Kyle of Lochalsh and Kyleakin Primary Schools, on either side of the water now spanned by the Skye Bridge, chose a joint star last week, 'Aldhibain', to feature in the Highland Constellation. Because of its light years from earth, it was chosen to highlight important and tragic events of 1919.
The Iolaire (Eagle) ship, carrying men returning to the Western Isles after the war, left the harbour at Kyle of Lochalsh and foundered on the 'Beasts of Holm' near the entrance to Stornoway Harbour in the early hours of 1st January 1919. Only 79 men survived, and it's thought that more Lewis men died in this tragedy than in the war itself. The children of Kyle of Lochalsh wrote a collaborative story which found hope in these events, when an eagle is seen to rise from the wreck and take its place as a constellation in the skies so that the men would never be forgotten.
The children also wrote poems about finding stars on earth, like this one from Eleanor, referring to Aldhibain's place in the contellation of Draco, the dragon:
No comments:
Post a Comment