Faclan: The Hebridean Book Festival 2025 Programme

ARTS CENTRE

STORNOWAY

2025

FACLAN

Fèis Litreachas Innse Gall THE HEBRIDEAN BOOK FESTIVAL

Innis-Mhuir: Guthan Eileanach

ARCHIPELAGO: ISLAND VOICES

THURS 30 OCT SAT 1 NOV

WWW.LANNTAIR.COM

INTRODUCTION‌

Faclan this year dwells on the long archipelago of the Outer Hebrides. Its weather and environment, language and divergent voices, traditions and future. There is memoir, marriage, meteorology. Even murder.‌ ‌ Halloween will take us to Uist in the 1930s, and Benbecula in 1857. We’ll revisit the traditions of suirghe, betrothal and marriage in Lewis and Harris. Travel the country with a Gaelic atlas of history and geography. Hear about how the past can be a manual for future development.‌ ‌ And finish with a musical ‘blast from the past’ from the origins of punk in 1976, and travel to the present day on a drag-race strip under the islands’ night sky. Oh, and you will never look at clouds the same way again.‌ ‌ All of the above, anchored by three classic films: The Edge of the World (1937), Whisky Galore (1949), The Maggie (1954)‌ Look for events in Stornoway Library and Taigh Ceilidh too.‌

ROIMH-RADH‌

Roddy Murray‌ Head of Visual Arts & Literature‌ An Lanntair‌

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DIHAOINE / FRIDAY 31 DÀMHAIR / 31 OCTOBER

DISATHAIRNE / SATURDAY 1 SAMHAIN/ 1 NOVEMBER

EXHIBITION MEETING POINT: WITHIN THE LEWISIAN Jake Harvey & Helen Douglas

FILM 2PM THE MAGGIE (1954) Dir: Alexander MacKendrick

TALK 10AM SUIRGHE, RÈITEACH, BEINIS: Courting, Bethrothal, Marriage Margaret Stewart, Angus Maclennan & Dr John Smith

DIMÀIRT / TUESDAY 28 DÀMHAIR / 28 OCTOBER CHILDRENS EVENT 4PM FAMILY DRAW-ALONG Ross Collins

TALK 5PM PAINTING THE SKY: THE ARTS & SCIENCE OF CLOUDS Eddie Graham

CHILDRENS EVENT 6PM SPOOKY STORYTIME Stornoway Library

DIARDAOIN / THURSDAY

30 DÀMHAIR / 30 OCTOBER

TALK 12PM TRAVELS IN ANOTHER COUNTRY: A GUIDE TO GAELIC SCOTLAND Coinneach Maclean

TALK 7PM THE CADENCE OF A SONG: THE LIFE OF MARGARET FAY SHAW Fiona J. MacKenzie

TALK 7PM SWEENEY: AN INTERTONGUING Rody Gorman An Taigh Ceilidh

2PM DRIFTING NORTH Dominic Hinde

TALK 8PM BENBECULA Graeme Macrae Burnet

Stornoway Library

TALK

CHILDRENS EVENT 2PM ANESU AGUS NA CREUTAIREAN UISGE Tawana Maramba Stornoway Library FILM 5PM WHISKY GALORE (1949) Dir: Alexander Mackendrink

7PM SONGWRITERS’ EVENT Mike Winder

MUSIC

7.30PM BUZZCOCKS, BEETLES & CAMERAS John Maher

TALK

EVENTS ARE HELD IN AN LANNTAIR UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

PRÒGRAM

FILM 8.15PM THE EDGE OF THE WORLD (1937) FOLLOWED BY RETURN TO THE EDGE OF THE WORLD (1978)

PROGRAMME‌

18 DÀMHAIR / 29 SAMHAIN 18 OCTOBER / 29 NOVEMBER

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EXHIBITION‌

MEETING POINT: WITHIN THE LEWISIAN‌ JAKE HARVEY RSA & HELEN DOUGLAS‌

EALAN‌

Interpretations through Stone sculpture and photographic bookworks based on the Lewisian gneiss complex of Uist, at three billion years among the oldest rock on the planet. The bedrock of the island Archipelago.‌

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The exhibition comprises two distinct and exemplary bodies of work in the form of three-dimensional floor, wall, vitrine and shelf art works, focusing on individual stones and rock strata to illustrate the upheaval and alterations to the Gneiss complex over deep time. Each striation in the rock a response to heat and pressure as the earth began to find its settled form.‌ ‘Beginnings are pushed back, and we find ourselves in geological time.’ Professor Murdo Macdonald.‌ The exhibition was commissioned by Taigh Chearsabhagh in North Uist.‌

SAT 18 OCT‌ 2PM - 3PM‌

M‌a in Gallery‌ An Lanntair‌ 4‌ £5 / £4‌

EALAN‌

EALAN‌

Image credit: Jake Harvey, ‘Cladach’. 7 stone sculptures from the Lewisian gneiss complex

EXHIBITION‌

GALLERY TOUR‌

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THURSDAY 30 OCTOBER‌ ‌

SWEENEY: AN INTERTONGUING Rody Gorman 7pm

Taigh Ceilidh In this hugely ambitious multilingual work, acclaimed poet Rody Gorman recasts the mediaeval Irish text Buile Shuibhne – The Frenzy of Sweeney – into English, Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and Manx.

It’s a cacophony of voices, both broadening and focusing the story.‌ ‌ ‘In Gorman’s brilliant reinvention, we are brought into a human, linguistic and poetic world that contains multitudes’ The Irish Times

DIARDAOIN 30 DÀMHAIR

‘An utterly extraordinary work …

The variety, energy and invention is dazzling’ Robert Macfarlane

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‘A milestone and a work of exceptional originality based on the Gaelic tradition’ Meg Bateman ‘… a masterly sequence of poems’ Peter MacKay (Scotland’s Makar) AVAILABLE IN OUR SHOP. RESERVE YOUR COPY: 01851 708480

AUTHOR EVENT: £6 / £5

8pm

An Lanntair Loosely based on the depopulation‌ ‌ and evacuation of the St Kilda‌ ‌ archipelago in 1930, and filmed‌ ‌ on Foula, the title is a reference to‌ ‌ the Latin expression ‌U ltima Thule‌ ‌ (a distant unknown region; the‌ ‌ extreme limit of travel‌ ‌ and discovery.) One by one,‌ ‌ the younger generation are‌ ‌ leaving the old way of life for‌ ‌ opportunities on the mainland…‌ ‌

THURSDAY 30 OCTOBER‌

THE EDGE OF THE WORLD (1937)

Dir: Michael Powell‌

RETURN TO THE EDGE OF‌ THE WORLD (1978)‌ ‌ Michael Powell and some of the‌ ‌ surviving cast and crew re-visit‌ ‌ the island where they made the‌ ‌ film that changed their lives.‌ ‌ There, they talk to some of‌ ‌ the islanders who were there‌ ‌ in 1937 and remember those‌ ‌ who couldn't make the‌ ‌ reunion.‌ ‌

FACLAN FILMS: £5/£4

DIARDAOIN 30 DÀMHAIR

will follow this screening.

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2pm

An Lanntair

DIHAOINE 31 DÀMHAIR

FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER‌

THE MAGGIE (1954)

Inspired by Neil Munro’s‌ ‌ much-loved stories about the‌ ‌ Vital Spark with her famous captain Para Handy.‌

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Dir: Alexander Mackendrick‌

In some ways a forerunner of Local Hero,‌ ‌ the film features a hard-driving American businessman‌ ‌ who meets his match in the wily captain and crew of a‌ ‌ Clyde steam puffer.‌ ‌ FACLAN FILMS: £5/£4

FREE BUT BOOKING, VIA ‌ VENTBRITE, IS ESSENTIAL E

Stornoway Library

The people have left, the lights have been dimmed, and the Library has gone to bed. Or so the grown-ups think…‌

FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER‌

6pm

Sneak in with your teddy bear, torch and blanket, wear your favourite PJs or dress up in your best Halloween costume and snuggle up for an enchanting storytime after dark in the Stornoway Library. Listen to twilight tales and songs as the sun sets. Hot chocolate and cookies will be provided. BYO teddy, torch and blanket. Bookings are essential. Come in costume or PJs.‌ exhibition

DIHAOINE 31 DÀMHAIR

Note: This is a children’s event, most suitable for ages‌ ‌ 3-10 years. All grown-ups must be accompanied by a child.

Maximum two grown-ups per child.‌

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FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER‌

PAINTING THE SKY:

THE ARTS & SCIENCE OF CLOUDS Eddie Graham 5pm

An Lanntair AUTHOR EVENT: £6 / £5

Watch the skies!‌ ‌

DIHAOINE 31 DÀMHAIR

Clouds have captivated and inspired scientists and artists alike. This unique book, by well-known former Island resident Eddie Graham, curates and classifies these elusive shapes in an engaging narrative.‌ ‌ It includes an essay on historic art, with breathtaking cloud studies by some of the greatest artists ever to look skyward.‌ ‌

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Eddie is an atmospheric‌ ‌ scientist and lecturer in Geography, the Sciences and Sustainable Development at the University of the Highlands and Islands.‌ ‌ former operational A meteorologist, his first book "Clouds” was published by‌ ‌ Princeton‌ ‌ University Press‌ ‌i n 2025.‌

FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER‌ DIHAOINE 31 DÀMHAIR

AVAILABLE IN OUR SHOP. RESERVE YOUR COPY: 01851 708480

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FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER‌ DIHAOINE 31 DÀMHAIR 12

OIDHCHE SHAMHNA: HALLOWEEN THE CADENCE OF A SONG: THE LIFE OF MARGARET FAY SHAW

Fiona J. Mackenzie 7pm

An Lanntair From the salons of Paris to‌ ‌ the peat fires of South Uist, American folklorist Margaret‌ ‌ Fay Shaw’s life was extraordinary.

Devoted to preserving Gaelic‌ ‌ song, story, and image,‌ ‌ leaving a legacy that‌ ‌ resonates internationally‌ ‌ to this day.‌ ‌

Like Margaret,‌ ‌ archivist and‌ ‌ Gaelic singer‌ ‌ Fiona J Mackenzie‌ ‌ from Dingwall,‌ ‌ learned Gaelic‌ ‌ and lived and‌ ‌ worked in Canna House,‌ ‌ where she too embraced‌ ‌ Gaelic language and culture,‌ ‌ and fell in love with the songs of the Hebrides.‌ ‌ This new biography offers a vivid portrait, a personal reflection and a tribute to her enduring influence.‌ ‌ AUTHOR EVENT: £6 / £5

Combined Event Offer: Attend this event & ‘Benbecula – Graeme Macrae Burnet‘ for only £10 / £8

From the Canna House Collections, © National Trust for Scotland

DIHAOINE 31 DÀMHAIR

AVAILABLE IN OUR ‌ HOP. RESERVE YOUR S ‌C OPY: 01851 708480

FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER‌

Expect some extraordinary images from Halloween in the Uists in the 1930s, and Gaelic song.‌ ‌

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FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER‌ DIHAOINE 31 DÀMHAIR 14

OIDHCHE SHAMHNA: HALLOWEEN BENBECULA:

Graeme Macrae Burnet 8.30pm

An Lanntair It is dark now and my‌ ‌ window onto the world is‌ ‌ a small one. I do not‌ ‌ know how much longer‌ ‌ I will be here.‌ ‌

AVAILABLE IN OUR ‌ HOP. RESERVE YOUR S ‌C OPY: 01851 708480

Continuing the Halloween‌ ‌ theme: On 9 July 1857,‌ ‌ Angus MacPhee, a‌ ‌ labourer from Lionacleit‌ ‌ on Benbecula, murdered his‌ ‌ father, mother and aunt. At trial‌ ‌ in Inverness, he was found to be‌ ‌ criminally insane and confined in‌ ‌ the Criminal Lunatic Department‌ ‌ of Perth Prison.‌ ‌ Years later, his older brother‌ ‌ Malcolm recounts the events‌ ‌ leading up to the murders while‌ ‌ trying to keep a grip on his own sanity.

Living in isolation, he is ostracised by the community and haunted by this gruesome episode.‌ AUTHOR EVENT: £6 / £5

Combined Event Offer Attend this event & ‘The Cadence of a Song: The Life of Margaret Fay Shaw‘ for only £10 / £8

FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER‌ DIHAOINE 31 DÀMHAIR

Graeme Macrae Burnet‌is the author of five novels: the Booker-shortlisted His Bloody Project, which has been published in over twenty languages; the Booker-longlisted Case Study (named as one of the New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2022); the Georges Gorski trilogy - The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau, The Accident on the A35 and a Case of Matricide. Born in Kilmarnock, he now lives in Glasgow.‌

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SATURDAY 1 NOVEMBER‌ DISATHAIRNE 1 SAMHAIN 16

SUIRGHE, RÈITEACH, BAINIS: COURTING, BETROTHAL, MARRIAGE £10 COFFEE AND BREAKFAST ROLL 10am An Lanntair

INCLUDED

Love and marriage are universal. Endlessly played out on stage and screen, written about in novels, poetry, self-help books and agony columns, in songs, music, across continents, race and time. This event looks at formal traditions from courtship through to marriage in the Western Isles. With Mod Gold medallist and international Gaelic singing star Margaret Stewart on ‌S uirghe‌ and on song, Angus ’Gobhaig’ Maclennan on ‌R èiteach‌, and Dr John Smith on ‌B anais‌ to walk you down the aisle.‌ Combined Event Offer: Attend this event and ‘Travels in Another Country: A Guide to Gaelic Scotland’ - Coinneach Maclean for only £15/£13

12 noon

AVAILABLE IN OUR SHOP. ‌R ESERVE YOUR COPY: ‌0 1851 708480

An Lanntair Until relatively modern times Scotland was largely a Gaelicspeaking nation. Regions once described by Dr Samuel Johnson as remote as Borneo later became early centers of mass tourism and the focus of extensive travel writing.‌

AUTHOR EVENT: £6 / £5

Coinneach Maclean is from South Uist.

Trained as an archaeologist at Edinburgh and Cambridge Universities he has had a diverse career, including deer farming, rural development and the heritage industry. He now lives in Skye.‌ Combined Event Offer: Attend this event and ‘Suirghe, Rèiteach, Bainis: Courting, Betrothal, Marriage‘ for only £15/£13

DISATHAIRNE 1 SAMHAIN

This book explores Gaelicspeaking areas through their perspective, offering a deeper, more authentic understanding of their history and culture.‌

SATURDAY 1 NOVEMBER‌

TRAVELS IN ANOTHER COUNTRY: A GUIDE TO GAELIC SCOTLAND Coinneach Maclean

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SATURDAY 1 NOVEMBER‌ DISATHAIRNE 1 SAMHAIN 18

DRIFTING NORTH Dominic Hinde 2pm

An Lanntair Scotland’s history and future‌ ‌ cannot be separated‌ ‌ from climate change‌ ‌ and the story of‌ ‌ the modern world.‌ ‌ This small country is a living museum of‌ ‌ the crisis of the west. Of deindustrialisation,‌ ‌ stagnation and the struggle to build a better‌ ‌ future from the ashes.‌ Journalist and sociologist Dominic Hinde‌ ‌ travels from the treeless Highlands‌ ‌ to the lowland cities, struggling‌ ‌ to balance memories with‌ ‌ aspiration. Part memoir, part‌ ‌ environmental history,‌ ‌ part travelogue, this‌ ‌ is a compelling narrative of‌ ‌ connections – to place, energy and the‌ ‌ possibility of renewal.‌ ‌ Can the lessons of the past help‌ ‌ us build a more sustainable future?‌ ‌ AUTHOR EVENT: £6 / £5

AVAILABLE IN OUR SHOP. ‌R ESERVE YOUR COPY: ‌0 1851 708480

2pm

Stornoway Library

The story, and the making of the book, highlights the experiences of Afro Gaels and children new to Scotland.‌

It follows Anesu, who has just moved from Zimbabwe and is starting her first day at school. Encouraged by her teacher and classmates, she shares stories from home (including the tale of the water spirit Njuzu) bringing her class closer together.‌

SATURDAY 1 NOVEMBER‌

ANESU AGUS NA CREUTAIREAN UISGE FREE

Aimed at children aged 5–9, the new Gaelic book‌ ‌ is written by BBC Alba presenter Tawana Maramba‌ ‌ and illustrated by Ann MacLeod.‌ ‌ It also features artwork created during GME‌ ‌ children’s workshops led by Tawana in 2023.‌

WHISKY GALORE (1949) An Lanntair

Following this screening the Isle of Harris Distillery will be providing a complimentary dram before the next event.

The classic, timeless adaptation of Compton Mackenzie’s book based on the true story of the SS Politician, which‌ ‌ ran aground in the Sound of Eriskay in 1941 with a cargo ‌ of 264,000 bottles of whisky, during a whisky drought on‌ ‌ Barra (Toddy).‌ Dir: Alexander Mackendrick‌

FACLAN FILMS: £5/£4

DISATHAIRNE 1 SAMHAIN

5pm

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SATURDAY 1 NOVEMBER‌ DISATHAIRNE 1 SAMHAIN

BUZZCOCKS, BEETLES & CAMERAS John Maher 7.30pm An Lanntair £8 / £7

The drummer for influential and successful‌ ‌ Manchester punk outfit ‌B uzzcocks‌, ‌ ‌ John Maher’s career since 1983 has been as‌ ‌ a specialist in building performance engines‌ ‌ for air-cooled Volkswagens. With clients‌ ‌ throughout the UK and Europe,his work‌ ‌ features regularly on the road, at‌ ‌ the track, and in the VW press.

A Harris resident since 2002,‌ ‌ he branched into photography‌ ‌ and brought his technical‌ ‌ aptitude into distinctive long‌ ‌ exposure night shots, and‌ documenting the abandoned‌ ‌ houses of the Hebrides.‌ ‌ Expect music, images and‌ ‌ conversation.‌ ‌ 20 And drumming.‌

DISATHAIRNE 1 SAMHAIN

‌ a‌ n e rk e d i e ‌ ‌ d ec gu f‌‌ n i ch talo et o W me ca a s l e d na backitten h a0s anas a s wr c i 98 e h ha M e 1 ik he t‌‌ T in th les, Mnder bou ‌ E N cene ir yta n islangs ator y.‌ V c s Fa a s o n s E i y w ’ u s t o r N o c e d ow S r m a c s. e n i t s R e F 0 E st ed 98 nflu ith e I T nch call the 1 nk-i ch w R a ir to pu ea W he M emo ck itty, ere, 7pm a G t An Lanntair N rt of ent ming barp, wlife h a c O s o FREE S P ‌re ‌g ‌sh ‌hi

SATURDAY 1 NOVEMBER‌

Complimentary dram from the Isle of Harris Distillery will be available prior to the event

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FACLAN ÒGA SCHOOL EVENTS‌ ‌ 22

As part of Faclan: The Hebridean Book Festival, the following authors are speaking in Primary Schools and Sgoil Araich:Anne Ramsey, Ross Collins, Cathy Mary Nic A’Mhaoilein, Juliette Forrest & Shelagh Chaimbeul.

Some Faclan Òga events are supported by the Scottish Book Trust Literature scheme.

AVAILABLE IN OUR SHOP. RESERVE YOUR COPY: 01851 708480

AVAILABLE IN OUR SHOP. ‌R ESERVE YOUR COPY: ‌0 1851 708480

Tues 28 Oct, 4pm An Lanntair

ADULT £6 / CHILD £4

Halloween Book Launch of How to Scare a Mouse and a Bear with author and illustrator Ross Collins!

Join bestselling author and illustrator Ross Collins - creator of over 150 children’s books - for the spooky launch of his brand new Halloween story, How to Scare a Mouse and Bear! Discover how Ross makes his books, and get your pencils ready for a funfilled, spooky draw-along session.

FACLAN ÒGA‌ ‌P UBLIC EVENTS‌

FAMILY DRAW-ALONG with Ross Collins

Ross is the award-winning author of There’s a Bear on My Chair and The Elephantom, both adapted for the stage, and his books are loved in over 25 countries. When he’s not making books, he works with top animation studios like Laika and Disney.

Suitable for children aged 5–8 and their families.

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ARTS CENTRE STORNOWAY

AN LANNTAIR SRÀID CHOINNICH, STEÒRNABHAGH, EILEAN LEÒDHAIS, HS1 2DS

OPENING HOURS MON - WED : 10AM - 5PM (EXCLUDING EVENING EVENTS) TUE - SAT: 10AM – LATE LAST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH: 1PM – 4PM

TICKET PRICES ALL FESTIVAL PASS TICKET : £50 / £30 U21s FACLAN FILMS : £5/£4 AUTHOR EVENTS : £6/£5 COMBINED EVENTS : FRI EVENING : £10/£8 SAT MORNING : £15/£13 SCHOOL EVENTS : FREE (BOOKING ESSENTAL)

BOOKING TELEPHONE: 01851 708480 LANNTAIR.COM

CONTACT

INFO@ANLANNTAIR.COM 01851 703307

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