Poetic memories of a Lewis crofting weaving community 15/11/11
by Katie Laing
Lewis writer Donald S Murray is launching his new work, Weaving Songs, in Stornoway Library this Friday .
The book is a collection of poems and short stories inspired by his childhood growing up in Ness, where his father, Angus, was a weaver. It is illustrated by photographs by Carol Ann Peacock, from Glasgow, and published by Acair, who hailed it a “stunning” work of collaboration.
For Donald, who has enjoyed critical acclaim for previously published works, Small Expectations, The Guga Hunters and And On This Rock, the book is a tribute to his late, beloved father. It is also a celebration of Harris Tweed itself, with this having been the 100th year of the famous Orb trademark.
Donald, now 55, will be known to many as a former English teacher at The Nicolson Institute. He left Stornoway to work in Sgoil Lionacleit in Benbecula and moved to Shetland in 2006, where he still lives and works.
While a small number of pieces from Weaving Songs had been written previously – with one of the stories going back about 10 years – the remainder took only a couple of months once Donald had put his mind to a whole book.
He said: “I think the book had been lurking for a long, long time and then it was as if a switch was turned. There were some nights I was doing two or three a night. It’s as if, when I get the rhythm right, the words choose themselves.”
The collection has already attracted the attention of literary editors with, coincidentally, the same poem, Weaving Song I, having been chosen by both The Herald and The Scotsman for their respective ‘poem of the month’ slots.
It tells of his father practicing his precenting while working the loom and is also one of Donald’s personal favourites.
He said: “My dad brought me and my brother up, which was really unusual at that time. This book is a tribute to him.”
Of the finished product, Donald said: “I think it’s a lovely book. Carol Ann’s photographs are wonderful and I’m very happy I went with Acair as a publisher.”
Acair manager Agnes Rennie said it had been, for them, “a great pleasure to work on Weaving Songs and to see a gorgeous book emerge from two distinct pieces of work.”
The open book launch take place at 5.30pm on Friday. Weaving Songs is available, priced £14.95, from Acair and all good book shops.