ID:SLD_182_004DESCRIPTION:A rather neglected boat, The Golden Rule II, is seen here berthed at Kyleakin quayside on Skye. Registered in Kirkwall as K856, she was a seiner or seine netter (a fishing boat which deployed a net weighted at the base and with floats along the top edge). In the background, lines of fishing boats are moored alongside each other at the old pier, out of the way of the ferries crossing between the Kyleakin jetty on the extreme left, and Kyle of Lochalsh on the mainland. Few boats are now based at Kyleakin but a recently installed pontoon provides an easier anchorage than that pictured.
The name Kyleakin is derived from the Gaelic 'Caol Acain', meaning 'Haakon's Kyle', a reference to King Haakon IV of Norway who assembled a fleet of ships in Loch Alsh prior to engaging with Alexander III of Scotland at the Battle of Largs in 1263. The ruins overlooking the harbour also have a Norwegian link. Tradition has it that there was a much earlier fort on the site, associated with the fourth MacKinnon chief, Findanus, and his Norwegian wife, a princess nicknamed 'Saucy Mary'. It is said that the pair ran a chain across the narrows and levied a toll on passing vessels. Castle Moil (in Gaelic, Caisteal Maol) was a three-storey stronghold of the MacKinnons, dating from the 15th century. It was abandoned as their residence for more comfortable surroundings elsewhere on Skye fairly soon after. The castle assumed its present name, meaning "bare", after it had been deserted and begun to collapse.
Olivia James
The images in this collection are a selection from a set of high quality Agfachrome slides taken by Olivia James. Mrs James, a semi-professional photographer, took the photographs on visits to Skye between 1968 and 1989, using a Pentax S1A camera and CT 18 film. They record a variety of locations, people and activities which have now changed or indeed disappeared, and provide one person's view of the island through the camera lens. Born in Elderslie, Renfrewshire on 26th April 1932, Olive Grace James (née Purcell) moved to England in 1944, trained as a teacher and married Richard James in 1956. Her husband's forbears were from Skye and they began visiting on a regular basis in 1968. In addition to the slides, Mrs James has written an evocative account of her memories of places, events and people on Skye which she named 'Skye Magic', a copy of which is held at the Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre.
'Skye Magic' has been incorporated into her privately printed autobiography 'Neivie, Neivie, Nick, Nack' which she has kindly donated to various institutions including the Clan Donald Library on Skye, the Mitchell Library in Glasgow and the Weaver's Cottage, Kilbarchan.
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Skye and Lochalsh ArchivesPLACENAME:KyleakinDISTRICT:SkyeOLD COUNTY/PARISH:INVERNESS: StrathCREATOR (AV):Olivia JamesPERIOD:1960s; 1970sSOURCE:Skye and Lochalsh Archive CentreCOLLECTION:Olivia James CollectionAsset ID:39449KEYWORDS:
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