Clive Loveless: The other week I was at the London Print Fair at the Royal Academy and walking down the aisle of stands I suddenly see an image which immediately connected. It was an etching by a Jason Hicklin of “The Paps of Jura”, 2008. The image struck me strongly with its brooding quality that I bought it on the spot and, now on the wall of my London flat, it resonates with vibrations and memories of the past. So to explain….

Maybe around 1963 my parents, English and Welsh, not Scots were employed by the Riley-Smith Estate to manage the Craighouse Inn and restaurant. I remember my first trip up there, pre-Christmas 1963 on the MacBrayne’s ferry from West Loch Tarbert, arriving at the quay in Small Isles Bay, in the dark. I fell in love with the island.. its wildness and warmth… right there and then.

I was about 20 and soon meeting the locals, drinking the whisky (the old distillery was just about to re-open again) and joining in the ceilidhs. Then, challenged by another young local man, whose name I think was John James Mackay (?), I climbed with him all three Paps in one day! And what a day it was… adders in the heather… eagles soaring above.. the incredible views.. what a day to share with another young fellow.. a stranger.. but not really!

I truly fell in love with the place, the atmosphere, the light and even took some girl friends up there to share my enthusiasm of the island including the late Wendy Richard of “East Enders” fame who immediately became a star with the locals… if not notorious for fighting off Greater Black Backed Gulls with an oar as they dived upon our little rowing boat and barking Beagle hound on a sunny day in Small Isles Bay.

Another strong memory was a visit by Land Rover and final foot trek to visit Barnhill, the home of my literary hero, George Orwell or “Mr. Blair” to the locals. How extraordinary to set foot in the house where “1984” was written and then feel the experience of the Corryvreckan whirlpool thrashing a few paces away. I’d never seen anything like it!

I can’t believe I last visited after my parents, Tony and Joan, had left the Inn due to the sea strikes of the late ‘60’s.. finally taking my then wife to be, Jane, there in 1970. Maybe the memories are so clear and strong that I don’t want to crack, even shatter, them from so long ago by visiting again…..it all seems so close and recent as I look at my “Paps of Jura” etching on the wall…

For more information on the artist Jason Hicklin visit his website at www.jasonhicklin.com

The Prize Winners of the Calum Bell Memorial Shoot 2009

Donations, an auction and a raffle raised £717.80 which was given to Jura Care Fund. Many thanks for raffle prizes to Ardbeg Distillery, Bunnahabhain Distillery, the MacArthur family and to ASP for assistance with ferry transport. Thanks also to Neil Campbell for his donation of beefy-beef burgers; to Mairi, Mary, Fiona, Diane and Sally for catering and cooking and to Ellen Brown, Kevin Park, Kevin Heads and Neil Johnston for last minute assistance. Also to Gordon MacAffer, Willie MacDonald & family and helpers for making this special day go so smoothly. Same time, same place in 2010! The organisation of the memorial shoot wish to express their gratitude to Billy Muir for creating a beautiful plinth for the Quaich from a piece of Islay elm and to Sarah Brown, Octomore for her silver work on the plinth. Prizes were presented by Jenny Bell.

The first link contains some snippets of information of Jura dating back to 1948 but it’s the last item that is of interest in this respect. It’s an obituary written by Willie Cochrane Jnr as it was published in The Oban Times on Thursday, July 5, 2007. For the sake of being complete I will publish the full obituary below:

To many, Jura without Duncan Buie will be like Jura without the Paps. He was not just part of the island’s community, he was part of the island itself. Its character. His sudden, untimely death at just 56 is another painful bodyblow for the 180 or so islanders who knew and loved him. Just four weeks earlier, this most close-knit of communities had been left stunned by the loss of another of Jura’s favourite sons, Paddy Boyle, who passed away suddenly at the age of 45 on May15. Duncan and Paddy were good friends and spent many a long night putting the world to rights from the comfort of their favourite stools in the Jura Hotel. As someone said at Duncan’s funeral: ‘They’re back together now — imagine the hoolie in heaven tonight.’ One thing is for sure, Jura will never be the same without either of them.

One, of the last ‘true’ Diurachs, Duncan was born on March 7, 1951, the only child of Tottie and Dougie. He lived on the island most of his days, leaving only for a few short years to do his apprenticeship at the Stag Garage in Kilmartin and to work as a lorry driver for McNair and Cameron of Dunoon. He also had a spell in Lochaline with perhaps his greatest friend, Ian Keith. Their exploits would become the stuff of West Coast folklore. But Duncan could not stay away from his beloved Jura long. He returned and took up a job at the distillery, where he worked for the past 31 years while filling voluntary roles as island’s chief firefighter, head of coastguard, undertaker, assistant registrar and lighthouse watchman.

In the early 1990s, his many occupations on the island landed him the star role in a Japanese TV documentary about Jura. His television appearance earned him cult status in the Far East. In fact, when one visitor from Tokyo arrived in Craighouse and spotted the familiar bald head and neatly trimmed beard he could barely contain his excitement as he exclaimed: ‘Duncan-San! You big star in Japan!’ But Duncan was an even bigger star on Jura. He loved socialising and would often be the first to greet a newcomer or visitor to the island, putting to good use his uncanny ability to make a complete stranger feel like an old friend.

Now Duncan is with some of his very oldest friends. Ian, Lindsay, George, Charles and Paddy. A generation who grew up together, played together, worked together, lived together. All taken from their families, friends and from their beloved Jura over the past four years, not one of them older than 60. All sadly missed, but never forgotten. Duncan is with them now, raising a glass to Jura.

The second link points to a forum where Duncan is described as last of the Buies on Jura. The third link gives a lot of background information on the name Buie: “Historical data indicates that family name Buie originated about 1475—1500 on Jura and was initially used more or less informally for a few generations. It is not known if the Buies of Jura were actual blood descendents of the mighty Somerled. A progenitor of the Buie family has not been identified in the genealogy of the branches of Clan Donald. The name was not uncommon among the McDonald chiefs, however.” I can recommend this page highly, it contains a lot of information on the Buies, the Isle of Jura and the migration to America. The fourth link points to a page on bebo.com and shows the image of Duncan and Paddy I used in this post.

Friends in Port Askaig told me a lot of stories about Duncan, Paddy and some of the other characters on Jura, hence this post. I know they will be sadly missed and I hope some of the readers will appreciate the links and information given.

‘Ardfin’s deep fertile soil and years of composting compare very favourably with the rocky volcanic soil of the Canaries, hence the giant size,’ says head gardener Peter Cool. There is a tea tent at the garden, now open from 11 – 5 on Saturdays as well as during the week. The first ‘Teddy Bears’ Picnic’ for children (and their toys!) will take place at the Tea Tent just outside the Walled Garden on Tuesday 28th July at 2pm.

The distillery’s partner in this promising venture is the Scottish Book Trust who have established the Jura Malt Whisky Writers’ Retreat Programme, of which this book, ‘Spirit of Jura’ is the first manifestation to reach its expectant public. Consisting of several short stories and poems by such as Liz Lochhead, Kathleen Jamie and Romesh Gunesekera, this is an adventurous and praiseworthy volume that seeks to do exactly what it says on the tin. Sandwiched in the centre of this feast of poetry and prose, is a series of ‘oak gall’ landscape drawings by David Faithfull. According to the accompanying text, oak gall ink was revered by calligraphers and artists for centuries, illuminating the pages of the Book of Kells around 800AD.

‘Spirit of Jura’ is a wonderful little volume that can be dipped in and out of as the mood occurs. None of the essays or stories are so long that the reader need settle down in one of the capacious leather armchairs that inhabit the Lodge, while the contents will provide a taste of the island just warming enough to necessitate a visit. Delightful. brian palmer

Spirit of Jura can be purchased from C &E Roy on Islay or from the distillery shop on Jura

The team who run the Centre and the six community directors are very keen that folk on Islay are made aware of just what is available on their doorstep. Carers are among the hardest worked and most committed members of society. Very few of them take anything like the eight weeks a year respite to which they are entitled, and this situation has not been helped by the loss of Islay Hospital as a respite facility. Hospital is usually no place for folk who need this kind of support in any case as they are not ill – they just need a spot of looking after. Gortanvogie in Bowmore is another favoured place for a spot of respite, but as a home for the elderly it is not always appropriate, and in any case it is almost always full.

The new Centre at Craighouse is a busy place too, with lots going on for both permanent residents and visitors. There is a weekly lunch club, a whist club, an art class and even table tennis. There is a healthy connection with the local primary school (if the artwork on the walls is anything to go by), and the building hosts ceilidhs and has become a venue during the Jura Music festival.

The respite flat, like the rest of the building, is light and airy with some tremendous facilities – a high tech bathroom and a hoist to help those who may find getting in and out of bed a bit of a struggle. There is even a separate room for a carer to spend the night if necessary. The whole place is a bit of an eye-opener with a cheerful, friendly atmosphere. So if you are struggling to come up with ideas for that much needed break, or you need somewhere to stay while home improvements are implemented, or require short term emergency care of any sort – you might get lucky and find that there is the opportunity for those you care for to spend a few days in this lovely home from home.

Visit Paddy’s Memorial website here

With no central heating and no generator, Barnhill is too cold and dark to be let in the winter but it is a holiday home on the market from May to October. People renting it are regularly finding Orwell-obsessives peering trough the windows and wandering around this very remote property where they had expected peace and privacy to be guaranteed. Kate Johnson’s family own and rent Barnhill, marketing it as a widerness experience in an island with around 200 people and 6,500 red deer. Mrs Johnson says: ‘People appear here from all over the world. They usually start walking up here in April although you even get them walking up in the winter time. … It’s a private house and if it is let out and people are there for a holiday they don’t want people poking their noses through the windows’.