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Dimàirt, 23/Mar/2010

Old Islay News

Islay News in stencil

Today is my father's 80th birthday, meaning he's now an Octogenarian. Nothing to do with Islay (although he has visited Islay once), but it has inspired me to take a look if I can find any Islay related news from the time he was born. I wasn't terribly successful (so far), but have found a few things before moving on to other years:

A year after my father was born Colonel John Allister Currie passed away as The Montreal Gazette reports. He was born on Islay in 1868, unfortunately that's all we learn about his Islay connection. Just a few weeks after my father was born some Islay Malt whisky was washed up near Provincetown, Massachusets, as the Sarasota Herald and The Lewiston Daily Sun report, almost in a ‘Whisky Galore’ like story.

Moving away a few years in 1928 John Talbot Clifton was buried on Islay (not sure that report is entirely accurate though, I don't think his grave is really 1,500 ft above sea level?) as The Palm Beach Post reports. If I read it correctly this actually happened in 1830, but in 1924 the St. Petersburg Times mentions a strange event where it rained fish (herrings to be precise) on Islay. At least whisky enthusiasts will know this is partially Lagavulin whisky, here's a 1924 ad in The Quebec Daily Telegraph for White Horse Scotch whisky.

Moving the other way The Milwaukee Journal writes about Icy Gale Roars Over Britain, Fear for Ships in January 1935, where the Norwegian Steamer Rondo went aground at the ‘Mull of Islay’. In August 1937 there were successes for Mr J.G. Morrison of Islay House as the Glasgow Herald reports. In the same paper we can read about the loss of the Fleetwood trawler San Sebastian near Ardbeg in January 1937. Finally there were news of automatic (telephone) exchanges having been installed on Islay at least for Bowmore and Kildalton.

That's all for today, I think I'll do some further digging for ‘old news’ from Islay over the next few weeks when I find a bit of time. I hope you found at least some of my finds today interesting.

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