Last month, as part of the Highland Archaeological Festival, Dr Iain Robertson, Prof. Marjory Harper, and Malcolm MacDonald discussed the findings of ‘The Iolaire Impact’ research project which brought together researchers from the Centre for History, UHI and the Iolaire Centre.
The project explored long-term impact of the Iolaire tragedy in 1919 on the people and the culture of the island, seeking to understand why silence was the main form of coping and recovering from the collective trauma.
The talk introduces the tragedy, contextualises the circumstances and experiences of the people of Lewis prior to and following the disaster, and explores the findings from documentary research, reflecting on the individual and collective memory of coping. It also covers the Iolaire Centre itself, including the context for the creation of the centre and progress to date with the project.
You can watch the full talk below: