[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Seadh uill tillidh sinn chun an sin ach bha thu a’ bruidhinn air a bhith a’ seinn nad òige nuair a bha thu beag a-muigh sna monaidhean. Cà’ robh na monaidhean? Co às a tha thu, a Mhaighread?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Tha mi à Col Uarach air a’ Bhac, baile beag, brèagha. Tha mòinteach air aon taobh is tha tràigh air an taobh eile agus bha machair bhrèagha againn. Baile beag brèagha, brèagha agus bha caoraich aig m’ athair agus bhiodh e gan chur a-mach chun na mòintich a dh’ iàrraidh nan caorach is rudan mar sin. Agus bhithinn a’ seinn as bith cà’ robh mi.
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Bha thu air do thogail air a’ chroit, an robh?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Bha, bha agus bha mo sheanair a’ fuireach còmhla rinn cuideachd agus bhiodh esan ag ionnsachadh dhomh tòrr rudan mun obair a bh’ againn ri dhèanamh. Dh’fheumadh a h-uile duine cuideachadh. Chan fhaodadh tu dìreach a bhith na do shuidhe a’ coimhead telebhisean. Cha robh an leithid de rud againn. Agus dh’fheumainn a bhith ga chuideachadh ag obair anns an lot is anns a’ mhòine agus a h-uile càil. B’ e iasgair a bh’ ann cuideachd agus bhithinn ag obair còmhla ris a’ càradh lìn agus a’ cairteadh lìn agus a’ biadhadh lìn agus a’ cruinneachadh a’ bhiadhaidh is h-uile càil a bha sin.
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Bha thu cruaidh. An e tomboy a bh’ annad?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Gu dearbha, ’s e! ’S dòcha gur e fhathast ach bha e a’ còrdadh rium. Cha robh e a’ còrdadh rium a bhith ag obair a-staigh ag iarnaigeadh agus a’ dèanamh leapannan. Cha robh sin a’ còrdadh rium a-riamh.
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Tuigidh mi sin!
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Chan eil e a’ còrdadh rium fhathast!
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Agus bha thu a’ bruidhinn air iasgach an sin agus air a’ mhuir, bha muir gu mòr, nach robh, anns an sgìre sin is maraichean is seòladairean?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Bha, bha. Mar a bha mi ag ràdh, ’s e iasgair a bha na mo sheanair agus bha m’ athair aig muir cuideachd. Bha càirdean agam shìos ann a’ Bhataisgeir. Balaich Thormoid Nèill a bh’ ann. Bha eathraichean an-còmhnaidh anns an teaghlach a bha sin agus bhiodh iadsan ga mo thoirt a-mach agus bhiodh iad ag ionnsachadh dhomh rudan mar a bhith ag iomramh, bhithinn ag iomramh agus bhithinn ag iasgach son, uill, leis an lìn bhig agus bha e dìreach mìorbhaileach.
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Ach bhiodh seòladairean a’ dol nas fhaide na sin, nach biodh? Timcheall air na sgìre, a’ dol air feadh an t-saoghail?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Ò,bhiodh. M’ athair, gu dearbha, agus a charaidean. Agus bhiodh iad, nuair a bhiodh iad a’ cruinneachadh còmhla bhiodh iad a’ bruidhinn mu dheidhinn a h-uile càil a bha sin. Agus nuair a bha mise ag èirigh suas bha àiteachan mar Singapore, Buenos Aires, Valparaiso, Suez Canal, rudan mar sin bha iad a’ tighinn beò dhomh agus bha mi a’ cluinntinn barrachd mu dheidhinn nan rudan sin na bha mi a’ cluinntinn mu dheidhinn na Gàidhealtachd ann an dòigh oir cha robh iad a’ siubhail anns a’ Ghàidhealtachd, bha iad a’ siubhail an t-saoghail.
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Agus gu dearbh, chuir thu romhad a dhol a dhèanamh seòladaireachd is sin ionnsachadh anns a’ Chaisteal?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Aidh uill bhiodh fear anns a’ Chaisteal, caiptean a bh’ ann, fear de na daoine a bha a’ teagaisg anns a’ Chaisteal bhiodh e a’ tighinn sìos gu Sgoil a’ Bhac, tha mi a’ smaointinn aon latha san t-seachdain, agus bhiodh e a’ teagaisg eòlas mara dha na balaich. Dha na balaich a-mhàin. Cha robh a’ chlann-nighean a’ faighinn cothrom air. Bha ùidh agam-s’ ann agus dh’inns mi dha duine, chan eil cuimhne a’m cò dha a dh’inns mi, ’s dòcha dhan cheann-sgoile ach leig iad leam a dhol dhan chlas. Agus an uair sin bha cuid de na balaich a bha sin bha iad a’ dol air adhart chun a’ Chaisteil airson tuilleadh eòlas mara a dhèanamh agus bha mis’ ag iarraidh sin a dhèanamh cuideachd! Agus tha e iongantach mar a thachair e, ach anns an sgoil aig an àm bhruidhinn e ris an fhear-sgoile a bha aig Sgoil MhicNeacail agus chuir iad air dòigh rud cho iongantach nuair a smaoinicheas mi air a-nis, chuir iad air dòigh gum faighinn-sa air a dhol chun a’ Chaisteil cuideachd.
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Agus an deach thu ann?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Chaidh.
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Am measg na bha siud de bhalaich?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Uill cha bhithinn ann làn-ùine. Ach bha mi ann an Sgoil MhicNeacail ach bhiodh iad a’ cur air dòigh bus dhuinn agus chuir iad sin air a’ churraicealam, eòlas mara – navigation, agus thàinig cuid eile a-steach dhan chlas cuideachd. Agus chaidh na balaich sin, chaidh iad fhèin gu muir às dèidh sin agus thug e cothrom dha daoine navigation a dhèanamh ’s dòcha nach biodh iad air a dhèanamh ron sin.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Thuige Seo, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2014.
[Donald Morrison] Ok well we will get back to that but you were talking about singing in your youth when you were small and out in the hills. Where were the hills? Where are you from, Margaret?
[Margaret Stewart] I am from Upper Coll in Back, a beautiful, small village. There is moorland on one side and a beach on the other and we had beautiful machair. A beautiful, beautiful little village and my father had sheep and he would send me out to the moor to retireve the sheep and things like that. And I would sing wherever I was.
[Donald Morrison] You were raised on a croft, were you?
[Margaret Stewart] Yes, yes and my grandfather lived with us too and he would teach me lots of things about just the work we had to do. Everyone had to help. You weren’t allowed to just sit watching television. We didn’t have such a thing. And I would have to help him working on the croft and the peat and everything. He was a fisherman too and I would work with him repairing lines and cleaning lines and baiting lines and gathering the bait and all of that.
[Donald Morrison] You were tough. Were you a tomboy?
[Margaret Stewart] Indeed, yes! Perhaps I am yet but I enjoyed it. I didn’t enjoy working inside ironing and doing beds. I never enjoyed that.
[Donald Morrison] I can understand that!
[Margaret Stewart] I still don’t enjoy it!
[Donald Morrison] And you were talking there about fishing and the sea, the sea was important, wasn’t it, in that area and seamen and sailors?
[Margaret Stewart] Yes, yes. As I was saying, my grandfather was a fisherman and my father was at sea too. I had relations down in Vatisker. Norman Neil’s boys. That family always had boats and they would take me out and they would teach me things like rowing, I would row and I would fish for, well, with the little net and it was just marvellous.
[Donald Morrison] But sailors would go further that that, wouldn’t they? Around the area, going all over the world?
[Margaret Stewart] Oh, yes. My father, certainly, and his friends. And they would, when they would gather together they would talk about all of that. And when I was growing up places like Singapore, Buenos Aires, Valparaiso, Suez Canel, things like that they came alive for me and I was hearing more about those things than I was hearing about the Highlands in a way because they didn’t travel the Highlands, they travelled the world.
[Donald Morrison] And indeed, you decided to go and do navigation and to do that at the Castle? (Lews Castle, Lewis)
[Margaret Stewart] Aye well there was a man in the Castle, he was a captain, one of the people who was teaching in the Castle he would come down to Back School, I think one day a week, and he would teach navigation to the boys. To the boys only. The girls didn’t get a chance at it. I was interested in it and I told someone, I can’t remember who I told, perhaps the head teacher but they let me go to the class. And then some of those boys were going on to the Castle to do more navigation and I wanted to do that too! And it’s surprising how it happened, but the school master we had in the school at the time he spoke to the school master that was at the Nicolson Institute and they arranged something so surprising when I think back now, they arranged that I could get to go to the Castle too.
[Donald Morrison] And did you go?
[Margaret Stewart] Yes.
[Donald Morrison] Amongst all those boys?
[Margaret Stewart] Well I wasn’t there full-time. But I was in the Nicolson Institute but they would arrange a bus for us and they put that on the curriculum, navigation, and some others came into the class too. And those boys went, they themselves went to sea after that and it gave an opportunity to people to do navigation that they perhaps wouldn’t have done before that.
This programme, Thuige Seo, was first broadcast in 2014.
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Seadh uill tillidh sinn chun an sin ach bha thu a’ bruidhinn air a bhith a’ seinn nad òige nuair a bha thu beag a-muigh sna monaidhean. Cà’ robh na monaidhean? Co às a tha thu, a Mhaighread?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Tha mi à Col Uarach air a’ Bhac, baile beag, brèagha. Tha mòinteach air aon taobh is tha tràigh air an taobh eile agus bha machair bhrèagha againn. Baile beag brèagha, brèagha agus bha caoraich aig m’ athair agus bhiodh e gan chur a-mach chun na mòintich a dh’ iàrraidh nan caorach is rudan mar sin. Agus bhithinn a’ seinn as bith cà’ robh mi.
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Bha thu air do thogail air a’ chroit, an robh?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Bha, bha agus bha mo sheanair a’ fuireach còmhla rinn cuideachd agus bhiodh esan ag ionnsachadh dhomh tòrr rudan mun obair a bh’ againn ri dhèanamh. Dh’fheumadh a h-uile duine cuideachadh. Chan fhaodadh tu dìreach a bhith na do shuidhe a’ coimhead telebhisean. Cha robh an leithid de rud againn. Agus dh’fheumainn a bhith ga chuideachadh ag obair anns an lot is anns a’ mhòine agus a h-uile càil. B’ e iasgair a bh’ ann cuideachd agus bhithinn ag obair còmhla ris a’ càradh lìn agus a’ cairteadh lìn agus a’ biadhadh lìn agus a’ cruinneachadh a’ bhiadhaidh is h-uile càil a bha sin.
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Bha thu cruaidh. An e tomboy a bh’ annad?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Gu dearbha, ’s e! ’S dòcha gur e fhathast ach bha e a’ còrdadh rium. Cha robh e a’ còrdadh rium a bhith ag obair a-staigh ag iarnaigeadh agus a’ dèanamh leapannan. Cha robh sin a’ còrdadh rium a-riamh.
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Tuigidh mi sin!
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Chan eil e a’ còrdadh rium fhathast!
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Agus bha thu a’ bruidhinn air iasgach an sin agus air a’ mhuir, bha muir gu mòr, nach robh, anns an sgìre sin is maraichean is seòladairean?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Bha, bha. Mar a bha mi ag ràdh, ’s e iasgair a bha na mo sheanair agus bha m’ athair aig muir cuideachd. Bha càirdean agam shìos ann a’ Bhataisgeir. Balaich Thormoid Nèill a bh’ ann. Bha eathraichean an-còmhnaidh anns an teaghlach a bha sin agus bhiodh iadsan ga mo thoirt a-mach agus bhiodh iad ag ionnsachadh dhomh rudan mar a bhith ag iomramh, bhithinn ag iomramh agus bhithinn ag iasgach son, uill, leis an lìn bhig agus bha e dìreach mìorbhaileach.
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Ach bhiodh seòladairean a’ dol nas fhaide na sin, nach biodh? Timcheall air na sgìre, a’ dol air feadh an t-saoghail?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Ò,bhiodh. M’ athair, gu dearbha, agus a charaidean. Agus bhiodh iad, nuair a bhiodh iad a’ cruinneachadh còmhla bhiodh iad a’ bruidhinn mu dheidhinn a h-uile càil a bha sin. Agus nuair a bha mise ag èirigh suas bha àiteachan mar Singapore, Buenos Aires, Valparaiso, Suez Canal, rudan mar sin bha iad a’ tighinn beò dhomh agus bha mi a’ cluinntinn barrachd mu dheidhinn nan rudan sin na bha mi a’ cluinntinn mu dheidhinn na Gàidhealtachd ann an dòigh oir cha robh iad a’ siubhail anns a’ Ghàidhealtachd, bha iad a’ siubhail an t-saoghail.
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Agus gu dearbh, chuir thu romhad a dhol a dhèanamh seòladaireachd is sin ionnsachadh anns a’ Chaisteal?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Aidh uill bhiodh fear anns a’ Chaisteal, caiptean a bh’ ann, fear de na daoine a bha a’ teagaisg anns a’ Chaisteal bhiodh e a’ tighinn sìos gu Sgoil a’ Bhac, tha mi a’ smaointinn aon latha san t-seachdain, agus bhiodh e a’ teagaisg eòlas mara dha na balaich. Dha na balaich a-mhàin. Cha robh a’ chlann-nighean a’ faighinn cothrom air. Bha ùidh agam-s’ ann agus dh’inns mi dha duine, chan eil cuimhne a’m cò dha a dh’inns mi, ’s dòcha dhan cheann-sgoile ach leig iad leam a dhol dhan chlas. Agus an uair sin bha cuid de na balaich a bha sin bha iad a’ dol air adhart chun a’ Chaisteil airson tuilleadh eòlas mara a dhèanamh agus bha mis’ ag iarraidh sin a dhèanamh cuideachd! Agus tha e iongantach mar a thachair e, ach anns an sgoil aig an àm bhruidhinn e ris an fhear-sgoile a bha aig Sgoil MhicNeacail agus chuir iad air dòigh rud cho iongantach nuair a smaoinicheas mi air a-nis, chuir iad air dòigh gum faighinn-sa air a dhol chun a’ Chaisteil cuideachd.
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Agus an deach thu ann?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Chaidh.
[Dòmhnall Mòireasdan] Am measg na bha siud de bhalaich?
[Maighread Stiùbhart] Uill cha bhithinn ann làn-ùine. Ach bha mi ann an Sgoil MhicNeacail ach bhiodh iad a’ cur air dòigh bus dhuinn agus chuir iad sin air a’ churraicealam, eòlas mara – navigation, agus thàinig cuid eile a-steach dhan chlas cuideachd. Agus chaidh na balaich sin, chaidh iad fhèin gu muir às dèidh sin agus thug e cothrom dha daoine navigation a dhèanamh ’s dòcha nach biodh iad air a dhèanamh ron sin.
Chaidh am prògram seo, Thuige Seo, a chraoladh an toiseach ann an 2014.
[Donald Morrison] Ok well we will get back to that but you were talking about singing in your youth when you were small and out in the hills. Where were the hills? Where are you from, Margaret?
[Margaret Stewart] I am from Upper Coll in Back, a beautiful, small village. There is moorland on one side and a beach on the other and we had beautiful machair. A beautiful, beautiful little village and my father had sheep and he would send me out to the moor to retireve the sheep and things like that. And I would sing wherever I was.
[Donald Morrison] You were raised on a croft, were you?
[Margaret Stewart] Yes, yes and my grandfather lived with us too and he would teach me lots of things about just the work we had to do. Everyone had to help. You weren’t allowed to just sit watching television. We didn’t have such a thing. And I would have to help him working on the croft and the peat and everything. He was a fisherman too and I would work with him repairing lines and cleaning lines and baiting lines and gathering the bait and all of that.
[Donald Morrison] You were tough. Were you a tomboy?
[Margaret Stewart] Indeed, yes! Perhaps I am yet but I enjoyed it. I didn’t enjoy working inside ironing and doing beds. I never enjoyed that.
[Donald Morrison] I can understand that!
[Margaret Stewart] I still don’t enjoy it!
[Donald Morrison] And you were talking there about fishing and the sea, the sea was important, wasn’t it, in that area and seamen and sailors?
[Margaret Stewart] Yes, yes. As I was saying, my grandfather was a fisherman and my father was at sea too. I had relations down in Vatisker. Norman Neil’s boys. That family always had boats and they would take me out and they would teach me things like rowing, I would row and I would fish for, well, with the little net and it was just marvellous.
[Donald Morrison] But sailors would go further that that, wouldn’t they? Around the area, going all over the world?
[Margaret Stewart] Oh, yes. My father, certainly, and his friends. And they would, when they would gather together they would talk about all of that. And when I was growing up places like Singapore, Buenos Aires, Valparaiso, Suez Canel, things like that they came alive for me and I was hearing more about those things than I was hearing about the Highlands in a way because they didn’t travel the Highlands, they travelled the world.
[Donald Morrison] And indeed, you decided to go and do navigation and to do that at the Castle? (Lews Castle, Lewis)
[Margaret Stewart] Aye well there was a man in the Castle, he was a captain, one of the people who was teaching in the Castle he would come down to Back School, I think one day a week, and he would teach navigation to the boys. To the boys only. The girls didn’t get a chance at it. I was interested in it and I told someone, I can’t remember who I told, perhaps the head teacher but they let me go to the class. And then some of those boys were going on to the Castle to do more navigation and I wanted to do that too! And it’s surprising how it happened, but the school master we had in the school at the time he spoke to the school master that was at the Nicolson Institute and they arranged something so surprising when I think back now, they arranged that I could get to go to the Castle too.
[Donald Morrison] And did you go?
[Margaret Stewart] Yes.
[Donald Morrison] Amongst all those boys?
[Margaret Stewart] Well I wasn’t there full-time. But I was in the Nicolson Institute but they would arrange a bus for us and they put that on the curriculum, navigation, and some others came into the class too. And those boys went, they themselves went to sea after that and it gave an opportunity to people to do navigation that they perhaps wouldn’t have done before that.
This programme, Thuige Seo, was first broadcast in 2014.