WW1 community play

WW1 community play performed in Tarbert 25/3/14

Pròiseact nan Ealan’s series of commemorative First World War productions entitled ‘Gairm nan Gàidheal – Call of the Gael’ was in Harris with their play ‘An Cogadh Mòr’ (The Great War) last Friday night.

The play, written by Iain MacRae, focused on the tragic affect the Great War had on one particular man from Harris.

The play itself was set within the living room of the man’s house and spanned a number of decades. There was many flashbacks of his experiences in the trenches and showed him being haunted by a German soldier he killed in battle and left to die in the mud.

Although the cast mainly consisted of community actors the production was assisted by professional actor Arthur MacDonald of Tiree.

As well the community play there was also an array of music and song with local performers Ewen Morrison, Jayne Morrison and Amy MacKay singing, Neil Johnstone playing the cello and Ross MacLeod piping.

Wartime stories, memorabilia, artefacts and records relating to the island were exhibited. These items will later become part of a larger exhibition to be handed over to the Harris community to be displayed as a lasting commemoration of their island’s sacrifice.