Workers at the Bayhead
Knitware Factory

Group in their Sunday best

Rud eile air a bheil deagh chuimhn’ agam mu na dannsaichean anns na 70an `s e dannsaichean Bheàrnaraigh. Bha seo mus ro cabhsair no bàt’-aiseig ann agus `s e an t-eathar aig Dòmhnaill Angie a bha a’ ruith dha na Hearadh, an aon dòigh air faighinn a-null à Port nan Long a Bhèarnaraigh, an tè a bh’ ann ron ‘Chastle Moyle’. `S e bàta-iasgaich a bh’ innte agus bhiodh iad a’ cleachdadh creagan na balaist. Bha Dòmhnall Angie deònach gu leòr daoine aisig nuair a bha e òg ach às dèidh sin cha robh e builleach cho deònach, agus dh’fhèumamaid feuchainn ri bàt’-iasgaich fhaighinn, iasgair eile à Bèarnaraigh a bha deònach daoine à Uibhist a thoirt a-null. Gu fortanach bhiodh an luchd-ciùil gu math tric a’ tighinn à Uibhist agus gheibhamaid còmhdhail à Port nan Long mu sheachd uairean air feasgar brèagha samhraidh, a’ dol tarsainn air bàta-iasgaich chun an taobh thall, far am biodh innealan-giùlain gar feitheamh, bha na càraichean ann am Bèarnaraigh aig an àm sin glè innleachdach. `S dòcha gur e pìosan sreang a bha gan cumail còmhla! Bha astar ann chun an talla agus tric gu leòr `s e làraidh no tractar le trèilear a gheibheamaid gar toirt ann. Cha robh taighean-beaga idir anns an t-seann talla agus bhon a bha am machaire cho còmhnard timcheall air bha astar agad ri dhol ma bha feum agad air, agus bhiodhmaid gu math feumach air as dèidh an taigh fhàgail aig sia uairean feasgar.

Tha cuimhn’ agam gum biodh an t-uamhas de mhuinntir Bhèarnaraigh fhèin aig na dannsaichean, bhiodh tòrr a-staigh air làithean-saora, bhiodh sean is òg ann agus `s ann a bhiodh e na bu choltaiche ri cèilidh le daoine a’ gabhail òrain. Bhiodh cupa tì ann, bha iad cho fialaidh agus `s e sin a bha a’ còrdadh rinn mu dheidhinn – bha e cho annasach. Ach tha cuimhne agam aon turas bha Splash na Fhear an Taighe agus dh’innis cuideigin dha, le fealla-dhà, gun gabhadh mi fhèin agus mo phiuthar Lena òran. Bha sinn uile nar suidhe anns an talla nuair a sheas Splash agus thuirt e, “A-nis gheibh sinn òran o Lena agus Catriona MacInnes, o siud iad a-mach an doras!” Theich sinn cho luath `s a chuala sinn e ga ràdh. `S e dannsaichean laghach a bhiodh aca ann am Bèarnaraigh.

Catriona NicIlleDhuibh

Another thing that really stands out in my memory of dances in the 70s were the dances in Berneray. This was pre-causeway, pre-ferry, so the only way to get from Berneray to Newton ferry was by Donald Angie’s boat that went across to Harris, even before the ‘Castle Moyle’. It had been a fishing boat and they used rocks for ballast. Donald Angie was very keen to ferry people over for the dances when he was young, but after that he was less keen, so we’d have to try and find a fishing boat, another fisherman from Berneray who’d be willing to take people from Uist over. Luckily the musicians quite often came from Uist, so we’d go to Newton Ferry, we’d get a lift at about 7 o’clock in the evening, beautiful summer evenings, and be taken across by fishing boat and land on the other side, where we’d be met by a convoy of vehicles, cars in Berneray at that time were very ingenious sometimes with bits of string keeping vital parts attached! Quite often it would be a lorry or a tractor with a trailer that would take us up to the hall because it was quite a distance to walk. Berneray Hall didn’t have toilets and roundabout it, the machair is flat, so you had to go for miles if you wanted to use a toilet, which you did if you had left home at 6 o’clock!

I remember the dances were always well attended by Berneray folk themselves, because again, lots of people were home on holiday, so young and old would be there and it was more like a ceilidh dance so people would get up and sing songs. There would be tea, they were so hospitable and I think that’s what we loved about it – it was so exotic. But I remember once, Splash was the MC, and somebody had told him, in jest, that Lena, my sister and I would sing. We were all sitting in the hall and I remember Splash stood up and said, ‘Now we’ll have a song from Lena and Catriona MacInnes, oh there they go out the door!” We just took off when we heard our names. They had good dances in Berneray.

Catriona Black

Carinish Hall 1959
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Carinish Hall 1959
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Talla Chàirinis

Carinish Hall

Bha dannsaichean aca ann an Loch na Madadh glè ainneamh. Bhiodh dannsa na Bliadhn’ Ùire ann mar is cuimhneach leamsa `s e Talla Chàirinis an t-àite b’ fheàrr. `S e an t-seann talla a bha seo, àite nach robh ro mhòr no ro shnasail, bha daoine a’ faireachdainn mar gum biodh iad aig an taigh. Bha seithrichean air an dà thaobh dhith. Chruinnicheadh na fir air aon taobh agus na boireannaich air an taobh eile. Rachadh na fir a-mach corra uair. Cha bhiodh na boireannaich a’ dol a-mach cus. Bhiodh deoch-làidir aig daoine agus bhiodh iad a’ dol a-mach a ghabhail druthag. Bha talla Chàirinis sgoinneil. Nuair a chaidh sinn dhan sgoil an Inbhir Nis bha am bàt-aiseig a’ seòladh aig leth uair as dèidh sia sa mhadainn agus cha robh sinne, nar deugairean, ag iarraidh a dhol dhan leabaidh an oidhche sin! Dh’fheuchamaid ri toirt air Comataidh Talla Chàirinis, a bha gu math coimhearsnachail, dannsa a dhèanamh air an oidhche mus fhalbhamaid. Rachamaid chun an dannsa gu mu 3 no 4 sa mhadainn, cha robh iad a’ crìochnachadh aig meadhan oidhche no uair sa mhadainn. Chuiramaid crìoch air ar pacaigeadh agus ghabhamaid dìreach a-mach a Loch na Madadh agus chadalamaid fad an rathaid a dh’Inbhir Nis, air a bhàta-aiseig, an trèan no am bus. `S e Talla Chàirinis an t-àite airson an òigridh anns na 70an ann an Uibhist a Tuath.

Bha ‘Banrìgh na Bòidhchead’ na rud mòr anns na 70an. Nam biodh fhios agad gum biodh banrigh air a taghadh aig dannsa agus ma bha thu ag iarraidh a bhith anns an t-sreath chuireadh tu ort dreasa agus mura robh thu ag iarraidh a bhith ann chuireadh tu ort briogais. Aon bhliadhna aig Dannsa an t-Show bha mise air mo thaghadh an lùib feadhainn eile. `S e an aon bhritheamhan a bha ann is a bha a tomhas beachd air na beathaichean na bu tràithe air an latha is mar sin chan e urram mòr sam bith a bh’ ann. Dh’iarr iad orm fhèin agus air tè eile na briogaisean a thruiseadh bhon nach fhaiceadh iad ar casan, bha e neònach agus gu deimhinne cha tachradh e san latha an-diugh.

Catriona NicIlleDhuibh

So there were dances in Lochmaddy, but not that often. We did have the New
Year dance there, but, if I remember rightly, I think Carinish Hall was the place to
be! Carinish Hall had the feel of, and again this is Old Carinish Hall, the feel of a
very homely place. There was seating along both sides. Men would congregate
on one side and women on the other. Men would go out occasionally. Women
didn’t really go out, women mostly stayed in the hall. People had carry-outs,
that’s why they went out. Carinish Hall was great.
When we went to school in Inverness, ‘The Hebrides’ left then at half past six in
the morning and for us teenagers, it meant not going to bed that night! What
we’d do was we would try and persuade the Carinish Hall Committee, who were
very accommodating, to organise a dance for the night before we left. We’d go
along there and we’d spend the night there because dances didn’t stop at
midnight or one o’clock in the morning, but we’d go home at 3 or 4 o’clock to
finish our packing and go straight out to the ferry and sleep all the way to
Inverness, on the train or on the bus and the ferry. Carinish Hall was the place
for young people in the 70s.

Another huge thing in the 70s, was the Beauty Queens. If you knew there was a
Queen and you wanted to be in the line-up you would wear a dress and if you
didn’t want to be in it, you wore trousers. I was selected for the line-up one year
at the Show Dance along with some others. The same judges had judged the
animals earlier in in the day so it was no great honour. A couple of us were asked
to roll up our trousers so they could see our legs, it was bizarre and certainly
would not happen today.

Catriona Black