View from a Croft
Artist: Sarah Helen Dowse
Exhibiting: May & June 2022
Working mainly in pastel on paper or card, Sarah has taken inspiration for her exhibition from the views she sees daily from her home as well as still life studies of homegrown flowers, fruit and vegetables.
Isle Maree (Research trip photo from Dr Ceri Houlbrook).
In 1590, the island is named as ‘Isle Mulruy’ on Pont’s map. In 1600s, there are various version of names for the island, including but not limited to: St. Ruffus island, Ellan Moury, Loch Ew, Loch of Mourie, Lochmaroy, Loch Mairray and Moch Marie, etc. The naming of a place can be meaningful or the other way round, in the name of Isle Maree, there are many stories can be told. There are different transcript meaning of the name of the island, varying from the Virgin Mary to local translation of ‘island of king (or god)’. Nevertheless, the name of Isle Maree itself told us the deep relation of the island with religious and spiritual practices.
Isle Maree is an approximately 200 X 170 meters
measured tree-covered island. A graveyard with
more than 50 graves lies at the approximate
30 meters-high summit of the island. An old dried up well is on the southern shore with a dead oak tree beside. Coins were being hammered into the trees, and only some of the coins are now identifiable.
It is believed that placing coins into the tree can bring good luck or make dreams come true. The ‘tradition’ is not losing its popularity and are continuing now. Look into our folklore blogs below for more detail!
Dead oak tree with coins (Research trip photo by
Dr Ceri Houlbrook).
Folklore
There are many folklore in Isle Maree, the following blogs are stories in Isle Maree. To feel the love, the nature, the power, the history and the rites, come and visit Isle Maree and Gairloch Museum for more about what have happened and what is going-on on the island!
Click on the images below to read the blog stories!
Sacrificing and Recovering
The Burial Ground of Kings
A Tragic Love Story
The Mysterious Coins
Video and Audio
Get a taste of how it would be in the island full of secret by soundtrack audio.
To have a closer look into the enigmatic island, the following video by Ian Cumming (Eòin Cuimeanach) provide you a overview of how you can get to the island and how the island looks in Gaelic – an indigenous language spoke.
Gairloch Museum
Come and visit Gairloch Museum for more tradition and culture folklores before stepping into this enigmatic and religious island!