Excerpts from issue 52/24 6 September 2025
Following a course with Argyll Hope Spot, Islay artist, Emma Baker created mosaics based on her experience of sketching underwater.
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Work experience at Dunlossit Estate
Katy Roberts writes:
My name is Katy Roberts and I am currently in S6 at Tobermory High School on the Isle Of Mull. I recently had the opportunity to spend my work experience week at Dunlossit Estate with Jeannie and Alan Hogg on Ceannacroic Farm, following on from my Day In Industry last September.
During my time on the estate I experienced many different aspects of work on the farm, including feeding pet lambs, dehorning calves, shearing shearlings as well as haltering heifers. I also thoroughly enjoyed meeting the farming community at the Monitor Farm and at the local sale where I met lots of new people. The highlight of my time at Dunlossit Estate was haltering and brushing the heifers and helping prepare them for the Islay Show, for which I came over at the beginning of August.
Jeannie and Alan made my time on Islay very enjoyable; they were very welcoming and were very good mentors. I think my work experience was very valuable and it will set me in good stead for my future career in agriculture. I believe I have gained lots of knowledge from them and would like to thank them for providing this amazing opportunity.
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In this week's issue:
Islay Book Festival reports and photos, Ferry go round, Islay & Jura’s Primary ones, Work experience at Dunlossit, Lifeboat launches and art competition, Junior crex, The Islay transformed, Port Ellen school page, Islay Archers, Summer Gaelic, Rest and Be Thankful closures, Mòd Ìle 2025, Book Review - Murder on the Isle of Islay - Norman Deeley, Emma Baker's Hope Spot mosaics, Keills Primary mosaic, Craig Walker's Walk on the Wild Side, Leisure Centre support.
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No rest?
According to a report received by the Ileach, local businesses were rightly concerned about rumours of the A83, Rest and Be Thankful being closed to traffic for a period of three years while the so-called 'debris flow shelter' was constructed to mitigate any future landslides.
Having contacted Transport Scotland, a spokesperson told the Ileach, "We continue to work to deliver a long-term solution to the landslip risks at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful.
"In December we made further progress by publishing draft orders required to secure the land for the long-term solution and future phases of the medium-term solution to provide an improved diversionary route along the Old Military Road.
“All representations, including objections, received following publication of the draft orders are currently under consideration and we are working hard to resolve these where possible.
"The long-term permanent solution, when completed, will include a 1.4 km long debris flow shelter and catch pit, drainage works, upgrades to the Rest and Be Thankful car park and view point, and a new active travel link from the car park along the B828.
"It is estimated that construction of the debris flow shelter will take three to four years, including an allowance for bad weather.
"As the preferred route option is predominantly on the existing A83 road, there will be a requirement for temporary traffic management during the construction period. This is likely to include traffic light operation and also diversion onto the improved Old Military Road for extensive periods of time.
"The Old Military Road will be upgraded as part of the medium term solution to increase the resilience of the temporary diversion route by reducing the likelihood of landslides impacting it. These improvements will mean more certainty for locals and road users if the A83 has to shut due to adverse weather conditions.
"As with all projects, construction of the long-term solution can only commence once the statutory authorisation process is complete, and a main works contractor is appointed."
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Book review
Murder on the Isle of Islay. Norman Deeley 455pp £10 Amazon publishing.
According to the author of 'Murder on the Isle of Islay', Norman Deeley, this is the last in his series of crime mysteries featuring Detective Chief Inspector Ninian Plenderleith, though there are tantalising indications in the latter part of the narrative, that Ninian might re-appear at sometime in the future.
Norman Deeley's previous publications in the series have concerned themselves with murders on Arran, Bute, Cumbrae and the Mull of Kintyre, but oddly, this most recent publication features a particularly bland and uninspiring cover, relative to its peers.
However, it's the contents that make a book, and we've long been advised not to judge by the cover.
Australian, Texa MacArthur, along with her partner, Beattie Robertson, is on the cusp of opening her new vodka distillery - Tonna Chladaich - near Claggain Bay, when she dies, mysteriously, suddenly and alone, while on a rocky outcrop, looking out to sea.
The pathologist, though yet to complete her examinations, is inclined to cite the cause of death as a sudden heart-attack. The police, however, are moved to investigate, if only to allay island suspicions that there may have been foul play involved.
An American military presence on Jura, under the leadership of Major General Ythan Widdershins, pursuing clandestine matters related to drones, has been more than helpful in assisting with the immediate aftermath of Dr MacArthur's death.
The latter has piqued the interest of Glasgow-based DCI Plenderleith, yet his acuity is tempered by the fact that he has not been placed in charge of this particular case.
Assistant Chief Constable Mitchell Considine, apparently throwing the DCI a lifeline with which to redeem himself, has assigned him to the case under the leadership of DCI Jill Cordiner, a detective formerly the junior officer in the partnership.
For reasons that eventually become clear, Major General Widdershins has implied that a suspect drone may or may not have been involved in the Australian's sudden death, suggesting that the police interview several drone owners on the island.
For DCI Cordiner, this becomes a matter of organised protocol, yet DCI Plenderleith seems far less convinced. And during the Assistant Chief Constable's frequent briefings, he remains confoundingly silent and largely uncommunicative, mostly nodding assent to anything and everything.
There are reputedly many on Islay who did not view the 'imposition' of yet another distillery as a 'good thing', even one that would not be engaged in distilling whisky. Could one of them have gone so far as to commit murder to prevent its opening?
Or has Texa's partner, Beattie Robertson, decided the project would fare better under his sole leadership? And is Major General Widdershins actually as helpful as he'd like Police Scotland to think?
If this is truly the final outing for DCI Ninian Plenderleith, then he's not quite gone out with a bang, but he does acquit himself particularly well. Which is more than can be said for one or two of his colleagues.
Norman Deeley has excelled himself with this final book, keeping the reader on tenterhooks until the very last. I’d agree that some of the narrative seems a tad laboured at times, but it ultimately serves to intensify the intrigue.
I'm the world's worst for guessing 'whodunnit', and I confess this book has hardly redeemed my record in that respect, but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
As an Amazon published paperback, there are a few chapter headings that appear in odd places, but there's no denying the thrill of the chase and its unexpected conclusion.
bp
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This is Islay
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