween screening & live music performance of a horror masterpiece of the silent era, with a new haunting and dramatic score. Starring Lon Chaney and based on Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel, it features opulent costumes, extravagant sets and hundreds of extras, and a dazzling early use of Technicolour.
The duo’s first collaborative album, 'Ash Grey and The Gull Glides On’ in 2024, garnered a Scottish Album of The Year Award nomination, while ‘House with A Curse’ - the soundtrack to this iconic piece of cinema history on Clay Pipe Music, will be available on the evening.
Enjoy a complimentary taste of the new Harris Whisky from the Isle of Harris Distillery prior to the event.
DISATHAIRNE 31 DÀMHAIR
Befitting of this silent classic, expect a present-day approach, navigating opera, neo-classical, acoustic and electronic instruments with elements of sound design. Not to be missed!
SATURDAY 31 OCTOBER
8pm: Auditorium, An Lanntair
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FACLAN ÒGA SCHOOL EVENTS
AS PART OF FACLAN: THE HEBRIDEAN BOOK FESTIVAL, THE FOLLOWING AUTHORS ARE SPEAKING IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
Do you know how to make a mummy like the Ancient Egyptians? Would you eat a cake made from lake slime and fly eggs like the Aztecs? Join award-winning author Chae Strathie for all this and more as we take a whirlwind trip through time to explore kids' lives in the distant past - from Ancient Rome to medieval castles. A fun, musical, interactive event based on his So You Think You've Got It Bad series written in collaboration with the British Museum and dubbed "Horrible Histories for a new generation". Chae Strathie is an award-winning children’s author and journalist who grew up in a tiny village surrounded by a forest in Scotland, which probably explains a lot. A regular at major book festivals, Chae has toured the length and breadth of the UK and visited schools as far afield as Romania, reading his stories, acting the goat and singing silly songs about worm ice cream and beardgrowing. He lives in Dundee.
COPIES OF THESE BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR SHOP RESERVE YOUR COPY: 01851 708480
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Event in English for Lower Primary Dates: Thur 29th October Times: am or pm Location: your school Cost: free
Thigibh còmhla rinn airson bùthobrach leis an dealbhadair agus an sgrìobhadair Sarah NicRath far am bi i a’ leughadh an sgeulachd ùr aice ‘An Ròn a Chaill a Shròn’. Seallaidh i dhuinn mar a pheant i na dealbhan aice agus bi an cothrom aig a' chloinn na ròin aca fhèin a chruthachadh.
Martin MacIntyre is an author, poet and storyteller. He has worked across these genres for over twenty years, and written eight works of fiction and three poetry collections. A crowned Bard and former Scottish Poetry Library Ambassador, Martin was the University of Edinburgh's first Gaelic Writer in Residence 2022-24.
’S e sgrìobhadair agus dealbhadair à Loch Aillse ann an taobh siar Siorrachd Rois, a th’ ann an Sarah NicRath. B’ àbhaist dhi a bhith na neach-obrach tràthbhliadhnaichean mus do thòisich i a’ sgrìobhadh. Tha na sgeulachdan aice freagarrach airson clann òg agus teaghlaichean Gàidhlig. Tha ùidh aice ann an ruitheam is rannachd le cuspairean èibhinn is caran gòrach - a bhios tlachdmhòr is tarraingeach do chloinn òg. Fhuair i Duais Ghàidhlig mar phàirt de Duaisean nan Sgrìobhadairean Ùra, Urras Leabhraichean na hAlba agus Comhairle nan Leabhraichean ann an 2025.
Event in Gaelic or English for Upper Primary Dates: Friday 30th October Times: am or pm Location: your school Cost: free
COPIES OF THESE BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR SHOP RESERVE YOUR COPY: 01851 708480
Event in Gaelic for GM1-3 Dates: Monday 2 nd November Times: am or pm Location: your school Cost: free
FACLAN ÒGA SCHOOL EVENTS
This book brings Celtic myths to life and is perfect for children who love history and mythology. Learn key background information on Celtic lands and history, as well as exciting characters, from the demigod C' Chulainn to the warrior-hero Fionn Mac Cumhaill and the beautiful princess Gr'inne.
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ARTS CENTRE STORNOWAY
AN LANNTAIR SRÀID CHOINNICH STEÒRNABHAGH EILEAN LEÒDHAIS HS1 2DS
OPENING HOURS
MON: 10am - 5pm (except for evenings with events) TUES - WED: 10am - 9pm (except for evenings with events) THURS - SAT: 10am – Late LAST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH: 1pm – 4pm
BOOKING
TELEPHONE: 01851 708480 LANNTAIR.COM
TICKET PRICES
ALL FESTIVAL PASS TICKET : £60 / £50 U21s FACLAN FILMS : £8/£6 AUTHOR EVENTS : £10/£8 SPECIAL OFFER: Attend all three ‘Cuimhne’ events for only £15 FACLAN FRINGE EVENTS: FREE (Booking advised) SCHOOL EVENTS: FREE (Booking essential)
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