Official Opening of Aros An Rubha

All those involved with the project to redevelop the former Knock School into Aros An Rubha were honoured that HRH The Princess Royal accepted the invitation to visit the impressive community hub and perform the official opening on Thursday 29th of August 2024.

The royal party included HM Lord-Lieutenant of the Western Isles, Iain Macaulay, who accompanied Her Royal Highness on her tour of the building, where she met with the office bearers of Urras Stòras An Rubha, and with representatives of all the groups that work in the building, or are involved as volunteers with activities in the popular community hub. This included meeting the management and staff of Buth an Rubha and Café Roo, the manager of Aros An Rubha, some of those who use the hot-desking facility in the Community Room, representatives of Comann Eachdraidh an Rubha, and management, staff and some Board members of Point and Sandwick Trust. Although Her Royal Highness was very interested in all the activities observed, it was generally agreed that the highlight of the visit was the beautiful rendering of Runrig’s “Cearcall a’ Chuain” by the Sgoil an Rubha choir. The excitement of the young people about the event was a delight to see.

A plaque to commemorate the visit was unveiled by Her Royal Highness, and she was presented with gifts, including a painting of Tiumpanhead Lighthouse by local artist Margaret Maclean. The plaque had been covered prior to unveiling by a tweed shawl in the Isle of Lewis tartan. The shawl was then presented to Her Royal Highness by local tailor Dzintra Reinfelde, who had made the shawl.

As part of the tour of the building, Her Royal Highness was able to view a montage of photographs, by Karen Mackay, with scenes from her only other visit to Point, in August 1956, and she also spent time viewing the Comann Eachdraidh exhibition “Air a’ Mhòintich.”

Catriona Dunn of Urras Stòras an Rubha, commented on the day, “It was an honour for us to have the official opening of Aros an Rubha conducted by HRH the Princess Royal. It is also very satisfying to see that Aros An Rubha has quickly become the vibrant community hub we envisaged in the far-off days when we first met in February 2011, months before the closure of Knock School, to work towards ensuring that the school building would pass into community ownership”.

“The facilities of Aros An Rubha are now well-used by the people of Point, and as the comments in the visitors’ book for the Air a’ Mhointich exhibition testify, Aros An Rubha has attracted visitors from as far afield as Australia and Manitoba as well as visitors from throughout Lewis. Our vision was to create a hub that would provide facilities for the community, would promote activities to encourage the economy of Point, and offer a key resource in terms of the environment, culture and heritage of the area”.

DJ MacSween, of Point and Sandwick Trust added, “We are so pleased to have been involved in the welcome of HRH The Princess Royal to Point. During her visit, we spoke of the impact of the community hub and the role we had in its restoration. PST are the anchor tenant at Aros an Rubha and invested more than £800,000 in the repurposing of the old school buildings. The fact that this has been made possible by the income generated by our wholly community owned wind farm is a source of joy, and we were pleased to give HRH some insight into the vision behind our work at PST.

All photography credit to SandiePhotos

SEWING WORKSHOP

To apply contact aros@storas@rubha.co.uk or 07591230229

Comann Eachdraidh an Rubha – Clach air an Càrn

Honouring their memory

There is a new exhibition in the Comann Eachdraidh museum at Aros An Rubha. This exhibition, Clach air an Càrn, incorporates displays giving information about the monuments to the land raids in Aignish, Gress, Pairc and Reef which were part of an exhibition “Monuments of Lewis” originated and curated by Malcolm Maclean, and first shown in Uig; the main focus of that exhibition was the Cuimhneachain nan Gaisgeach (Memorials of the Heroes) project which commemorated the actions islanders took against landowners during the land struggle of the late 19th and 20th centuries. The project resulted in the building of three memorial cairns at Balallan, Gress and Aignish. A later memorial, An Sùileachan, built in Reef, Uig, was also included. Clach air an Càrn features these four, with additional information about Aignish, and we have added Na Dorsan, which was built in 2024 in Galson.

We have added a photograph and information about the cairn commemorating the Bernera Riot of 1874; this cairn was planned and built under the auspices of Bernera Historical Society.

The Cuimhneachain nan Gaisgeach project was the brainchild of the late Angus Macleod (Ease). Matt Bruce, who submitted drawings for planning permission, was a founder member of the Cuimhneachain nan Gaisgeach Committee. We are grateful to Matt for information, documents and photographs. Some of the photographs were taken in London, when the Aignish Cairn won a Civic Trust award. The Cairn, which was opened in August 1996, also won a Scottish Environmental Renewal award. Winning these awards was richly deserved by those who worked to implement the project: Will Maclean who designed it, John Norgrove who did the detailed drawings for the builder, Jim Crawford, whose building skills are unsurpassed and the late Ivor Murray who made the steel framework to help construct the cairn. The cairns at Balallan and Gress are also the work of this team. Will Maclean and Marian Leven designed An Sùileachan in Reef and Na Dorsan, in Galson. An Suileachan was built by Iain Smith, and Na Dorsan by Chris Barrowman.

The Comann Eachdraidh is grateful to Katie Mackenzie of Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn for help and information, to Sandie Photos for permission to use photographs included in the Na Dorsan panel and to Malcolm Maclean, Uig, who arranged for us to borrow display materials from the Monuments of Lewis exhibition.

Make sure you visit the exhibition at Aros An Rubha. You will also see some of the displays from the Air a’ Mhòintich exhibition and can browse display folders of material from previous exhibitions. A complimentary comment in the Vistors’ Book would be appreciated.

Photographic archive 

In the late winter and early summer of 2023, we held sessions with members of Càirdean Og Allt nan Gall and Young at Heart to try to identify the people in the Comann Eachdraidh archive of photographs.  The sessions were held in mornings and were followed by lunch in Café Roo.   Useful information was shared in a very convivial atmosphere. We are planning to hold similar sessions shortly.  Information will be sent to the groups previously involved, but if you are not in these groups but  would like to be included in the sessions, you can contact us on 870656 or comanneachdraidhanrubha@gmail.com. 

Restoration of old path between Sheshader and Aird