The harsh life
October 23, 2007
Every now and then we visit Dunvegan Castle, mostly to accompany family or friends who visit us. It’s an interesting place to visit with loads of history and - due to famous movies like “Highlander” and spin-off TV-series - the name “MacLeod” appeals to the fantasy of people.
No matter how often we visit the castle, one thing always impresses me enormously. It’s the exposition of pictures of life on St. Kilda in the lower parts of the castle, towards the shop and the exit. The archipelago of St Kilda, the remotest part of the British Isles, lies 41 miles (66 kilometres) west of Benbecula in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. The impressive story of St. Kilda and its inhabitants can be read on the website of St. Kilda. Definitely worth the time to read this!
After reading the island’s history you can only imagine how totally harsh life must have been there. Those were circumstances we cannot imagine nowadays. We get upset when we’re out of electricity for one day, or when our car breaks down during bad weather. The pictures at Dunvegan Castle show people with a glance on their face that has harshness written all over it. After some browsing around, I found a particularly striking image on the website of the Glasgow Museums, which shows St. Kilda women and girls in Main Street, St. Kilda. Notice the women to the rigth: they do not appear to wear shoes…
Currently St. Kilda is owned by The National Trust for Scotland and is maintained as a World Heritage Site. It’s certainly on our “have to see list”…
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