text: Donald S. Murray & Catrìona Black – Islay Book Festival
  Donald S. Murray and Catrìona Black Dòmhnall S. Moireach agus Catrìona NicIlleDhuibh
  Picturing the Iolaire A’ Dealbhachadh an Iolaire
  Donald S. Murray recently won the Paul Torday Memorial Prize for As the Women Lay Dreaming, his spectacular debut novel about the tragic wrecking of HMY Iolaire in 1919 off the coast of his native Lewis. Donald is in conversation with Catrìona Black, who created a hand-drawn animation about the Iolaire, Tha thu air Aigeann m’ Inntinn (You Are at the Bottom of My Mind), which has also received much critical acclaim and won Best Animation at the New Renaissance Film Festival Amsterdam. Join them as they discuss the Iolaire tragedy and how it inspired their respective creative works. The discussion will be followed by an exclusive screening of Catrìona’s film. (This event is in Gaelic with English subtitles.)
  Bhuannaich Dòmhnall S. Moireach o chionn ghoirid Duais Cuimhneachaidh Paul Torday airson As the Women Lay Dreaming, a’ chiad nobhail aige mu thubaist dhòrainneach an HMY Iolaire ann an 1919, dheth costa Eilean Leòdhais a dhùthchais. Tha Dòmhnall ann an còmhradh ri Caitrìona NicIlleDhuibh, a chruthaich agus a tharraing am beò-dhealbhadh mun Iolaire, Tha thu air Aigeann m’ Inntinn. Tha Caitrìona cuideachd air mòran sàr-chliù a chosnadh agus air duais Am Beò-dhealbhadh as Fheàrr a bhuannachadh aig Fèis Film New Renaissance ann an Amsterdam. Thigibh còmhla riutha agus iad a’ deasbad air cùis-mhulaid an Iolaire agus mar a bhrosnaich sin an obair chruthachail aig gach aon aca fa leth. Leanar an deasbad le sgrionadh sònraichte air film Caitrìona. (An tachartas ann an Gàidhlig le fo-thiotalan Beurla.)
  This event starts at 5:30pm on Sunday 30th August. To watch the event please register in advance. Most of our events are arranged through EventBrite and you will receive a reminder email with a link to the event before it goes live.
  Donald S. Murray’s family background comes from both the Western Isles – Lewis – and the Inner Hebrides, Skye and Tiree with even a smattering of Uist, North and South, thrown in for good measure. He was a teacher of English for 30 years. His work includes The Guga Hunters (Birlinn), Weaving Songs (Acair), Herring Tales (Bloomsbury), The Guga Stone (Luath), and The Dark Stuff: Stories from the Peatlands (Bloomsbury). He has received the Jessie Kesson and Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowships in recent years. A native Gaelic speaker, his poetry has been widely published with several poems chosen among the Scottish Poetry Library Poems of the Year. His most recent book, As the Women Lay Dreaming (Saraband, 2018), a novel about the Iolaire disaster, received critical acclaim and was awarded the Paul Torday Memorial Prize as part of the Society of Authors’ Awards 2020. donaldsmurray.co.uk
  Tha dualchas teaghlaich Dhòmhnaill S. Moireach a’ tighinn bhon dà chuid na h-Eileanan an Iar – Leòdhas – agus na h-Eileanan A-staigh, an t-Eilean Sgitheanach agus Tiriodh, le fiù crathadh de dh’Uibhist a Tuath agus Deas air a thilgeil a-steach don mheasgachadh. B’ e neach-teagaisg Beurla a bh’ ann airson 30 bliadhna. Am measg na h-obrach aige tha The Guga Hunters (Birlinn), Weaving Songs (Acair), Herring Tales (Bloomsbury), The Guga Stone (Luath), agus The Dark Stuff: Stories from the Peatlands (Bloomsbury). Tha e air Comhaltachdan Jessie Kesson agus Robert Louis Stevenson fhaotainn sna bliadhnaichean mu dheireadh. Le Gàidhlig aige bho dhùthchas, tha a chuid bàrdachd air a foillseachadh fad’ is farsaing agus grunn dhàin air an taghadh am measg Dàin Leabharlann Bàrdachd Alba na Bliadhna. Choisinn an leabhar as ùire aige, As the Women Lay Dreaming (Saraband, 2018), nobhail mu dheidhinn mòr-thubaist an Iolaire, sàr-chliù agus chaidh Duais Cuimhneachaidh Paul Torday a bhuileachadh air mar phàirt de Dhuaisean Comann nan Ùghdar 2020. donaldsmurray.co.uk
  Catrìona Black, an Edinburgh Gael living in the Netherlands, lives her life in three languages. We are pleased to welcome her back to Islay Book Festival, two years after she took the festival by storm with Sly Cooking, her pocket book and exhibition of prints inspired by long-lost Gaelic words from South Uist and Eriskay. Over the past 20 years, Catrìona’s short, mostly animated, Gaelic films, have enjoyed critical success on TV and at film festivals across the world. Her most recent, Tha thu air Aigeann m’ Inntinn (You Are at the Bottom of my Mind), marks the centenary of the Iolaire disaster in the Isle of Lewis. The film has picked up laurels from festivals in Europe, North America and Australia, been nominated for numerous awards, been shortlisted by Amsterdam’s prestigious Stedelijk Museum, and won Best Animation at the New Renaissance Film Festival Amsterdam. Catrìona has been nominated for the culture and international prizes at the annual Scottish Gaelic Awards. catrionablack.com
  Tha Caitrìona NicIlleDhuibh, Gàidheal à Dùn Èideann a tha a’ fuireach san Òlaind, a’ caitheamh a beatha agus i beò ann an trì cànanan. Tha sinn toilichte fàilte a chur oirre gu Fèis Leabhraichean Ìle, dà bhliadhna an dèidh dhi cliù a chosnadh aig an fhèis le Sly Cooking, a leabhar pòcaid sa bheil taisbeanadh de phriontaichean a bha air am brosnachadh le facail Ghàidhlig a chaidh a-mach à bith ann an Uibhist a Deas agus Èirisgeigh. Thar nam fichead bliadhna a dh’fhalbh, tha na filmichean goirid beòthaichte Gàidhlig aig Caitrìona, air soirbheachas mòr a chosnadh air TBh agus aig fèisean film air feadh an t-saoghail. Tha an obair as ùire aice, Tha thu air Aigeann m’ Inntinn (You Are at the Bottom of my Mind), a’ comharrachadh cuimhneachan nan ceud-bliadhna de mhòr-thubaist an Iolaire ann an Eilean Leòdhais. Tha am film air labhrasan a thogail aig fèisean san Roinn Eòrpa, Aimeireaga a Tuath agus Astràilia, air ainmeachadh airson mòran duaisean, air a’ gheàrr-liostadh le Taigh-tasgaidh ainmeil Stedelijk ann an Amsterdam, agus air am Beò-dhealbhadh as Fheàrr a chosnadh aig Fèis Film New Renaissance ann an Amsterdam. Tha Caitrìona air a h-ainmeachadh airson duaisean cultair agus eadar-nàiseanta aig Duaisean bliadhnail Gàidhlig na h-Alba. catrionablack.com