The Last Crofter in Laxay
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- Film of my father in-law. Malcolm Macleod of Laxay, Isle of Lewis. His nickname "Chaidh Ardie" is a childhood abbreviation of his name in Gaelic - Malcolm son of Angus son of Alasdair. The film was made by John Murdo Macdonald.
How lovely to see this video and to hear my father ‘Tommy Darky’ playing accordion in the background. This is indeed the life my father and his father and grandfather led . This brought so many wonderful memories for me living from 1978 to 1987 on the Isle of Lewis helping my father with many of these same tasks.
Chaneil fhios am an e buachair air neo feamainn s tha e a cleachdadh mar todhar. Tha e caran tamailteach nacheil an comradh ri cluintinn ceart aig cul am fiolm.
I remember the day when it was filmed. I was In the nicolson institute in stornoway. Kiardie tried to persuade me to become a crofterI now am married in Spain. Barcelona. I miss the island and that time. My parents and grandparents were islanders . What. A wonderful life. God bless island folk.
You just missed Mangie - he was biking down to Barcelona last year!
What a great wee film. Thanks for sharing it. A great reminder of what it is to be busy without being stressed!
Purposeful life.
I am a 3rd generation MacLeod in America . My grandfather Torquil was born in 1889 and lived at 16 Laxay Loch . My father Robert and my mother are going to Scotland and are trying to find a way to visit the croft and learn something of his heritage. He is 80 , and has limited personal knowledge of family. Torquil's father was Fergus. He had 8 sons and daughters ..3 of whom died very young. My name is Douglas Stuart MacLeod .. I am fascinated by all that pertains to my fathers history. Thanks for this video. I love the mix of hard work and dependence on that , and the land. I am an old soul , and this does me good. Thanks.
Doug MacLeod just found this lovely video wishing you luck on tracing your family history and anybody watching this and it doesn't do them good what can you say
@Douglas MacLeod Hope you see this. It's showing up in Swedish for me, but this has to be your grandfather. (If you see it, try changing the ".se" to ".com," for an English version, or use Google translate. If nothing works, and need all of it translated, let me know): www.myheritage.se/names/torquil_macleod
Torquil Macleod, 1889 - 1977
Torquil Macleod born 1889, i födelseort, to Fergus Macleod & Catherine (Cathie) Macleod (born Mackay).
Fergus föddes på 14 januari 1834, i Laxay, Lochs, Ross And Cromarty, Scotland.
Catherine föddes i 1846, i Achmore, Lochs, Ross and Cromarty, Isle of Lewis, Scotland.
Torquil hade 7 syskon: Ann Macleod, Donald Macleod och 5 andra syskon.
Torquil gifte sig med Agnes E Macleod (född Maclean) på dag månad 1928, vid 39 år i vigselplats, Massachusetts.
Agnes föddes Cirka 5 juni 1900, i Massachusetts, United States of America.
De hade 3 barn.
Torquil levde i adress.
Han levde i 1920, i adress.
Han levde i 1921, i adress, New York.
Han levde i 1930, i adress.
Hans sysselsättning var Yrke.
Torquil avled i månad 1977, vid 88 år i döds plats.
Han begravdes i gravplats.
when you go there people will know your family islanders have long memeries you will most probably be introduced to members of your family you never knew go there go to the pub and tell them your name you will be amazed my friend these islands are very small and everyone knows everyone it will take half a day to find your family
Great peek into the past. A hard life, especially as folks age, but certainly had it’s rewards.
Tá sé díreach cosúil le Éireann. Mo thír féin.
I thoroughly enjoyed the film, thank you very much. As the product of a modern 1960's upbringing, I did manage to get out to the countryside, but never experienced a true country life. Therefore, the idea of a rural it takes on a romantic sheen, perhaps akin to living on a desert island with palm trees and hammocks, haha. I can't help thinking that it is a somehow spiritually and mentally healthy lifestyle though and of course physically too, as long as you remain fit enough to do the work and produce the food each year.
I wondered how many people helped with the one croft? Did all the helpers also live entirely from the croft? Also, over how many days was it filmed? I couldn't imagine what one day's activity or work comprised of.
Great box playing. Ceol math.
They dont make'em like this any more. ... 19:10 good couples retreat going on here.
This is far better than the agonising films I have seen showing what they do in Australia and New Zealand where they kick and damage the sheep violently, brutal and uncaring.
Amazing ideas
The other question I have, probably seems the most ignorant of all; but here goes. Why have so many crofters and small famers in Scotland and also in France and Spain and I think in Italy (I don't know about elsewhere) deserted the lifestyle or rather, their children have rejected it?
I have seen elderly farmers in France and their children have long since left the area for a metropolitan lifestyle. Is it a question of a lack of cash income? If so, why? How much income would they consider "enough" for them to continue? For example, Is the existence too financially precarious, because if there is some misfortune, there are no savings to tide the family over? Is there no prospect of "ease" or retirement?
Is it the desire for a physically easy life, with glamour and municipal refinement thrown in; despite the necessity to attend a gym and a beauty place for sufficient fitness and grooming?
For example, do the relatives or descendants of crofters crave freedom from the responsibility of caring for animals land and crops literally 365 days a year and little other activity, except perhaps some local events for a social life?
Probably mostly due to the hard work! As someone who lives without mains power and has a large property to care for its not attractive to a lot of the new generation with technology etc. Its hard to earn a living as well and have enough food year around
@Harry Bean: Money. After seeing after the farm, they tended to spin the wool into yarn. All that hard work still didn't bring in enough money for a family to live on, so off they'd go to yet another job. Also, entertainment. Most people don't have enough in their heads to keep them from growing bored within 15 mins, so they look to others to entertain them. Crofters don't have constant entertainment. These days, we have the Internet, but only if we have a connection.
I live off grid in the high alpujarras, the reason everyone left is money and life is easier in the towns and cities.
Money is of course a big motivation but there is a limited number of available crofts and even the cost of a tenancy is now astronomical. The soil is good in parts but frequently shallow and too much of the moor is still moor and now that the evilgreens have a big say in agriculture developments it will remain moor instead of being drained and ploughed. My father had 300 sheep before his death but he had learned his shepherding on the East Coast on real farms rather than a five acre croft which is the frequent size of these western smallholdings. Like the man shearing at the beginning of the film my father never tied his customers when he was ri rusgadh but I usually did.
Chi mi an tir! How beautiful to hear that beautiful song!
if you like this....English Pastoral by James Rebanks
I did learn to scyrhe small paddocks but the hay is poor
Really enjoyable and informative
why was he chopping mud/clay was it to build a wall or something?
+Crustalshift hey thanks very much !
it was pete they heat there homes with it
have you never heard of peat
Fuel
It peat for burning