The island of Gigha lies just off Tayinloan on the Kintyre peninsula and is the most southerly of the true Hebridean islands. The name Gigha is thought to have come from the Norse, and may mean ‘God’s Island’, ‘The Good Isle’ or, more probably and prosaically, ‘The Place of the Good Harbour’. Gigha has an astonishing twenty-five mile coastline and a great number of small, sheltered harbours.
Based on an examination of changing settlement patterns on the island from prehistoric times to the present day, this is the captivating story of the people of Gigha. Analysing the written and recorded histories in conjunction with the oral and popular traditions of the island, Catherine Czerkawska provides an in-depth account of clan ownership of the island and changing allegiances up to the twenty-first century.
Her study carries through to the present day, examining the relationship between a contemporary community which is struggling to become viable once again, and its own rich past. The story of Gigha is Scotland's story in miniature, and God’s Islanders’ exploration of the history, of its people, is also an examination of much wider issues, trends and challenges affecting this particular landscape.
Catherine Czerkawska is a playwright and novelist who writes for the theatre, and for BBC Radio. Her novel The Curiosity Cabinet was published by Polygon in 2005 and was shortlisted for the Dundee Book Prize. She has a degree in Medieval Studies and a postgraduate Masters degree in Folk Life Studies, reflecting her lifelong interest in oral history and tradition. She has her own blog at http://thescottishhome.blogspot.com. For more information on Catherine Czerkawska, please visit www.wordarts.co.uk.
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