This Is Islay

Glen and Tom look back over This Is Islay's activities and podcasts during 2022, a year of transition after restrictions imposed by COVID.  We published 9 episodes and expanded our reach to 17 countries.  In addition, we continue to spread the word around Islay and Jura.

We thank you our listeners as well as the various guests and supporters who have made the podcasting journey so enjoyable over the past 3 years.

This Is Islay is a volunteer-led podcast celebrating the people, places and events which shape the Islay and Jura community.  We are also a Coop Local Community cause.  For more information and to support us, follow us on social media and visit our website at www.thisisislay.co.uk .

It's the end of the year, Christmas is coming very soon, and we present our last episode of 2022.  Glen talks with Maureen MacDonald, Headteacher of Port Ellen Primary School - Gold Award winner  Primary School of the Year (UK) from Pearson National Teaching Awards, and recently featured on BBC One's ONE Show.  Glen and Jolyon spread a little good cheer for the season, with a festive greeting from Marion McGregor at the Gaelic Centre.

To learn more about the Coop Local Community Fund and to support This Is Islay, visit https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/73758 .

This Is Islay is a volunteer-led community podcast celebrating the people, places, events and connections of our community.  For more information, visit our website at thisisislay.co.uk and follow us on social media.

Islay's new ferries are eagerly awaited.  In this episode, a conversation with Nasir Udin, Senior Civil Engineer with CMAL – Caledonian Maritime Assets – and This Is Islay's Glen Roberts, discussing the upcoming port improvements which will take place in Port Ellen as well as Port Askaig, Colonsay and Kennacraig, all in preparation for two new ferries under construction in Turkey and scheduled for service in late 2024 and early 2025.

Updates on the port improvements for Port Ellen and Port Askaig may be found at cmassets.co.uk/project/islay-vessel-enabling-works/

Information on the new ferries is available at cmassets.co.uk/project/islay

You may contact CMAL directly by email at [email protected] 

This Is Islay is a volunteer-led community podcast celebrating the people, places, events and connections of our community.  For more information, visit our website at thisisislay.co.uk and follow us on social media.

Glen speaks with Angus Rice about the recent updates at Bruichladdich Hall, and upcoming events planned for the Hall.  Angus Rice is the Chairman of the Bruichladdich Hall Committee.  Many thanks to the various teams of volunteers and contractors who assisted with the work, including the efforts of Islay Development Initiative.

This Is Islay is a volunteer-led podcast celebrating the people, places, events and connections which shape the Islay and Jura communities.

Visit our website at thisisislay.co.uk to learn more, and follow us on social media @ThisIsIslay @ThisIsIslayPodcast .

This Is Islay in conversation with Brian Palmer, a big wheel in the Islay cycling world, a drummer, and also full-time editor of the Ileach, Islay's own award-winning newspaper.  How did he join the Ileach (many years ago) and how does he balance the editorial and commercial sides of running a newspaper.

This Is Islay is a volunteer-led podcast celebrating the people, places, events and connections which shape Islay and Jura.

Brian Palmer was interviewed by Jolyon Thurgood with Glen Roberts in the recording studios at Islay High School (many thanks), in June 2022.

Introduced by Jolyon Thurgood, this episode highlights the upcoming music events on Islay and Jura:

Jura Music Festival, September 23-25 2022.     More at juramusicfestival.com

Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival, October 9-11 2022.  More at islayjazzfestival.co.uk

Islay Sessions, November 11-13 2022.  More at FraserShawTrust.com

With music from Islay's own Mairi McGillivray, a track from her EP "In My Mind" available on Bandcamp at https://mairimcgillivray.bandcamp.com/album/in-my-mind 

The song "Tàladh na Beinne Guirme" was written for Celtic Colours 2004 by Goiridh Dòmhnallach and Brian OhEadhra, is also known as "The Blue Mountain's Lullaby", and tells a moving story of Gaelic culture in Nova Scotia.

An interview with David McArthur, President of the Islay, Jura and Colonsay Agricultural Association.  This Is Islay is a community-led podcast celebrating the people, places and events of Islay and Jura.

Extra Information here

This episode marks the launch of Season 2 of This Is Islay and the second anniversary of our first episode released in August 2020.

This episode features David McArthur, the President of the Islay, Jura and Colonsay Agricultural Association.  Their annual Show has since 1838 been THE day of the year in the island calendar, this year taking place on August 11th.

More information at www.islayshow.co.uk

Interviews: Glen Roberts, Jolyon Thurgood

Production: Tom O'Farrell

All podcast episodes are available at www.thisisislay.co.uk

This is Episode 15 of This Is Islay, a volunteer-led podcast celebrating the people, places, events and connections of Islay and Jura.

This episode is hosted by Jolyon Thurgood and Glen Roberts, and production was led by Tom O'Farrell .

Thanks to the Port Charlotte Hotel for hosting our Rhinns recording studio.

The goal of This Is Islay is to use podcasting to foster community involvement, education and training, providing resources and facilities to research, produce and promote content for a worldwide audience. We collaborate with Islay High School through the support of their staff and access to their recording facilities, and are working closely with MYFOS to involve the young people of Islay in digital media and podcasting.

We invite you to provide feedback, ideas, or even join our podcasting team.  Find us at https://anchor.fm/thisisislay and at our website https://www.thisisislay.co.uk .  Let us know what you enjoyed and what you would like to hear next month.  Contact us by e-mail: [email protected] and follow us on Twitter @thisisislay, on Facebook @thisisislay and Instagram @thisisislaypodcast.

More about this podcast:

We hear from Professor Alasdair Skelton of Stockholm University, a regular visitor to Islay, who tells us about Snowball Earth, his most recent visit to Islay, and his attendance at COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021, all in conversation with Glen Roberts.

We also welcome Mr Iain Beggs, Gaelic teacher at Islay High School, chatting to his Gaelic students about their award-winning short film “Easga Bhuidhe na Feidh”, which won the Best Film (Learners) award this year as part of the FilmG competition.

For more information about FilmG, please visit filmg.co.uk .

To view the winning short film, visit

https://youtu.be/oARMiRNVzyQor

https://www.filmg.co.uk/filmichean/easga-bhuidhe-na-feidh/?lang=en

Our theme music is '£50 Cashback' from The Fraser Shaw Trust.  Keep up to date on Islay Sessions and the work of the Trust in support of the relief of multiple sclerosis at https://frasershawtrust.com .

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This is Episode 14 of This Is Islay, a volunteer-led podcast celebrating the people, places, events and connections of Islay and Jura.

We’re excited to welcome Florence Grey as co-host to this episode, assisted by Jolyon Thurgood.

The goal of This Is Islay is to use podcasting to foster community involvement, education and training, providing resources and facilities to research, produce and promote content for a worldwide audience. We collaborate with Islay High School through the support of their staff and access to their recording facilities, and are working closely with MYFOS to involve the young people of Islay in digital media and podcasting. This episode was recorded at Cyber Sounds Studio in Port Ellen and at the Gaelic Centre (ICCI) near Bowmore.

We invite you to provide feedback, ideas, or even join our podcasting team.  Find us at https://anchor.fm/thisisislay and at our website https://www.thisisislay.co.uk .  Let us know what you enjoyed and what you would like to hear next month.  Contact us by e-mail: [email protected] and follow us on Twitter @thisisislay, on Facebook @thisisislay and Instagram @thisisislaypodcast.

More about this podcast:

(01:00) - We hear from Petra Pearce, ambassador for Fairtrade with the Coop, and Gill Chasemore, Islay-based member of the Coop Council, who talk to us about Fairtrade Fortnight and the mission and activities of the Fairtrade programme.

More information about Fairtrade can be found at

https://www.coop.co.uk/our-suppliers/fairtrade and https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

(18:20) - Then Florence Grey, Chair of Fèis Ìle, Islay’s Festival of Music and Malt, announces the return of the Festival, live and in-person, May 27th - June 4th, and shares her memories of the early years of the Fèis Ìle in the 1980’s and how it has evolved to the current day. More than just the “Whisky Festival”, Fèis Ìle presents the best of culture, heritage, music and spirit produced on Islay and Jura.

More information about Fèis Ìle can be found at https://feisile.co.uk/ as well as at various distillery sites.

Our theme music is '£50 Cashback' from The Fraser Shaw Trust.  Keep up to date on Islay Sessions and the work of the Trust in support of the relief of multiple sclerosis at https://frasershawtrust.com .

This is Episode 12+1 of This Is Islay, a volunteer-led podcast celebrating the people, places, events and connections of Islay and Jura.

All are invited to join our 1st Annual General Meeting via Zoom on Thursday 17th March 2022 at 7pm by clicking here  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82440141101?pwd=TG9tOGx2eXgwZUFBZ2dYU2VlVlBkUT09 or by emailing us for more information at [email protected] .

This month’s podcast is hosted by Tom O’Farrell and Jolyon Thurgood.

The goal of This Is Islay is to use podcasting to foster community involvement, education and training, providing resources and facilities to research, produce and promote content for a worldwide audience. We collaborate with Islay High School through the support of their staff and access to their recording facilities, and are working closely with MYFOS to involve the young people of Islay in digital media and podcasting.

We invite you to provide feedback, ideas, or even join our podcasting team.  Find us at https://anchor.fm/thisisislay and at our website https://www.thisisislay.co.uk.  Let us know what you enjoyed and what you would like to hear next month.  Contact us by e-mail: [email protected] and follow us on Twitter @thisisislay, on Facebook @thisisislay and Instagram @thisisislaypodcast.

More about this podcast:

We hear from Gillian Nelson-Edwards of Sidekick, a newly formed charity created to support children and young people living on Islay and Jura who are affected by disability.  More information about Sidekick can be found via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Sidekick-103566285512458or by sending an email to [email protected].

Glen also meets Steven Mithen, author of recently published book “Land of the Ilich: Journeys into Islay’s Past”. Their conversation covers the broad range of settlers on Islay from the earliest stone age hunter-gatherers all the way to the current day – this is not the typical archaeology book but a comprehensive look at Islay’s people across the ages. More information is available from the publishers at https://birlinn.co.uk/product/land-of-the-ilich/.

The book is available to purchase at The Celtic House in Bowmore as well as through independent and national booksellers.

Our theme music is '£50 Cashback' from The Fraser Shaw Trust.  Keep up to date on Islay Sessions and the work of the Trust in support of the relief of multiple sclerosis at https://frasershawtrust.com .