New Website Launched Capturing the Oral History of the North Isles

Around 90 people from North Isles were interviewed as part of ‘Gaan Nort’ project

A new website has been launched capturing an oral history of Orkney’s North Isles.

Gaan Nort, a project hosted by the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology, and led by Dr Tom Rendall, relief lecturer at UHI Orkney, has seen a team of researchers carry out interviews with almost 90 folk in the isles.

Funded by the North Isles Landscape Partnership Scheme, the project captures the memories and experiences from across the islands. Some interviews touched on integration within the islands, attitudes towards the Orkney dialect, involvement with the heritage and cultural activities or current challenges facing island communities, while others reflected on changes in farming practices, the impact of mechanisation and the way of life at the present day.

The full project report is available to download from the website https://archaeologyorkney.com/gaan-nort/.

All the interviews are available in the Orkney Library and Archive and almost all are fully transcribed, leaving a fantastic legacy and bank of material for future use.

Dr Rendall, who grew up in Sanday said:

“As a native of Sanday, I feel privileged to have completed this project in the North Isles – islands which have been part of my life since the day I was born.

“As I embarked on the fieldwork, it became clear that this would be a personal journey and not just another project. Speaking to folk from all over the North Isles and hearing their account of life and sharing their memories gave me a greater appreciation of my own life in Sanday even though I left there over thirty years ago. I hope that this project – the recording and transcriptions – however they are used – will provide a comprehensive corpus of knowledge of this special part of Orkney.”

Councillor Heather Woodbridge is Deputy Leader of the Council and represents the North Isles, added:

“The North Isles have a varied and unique history, and the folk that live there have many stories to tell about their experiences – their past, their ancestors, the local landscape, the industries they’ve seen.

“One unexpected outcome of the project was that many of the interviews took place in and around the time of the pandemic – resulting in an invaluable record of that period in time in our island communities, that folk will look back with interest on, especially in terms of the community pulling together and supporting each other during this time.”

Dr Tom Rendall is heading out to the isles over the coming weeks to tell people more about what the project has involved.  Full details on island talks please visit the North Isles Landscape Partnership Facebook page to keep up to date.

The North Isles Landscape Partnership is a £4.5m programme funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland, Orkney Islands Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, NatureScot and the Orkney LEADER 2014-2020. It supports projects that promote the culture, heritage and landscape of the North Isles and will run until December 2024.

For anyone wishing to read the full transcriptions and interviews please contact the Orkney Library and Archive.

The Scottish Government’s European Regional Development Fund programme, is managed by NatureScot through the Natural & Cultural Heritage Fund. The Natural & Cultural Heritage Fund is part of the Scottish Government’s European Regional Development Fund programme, which finishes in 2023. (NatureScot is also managing another element of the programme – the Green Infrastructure Fund. The Scottish Government is the Managing Authority for the European Regional Development Fund and the European Structural Funds 2014-20 Programme. For further information the Scottish Government website)