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Obair La

Sunday 24 April 2005, 6.05pm, STV and Grampian

Angus MacPhail and Iain MacDonald - Sun, Sea and Skipinnish

The Isle of Tiree, with its fertile machair land, stunning coastal scenery and mosaic of traditional building styles provides a picture postcard setting for the fourth programme in the series Obair La, which features some remarkable people who live and work in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

Iain MacDonald and his nephew Angus MacPhail are following in the footsteps of generations of islanders by making their living from the land and sea that is so intrinsic to life and work in the Hebrides. The island of Tiree is still often referred to as the Land of Barley because its fertile ground was heavily cultivated during St Columba’s time in order to produce grain for the nearby monastic settlements on Iona. As the sandy machair land does not readily retain water, it is ideal for the unpredictable Hebridean climate, where excessive rainfall can be ruinous to crops. More recently, grass and silage for animal feed has largely overtaken barley and other crops as the island’s agriculture has slowly shifted from arable farming to sheep and cattle.

Iain, a fisherman for over twenty years, and Angus established Skipinnish Sea Tours a few years ago; offering sea trips around the nearby islands. Their catamaran, a Bly 33, is fast, safe and well suited to the inshore waters surrounding favoured destinations like Tiree, Iona, Staffa, the Treshnish Isles, the Sgeir Mhor lighthouse, Coll and Mull. Apart from the stunning, natural, seascapes visible from the comfort and safety of the boat, tourists are often enthralled by the wildlife, including whales, porpoises and basking sharks, as well as the abundance of migratory sea birds that populate Treshnish.

With a relatively untapped tourism market around Tiree, Iain and Angus were quick to realise the potential for establishing a guided tour business that offered boat trips around the islands to visitors. Securing support from Argyll and Isles Enterprise, they were able to purchase and fit out their vessel to cater for the growing number of holidaymakers that were visiting Tiree. Though the Hebrides are often unfairly associated with inclement weather, the natural climatic conditions on Tiree are ironically proving to be very attractive to many, acting as a magnet to those who enjoy outdoor pursuits such as windsurfing, kite flying and sailing.

Iain MacDonald lives in a renovated cottage that retains many of the vernacular characteristics that make Tiree architecturally appealing, with its mix of fresh new housing and older traditional dwelling styles. With wife Jane spearheading the family’s market gardening enterprise, Iain is a keen crofter when he is not working on the boat. Thoroughly enjoying the flexibility that self-employment offers him, he is able to combine his sea tours work with managing his flock of sheep and herd of cattle.

Angus, the younger member of the team, is a hugely talented musician. After leaving school around 1997, he played accordion every evening in a Tobermory hotel during the summer months. Working for a time as a building labourer and a fisherman he then got the opportunity to go to the prestigious Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) in Glasgow, where he studied Scottish Traditional Music for four years. Whilst there he met piper Andrew Stevenson with whom he went on to form the band Skipinnish in 1999.

Though normally performing as a duo, with Andrew on pipes and Angus on keyboard accordion, they often invite other musicians to join them, depending on the type of gig they’re booked for. Included among the gifted young musicians that have played with them on stage are Alan Henderson, Iain Macfarlane, Archie MacAlister, Allan and Iain MacDonald from Glenuig and Andrew’s wife Rachel Walker. Now with their own label, Skipinnish Records, the musical pair are kept busy both in the studio and on tour.

Produced by Paracas Media, edited at Studio Alba in Stornoway and funded by Seirbheis nam Meadhanan Gàidhlig, Obair Là will be broadcast on STV and Grampian on Sunday 24 April 2005 at 6.05pm.

For further information:
Magaidh MacKinnon, Paracas Media
Tel: 01851 810 269