{"id":4601,"date":"2020-10-14T08:23:16","date_gmt":"2020-10-14T08:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"hhttps:\/\/www.northpost.co.uk\/uhi\/?p=4601"},"modified":"2020-10-14T08:23:16","modified_gmt":"2020-10-14T08:23:16","slug":"storas-beo-alasdair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northpost.co.uk\/uhi\/2020\/10\/14\/storas-beo-alasdair\/","title":{"rendered":"St\u00f2ras Be\u00f2: Alasdair"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Happy Birthday to Alasdair Crois M\u00f2raig!<\/p>\n

Belying Alasdair MacDonald’s youthful looks and demeanour, we’re reliably informed that 14th October 2020 is a particularly special day, marking the completion of his 80th year. We can only wish him many more happy returns!<\/p>\n

We mark the day by featuring his own contributions to the St\u00f2ras Be\u00f2 nan G\u00e0idheal<\/a> collection, in conversation with Archie Campbell. Alasdair has his own inimitable style in rich North Uist Gaelic, and we’re grateful for his daughter Kirsty’s help with one or two words in the transcripts that had left earlier scribes rather scratching their heads…<\/p>\n

In the first part, Alasdair talks about his life-time commitment to crofting on North Uist, which his son is now continuing. His first schooling was in Carinish, with his fondest memory being of getting out into the garden, followed by Bayhead, and one year in Inverness, which he didn\u2019t like. On returning to Uist he has worked his croft full-time ever since. He recalls the house-visiting customs of earlier times. His wife, Annie, is from Broughty Ferry, but Alasdair would find it difficult to live somewhere else if it wasn\u2019t by the sea. He\u2019s seen many changes since the time crofters would work with horses, and he explains fertilising and storage practices using seaweed and potatoes.<\/p>\n

The wordlinked transcript is available here: http:\/\/multidict.net\/cs\/8245<\/p>\n