Sir, – Your feature "The last of the Blasket evacuees" and the story of Gearóid Cheaist Ó Catháin (Life & Style, June 16th) struck a chord. Your readers might be interested to know the story of the Soay islanders, a small Island off the southwest of Skye in Scotland and overlooked by the Cullin Mountains. In 1953 the 27 remaining residents were evacuated and resettled by the British government of the day. There are many parallels in the stories of the two sets of islanders: petitions to the government for support due to isolation, poor communication and difficulties in getting supplies along with unrealistic business propositions.
In Soay's case, it was its purchase by Gavin Maxwell, of Ring of Bright Water fame, and his audacious plans for a shark fishery for oil production that failed.
The island's history features in the book The Soay of our Forefathers by Laurance Reed and escapades of my grandfather, Sandy Campbell, who was the boatman of the Soay supply boat the Marys, along with his nautical evaluations the 1937 British America's Cup entry are described in Alastair Dunnett's The Canoe Boys. The plight of the Soay islanders and that of the inhabitants of the Hebridean islands was a feature of the Times of London editorial and coverage on May 30th, 1953. Photographs of the evacuation, including my grandparents (my grandmother was the island's teacher) and some surviving aunts, to the SS Hebrides on June 20th can be found online in the Hulton Archive.
In 2003 the few surviving and able Soay evacuees, along with their families, travelled to Elgol in Skye to mark the 50th anniversary with a trip back to the Island. The weather was too severe for the boat crossing! – Yours, etc,
Prof ROBERT BOWMAN,
Lambeg,
Lisburn,
Co Antrim.