ID:SLD_182_075DESCRIPTION:A fishing boat lies tied up at the pier at Isleornsay, with the shore at Kinloch and Leitir Fura behind across the grey waters in the harbour, suggesting wild weather out at sea. Isle Ornsay is the name of the island, just seen on the right of this photograph, which lies close to the shore on the eastern side of the south of Skye, in Sleat. Ornsay derives from the Norse word for a tidal island, one joined to the mainland at low tide, and indeed this is a feature of Isle Ornsay.
The village of the same name, also known by its Gaelic name Eilean Iarmain, was founded in the early 19th century on a sheltered bay overlooking the island which provided a protected harbour for fishing vessels. The village became a commercial centre for the area under the auspices of the Macdonalds, the local land owners. The quay was constructed in 1805 with other buildings close by including a general store, stables, a grain store and later an inn, now Eilean Iarmain Hotel. Most of the buildings were bought by Sir Iain Noble in 1972, and were then restored or converted, forming the hub of his aims to revitalise the Gaelic language and culture. The bay is a haven for visiting yachts which now outnumber the fishing boats.
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:IsleornsayDISTRICT:SkyeOLD COUNTY/PARISH:INVERNESS: SleatPERIOD:1980sSOURCE:Skye and Lochalsh Archive CentreCOLLECTION:Olivia James CollectionAsset ID:39520KEYWORDS:
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