Very sad to hear of Ian’s passing - one of the greatest Scottish rugby 🏉 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿players of all time; and proud adopted son of Islay - duilich gu dearbh; RIP

If you happen to be on Islay at the end of August, it would be great to see you in Bowmore Round Church, for a bit of a gab with the amazing Iseabail Mactaggart: ticketsource.co.uk/islay-book-fes… Islay Book Festival

A wonderfully inspiring & evocative piece as usual from this fine writer on Irish sport & culture - a special day for fans of GAA/hurling & in Scotland devotees of our kindred Gaelic sport of shinty; grateful it is on BBC 2 👍⚾️ suas le iománaíocht🇮🇪 ‘s camanachd 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿BBC Sport ☘️🥃

Great days at James Johnston of Islay Lighthouse festival celebrating bicentenary of this iconic seamark; super events well attended with wonderful opportunity for residents, returning natives & visitors to enjoy convivial gatherings; well done to all involved: anabarrach maith👍🛥️🥃🎶

Privileged to be invited to write a new song to mark this historic Islay occasion: Taigh-soluis na Roinn (in Gaelic; music by Neil Gillespie🎶) takes its inspiration from the villages of Portnahaven & Port Wemyss & seascape of Orsay island location of this famous lighthouse 👍🥃

Family relaxation after the festival in An Tigh Seinnse

TRAVELS IN ANOTHER COUNTRY: A Guide to Gaelic Scotland by Coinneach MacLean (Acair, 2025) an exquisite tome (500 pp) very welcome, carefully researched & insightful coverage of Gaelic culture; encyclopaedic in scope from placenames to history & literature: anabarrach math 5*📖🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Wishing every success to Scoil na Seolta in Castlereagh admitting its first primary 1 pupils today: great initiative for Gaeilge in east Belfast, for education in the city & bringing this opportunity for bilingualism to both religious traditions - slán go foill Linda Ervine et al

As pseudo-Latinist loving Instant Classic mary beard & Charlotte Higgins Charlotte Higgins insightful - & witty banter to boot 🤩!-comparative history ancient & modern weighing up Donald Trump & modern autocracy against Caesar & Roman emperors: Nero 🎻🔥 ahead of Heliogabalus? 5* optime👍

Congratulations to all involved in the annual Lochalsh Art Fair in the Old Bakehouse Gallery (Kyle of Lochalsh) an impressive range of pieces in a variety of media; 50 artists & 126 exhibits. A real credit to the local arts community. Anabarrach math/excellent exhibition 5* 🖼️ 👍

Very sad news: outstanding Glasgow/west of Scotland (with family roots in Argyll) liberal who made a huge contribution to public/political life - a gifted orator with real gravitas, a polymath in the best tradition of Scottish ‘democratic intellect’ education duine air leth; RIP

Earth has not anything to show more fair Dull would he be of soul who could pass by/And not wonder at the bridge to Skye (cf William Wordsworth & his inspirational ‘Upon Westminster Bridge’ 1803) The Skye Bridge opened 30 years ago this month👍 slàinte mhath 🥃 National Poetry Day

For devotees of this literary titan🇮🇪 wonderful publication The Poems of Seamus Heaney; complete works incl. excitingly 25 unpublished poems plus 500 pages of notes👍; a tour de force: credit to publishers Faber & editors Bernard O’Donoghue & Rosie Lavan with Matthew Hollis📚🥃

Magnificent addition to already published Heaney volumes Translations & Letters; looking forward to Fintan O’ Toole’s definitive biography Fintan O'Toole super launch programme RTE Arena last night. Seamus much admired in Gaelic Scotland; he himself huge fan of Sorley Maclean’s work 🖋️

BBC Radio 4 how moving to hear Scottish Gaelic from Sine Gillespie on this afternoon’s Last Word tribute to Dugald Ross (Staffin, Isle of Skye) a remarkable amateur archaeologist & palaeontologist who put Skye on the world map for dinosaurs - abair Sgìtheanach (great Skye man) RIP

Meal a naidheachd air Iain/John 🎉🥃 - program anabarrach math mac’illeMhìcheil@70 - sàr Ìleach, sàr Ghàidheal, sàr chraoladair, sàr phreasantair 🎤 best wishes to this consummate broadcaster, wonderful ambassador for his native Islay - suas le balach na h-Odh BBC Radio nan Gàidheal John Carmichael

Delighted to receive for Christmas The Poems of SEAMUS HEANEY edited by Rosie Lavin & Bernard O’Donoghue with Matthew Hollis (Faber & Faber) a magnificent tome of the entire body of poetry of the great ☘️Nobel Laureate 🖊️ to place on my bookshelf beside Letters & Translations👍🥃

👍Anabarrach cudromach gu dearbh gum bi deasbad farsaing/fosgailte mu cuairt air dè na sgìrean cànain sònraichte a bhios ann: slatan-tomhais airson an comharrachadh, meud na sgìrean ‘s buannachdan dhaibh Crucial to have an open & wide-ranging debate re areas to be designated etc

Very sorry to hear of the death of Jim Wallace, outstanding Scottish liberal who made huge contribution to our politics, devolution & public life generally including service as moderator of the Church of Scotland: sympathy to his family at this time: vir bonus requiescat in pace.

Cho toilichte Serie A 🇮🇹 bhith air BBC ALBA 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎙️ viva ball-coise/calcio⚽️ sa Ghàidhlig golaccio gu dearbh 👍 👍Alex O'Henley super goal gaelico!! Anabarrach math 5*