25-28

ULTIMA THULE

ULTIMA THULE

Faclan 2017Fèis Litreachas Innse Gall The Hebridean Book Festival

An Dàmhair October

I SAW A MAN PURSUING

THE HORIZONSTEPHEN CRANE

”

“

FÀILTE GU FACLAN

2 0 1 72 0 1 7LEABHRAICHEAN/FILM/EALAIN/COMHRADH/CEOL

BOOKS/FILM/VISUAL ARTS/TALKS/MUSIC

In medieval geographies, Ultima Thule is a place

beyond the borders of the known world. Nowadays,

we tell ourselves that there are no such borders, that

there is no ‘unknown’ world. Yet we remain possessed

by it: the hinterland, the winter land, the empty space

beyond the horizon that can only be filled by our

imagination. For writers it’s an endless territory to

explore, revisit and reinvent. Perhaps ultimately we

still need these narratives; we still need somewhere

that is off the map.

Roddy MurrayFounding Director Head of Visual Arts & Literature

Grateful thanks to Creative Scotland, Comhairle nan

Eilean Siar, Acair, MG Alba, The Royal Literary Fund,

Elegant Chaos and Natural Retreats for their generous

assistance with this year’s rich and intriguing

programme.

2

25An Dàmhair October

2PM HIDDEN GIFTS: THE MYSTERY OF ANGUS MACPHEENICK HIGGINS FILM / 2004 / 25 MINSExplores the mysterious relationship

between artistic expression and

mental illness through the story of

Scotsman Angus MacPhee, who was

diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1946

and sent to the Craig Dunain

Psychiatric Hospital near Inverness.

3PMAGUIRRE: THE WRATH OF GOD

A band of conquistadors searching

for El Dorado in darkest Peru find

the horror within themselves. An

unremitting and overwhelming

vision, not just of the colonial mind-

set but of the latent madness within

everybody. Herzog’s masterpiece.

WERNER HERZOG FILM /1 972 / 100 MINS

5PM EDGE OF THE WORLDMICHAEL POWELL FILM / 1937 / 81 MINSClassic film on the de-

population of one of

Scotland’s isolated, outer

islands as the younger

generation leave for the

mainland. Based on the

evacuation of St Kilda.

7PMBEYOND WORDSNEW WRITERS' ANTHOLOGY

The launch of the second publication

from the Western Isles

Writers’ Group.

(Gallery)

7:30PM

DAOINE NAN ÀITEPEOPLE IN PLACE

Murdo Macleod and Finlay

Macleod discuss the place of

photography in Acair's

publishing programme over

the last 40 years. Particularly

the work of Dan Morrison,

James McGeoch and Robert

Adam, and how each chose

to depict the faces of

Hebridean culture.

325 3An Dàmhair October

DiciadainWednesday

The launch of the second publication

from the Western Isles

Writers' Group.

(Gallery)

26

2PM

LOST HORIZONFRANK CAPRA

FILM / 1937 / 132 MINSA group of plane-crash survivors land

in the mythical Shangri-La, a valley

hidden deep within the Himalayas.

Rescued, they grow to love the

remote paradise, but all is not as it

seems. Selected by the Library of

Congress in 2016 as being "culturally,

historically, or aesthetically

significant".

5PM

ARRIVALS AND SAILINGS

Never-before-seen images and

fresh insight into the influences and

early life of a beloved, charismatic

artist whose work holds a mirror to

Scottish life, identity and industry.

THE MAKING OF GEORGE WYLLIE

JAN PATIENCE

7PM

LILY GREENALL

Workshop with Lily Greenall specifically

on the supernatural in Scottish fiction.

(Community Room) repeated on Fri 7pm

WRITING GHOSTS 1

4 DiardaoinThursday

An Dàmhair October

26DiardaoinThursday

An Dàmhair October

5

FÌOR THUATH : ABSOLUTE NORTH

A rare film of Icelandic life in the early 20th Century depicting modernity encroaching on traditional life.

Jessica Danz is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and improviser. Known for her finely crafted, haunting

songwriting, she writes and performs solo material for combinations of voice, violin and piano, as well as creating

larger-scale ensemble works and live scores for theatre, dance and silent film.

6:30PM

FILM / SILENT / 1925 WITH LIVE PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT BY JESSICA DANZ

7PM

ICELAND

RAGNAR AXELSSON

Lushly austere, powerful images of Greenland, Iceland

and the Faroe Islands document vanishing lifestyles as

Axelsson (Rax) looks back upon the foundation of his

photographic passion and career.

Raised on an isolated farm in southern Iceland, Rax

became captivated by the brutal beauty of the North

Atlantic, its inhabitants and their environment. Faces of

the North established him as one of the leading

documentary photographers of our time.

8:30PM

THE SEABIRD’S CRY

THE LAST DAYS OF THE ARCTIC     

ADAM NICOLSON

From one of the greatest nature writers we explore the pattern

of seabirds’ lives, their habitats, the threats they face and the

passions they inspire.

Adam Nicolson is a prize-winning writer of many books on

history, nature and the countryside including Sea Room, God’s

Secretaries and the acclaimed The Mighty Dead. He has

written and presented many television series and is the

proprietor and custodian of the Shiant Islands.

3 EVENTS - 1 TICKET -  £10

27DihaoineFriday

An Dàmhair October

2PM

OFF THE MAP NATIONAL TRUST FILM / 1958 /  26 MINSA 1950s travelogue to the most

remote inhabited islands in Britain,

including North Rona, St Kilda,

Mingulay, Barra, and Iona. The Trust

acquired Fair Isle in 1954, and St

Kilda in 1957, shortly before this film

was made.

THE GREAT WHITE SILENCEHERBERT PONTING FILM / 1924 / 108 MINS

The compelling official film of the

1910 British Antarctic Expedition, led

by Capt. Robert Falcon Scott, on their

failed quest to become the first to

reach the South Pole.

12:30PM

THE MOUNTAIN CAFE COOKBOOKA KIWI IN THE CAIRNGORMS

KIRSTEN GILMOURWith the award-winning New Zealand chef

and owner of The Mountain Cafe, Aviemore,

which was voted Best Cafe in Scotland at the

2017 Scottish Food & Drink Awards. Kirsten

is also a contributor to BBC Radio Scotland’s

Kitchen Cafe.

(Harbour Room Restaurant)

£10 for lunch or free without lunch

Very limited places

6

2:30PM

FAITH IN HEREJAMIE EDMUNDSON FILM / 2017 /  10 MINS

A short film by Glasgow School of

Art graduate about Kenny MacKay

of Harris and his fight to get a road

built to Rhenigidale, previously

accessible only by boat or on foot.

The road finally opened in 1990.

2:45PM

27DihaoineFriday

An Dàmhair October

TÌREAN DEIGHE IS TEINE LANDS OF ICE AND FIRE      

5PMBEYOND THE NORTHLANDSVIKING VOYAGES AND THE OLD NORSE SAGAS  ELEANOR ROSAMUND BARRACLOUGH

On saga manuscripts, trolls and dragons jostle with explorers, traders,

and kings. To explore and explain them Barraclough travelled thousands

of miles on a journey to the far-flung corners of the Viking world.

Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough is Assistant Professor in Medieval

History and Literature at Durham University. She is one of ten BBC

Radio 3 New Generation Thinkers.

7PM WINTER IS COMING EPISODE 1 / GAME OF THRONES HBO / 2011 / 55 MINS

A faithful adaptation of the first chapters of George R

R Martin’s medieval fantasy, this introduces the setting

and main characters.

The title is the motto of House Stark. The episode

remains a top-polling favourite among fans of the

global phenomenon.

8:15PM

WINTER IS COMING: THE MEDIEVAL WORLD OF GAME OF THRONESCAROLYNE LARRINGTON

We explore sigils, giants, dragons

and direwolves in medieval texts;

ravens, old gods and the Weirwood

in Norse myth; and a gothic, exotic

orient in the eastern continent,

Essos. An indispensable guide to

the 21st century’s pre-eminent

fantasy creation.

7

3 EVENTS - 1 TICKET - £10

Limited number of free tickets or included with combined event ticket

9:30AM

28DisathairneSaturday

An Dàmhair October

CÀNAN AODAINN : LANGUAGE OF EDEN

FILM + DISCUSSION WITH WRITER JOHN MURRAY Ceòl ’s Craic’s filmed theatrical production is

an adaptation of John Murray’s landmark Gaelic

short story reinterpreted by playwright Iain Macrae

and directed by Duncan MacDonald. It is delivered

in partnership with MG ALBA and Creative Scotland.

3 EVENTS - 1 TICKET £10  FREE DRINK & BREAKFAST ROLL

BRISEADH NA CLOICHE

10:30AM

AN LEABHAR LIATH THE LIGHT BLUE BOOK500 YEARS OF THE EROTIC IN GAELIC VERSE PETER MACKAY 

Winner of the Donald Meek Award 2016, this collection of

bawdy, erotic and transgressive Gaelic song and verse

mines a long tradition back to the age of Ossian. ‘… Much

works by innuendo rather than explicit detail … to balance

the more risqué material we include some relatively gentle

love poems.’

Peter Mackay is from Lewis. He is a lecturer at the

University of St Andrews and is the author of Gu Leòr /

Galore, From Another Island and Sorley MacLean. He is

one of ten BBC Radio 3 New Generation Thinkers.

11:30AMLITREACHAS NA TÌRE THE GAELIC LANDSCAPE IN LITERATURE JOHN MURRAY

Travel in your mind to Duncan Bàn Macintyre’s Beinn Dòbhrain, Sorley

Maclean’s Hallaig and the Caithness and Sutherland of Neil Gunn.

Photographs, maps and place-names immerse us in the landscapes which

songs, poems and tales have described over the ages.

John Murray is a former Director of Landscape Architecture at Edinburgh

University. His first book Reading the Gaelic Landscape was published in 2014.

8

28DisathairneSaturday

An Dàmhair October

SCOTLAND MAPPING THE ISLANDS

1:30PM

CHRISTOPHER FLEET

Featuring some of the most beautiful and

significant maps from the National Library

of Scotland’s collection, covering

population, place-names, defence, civic

improvement, natural resources,

navigation, and leisure and tourism, the

story of Scottish islands from the earliest

maps to the most up-to date techniques

of digital mapping.

Christopher Fleet is Senior Map Curator

in the National Library of Scotland with

particular responsibilities for

digital mapping.

OS CIONN NA TÌRE

INTO THE UNWILD PATRICIA & ANGUS MACDONALD: UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH AEROGRAPHICA PARTNERSHIP

3PM

Forensic aerial views: The Aerographica

Partnership specializes in the research, record

and interpretation of cultural landscapes using

aerial photography and art projects. Its imagery

is exhibited, published and held in public and

private collections internationally, in both fineart

and editorial contexts

Angus Macdonald BSc PhD FSA(Scot) Hon

FRSGS is Professor Emeritus and former Head

of the School of Arts, Culture and Environment of

the University of Edinburgh. Artist-photographer,

Patricia Macdonald BSc PhD FRSE FSA (Scot)

FRSA Hon FRSGS Hon FICS is researcher in

environmental history, perception and

iconography (and Honorary Fellow at the

University of Edinburgh).

OVER LAND2 EVENTS - 1 TICKET - £8

2PM

THE HEBRIDEANCOLOURING BOOKEILIDH MULDOON

A magical book-making session that takes

you on a colouring-in journey around the

islands. Learn how to create your own fold-

out concertina book full of drawings and

colourful pictures. (Martin's Memorial Hall)

9

28DisathairneSaturday

An Dàmhair October

GU H-ÀRD GU TUR HIGH ALTITUDE HIGH LATITUDE 

3 EVENTS 1 TICKET £10

THE EPIC OF EVERESTJOHN BAPTIST LUCIUS NOEL

FILM / 1924 / 87 MINSThe third attempt to climb Everest saw the

deaths of two of the finest climbers of their

generation, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine.

Did they reach the summit? Filmed in brutal

conditions with a hand-cranked camera, the film

captured images of breath-taking beauty

and historic significance revealed

by the BFI restoration.

4:30PM

UP AND ABOUT: THE HARD ROAD TO EVEREST

7PM

DOUG SCOTT CBEOn 24 September 1975, Doug Scott and Dougal

Haston became the first Britons to reach the summit

of Everest. Scott went on to become one of Britain's

greatest ever mountaineers, pioneering new climbs in

the remotest corners of the globe. He tells his story

from his birth in Nottingham during the darkest days of

war to the summit of the world.

8:30PM

DARK MATTER THIN AIRHIGH ALTITUDE, HIGH LATITUDE GHOST STORIESMICHELLE PAVER

A ghost story to chill and thrill...Like Touching the

Void rewritten by Jack London, Thin Air is a heart-

freezing masterpiece. (Amanda Craig THE

OBSERVER)

Michelle Paver’s first books were for younger readers

The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, followed by

Gods and Warriors. Her ghost stories for adults,

Dark Matter and Thin Air have been UK bestsellers

and won massive praise from reviewers and readers.

10

THE ROYAL LITERARY FUND TALK

28DisathairneSaturday

An Dàmhair October

10PM

INTO THE OTHERWORLDHALLOWEEN CLUB NIGHTFancy dress, cocktails,

DJ set, late licence

HYPERBOREALANDS OF THE NORTH 23 SEPT – 4 NOV

This exhibition showcases the work of three

acclaimed photographers, Ragnar Axelsson,

Alex Boyd and Chris Friel, whose work

focuses on the North. Axelsson and Boyd

document the communities of Greenland,

Iceland and the Faroe Islands in their works

‘Faces of the North’ and ‘Dark Mountains |

Silent Islands’, while Friel’s introspective work

‘After’ concentrates on the landscapes of the

Outer Hebrides. In association with the

Flow Festival of Photography.

FORRADH : SLY COOKINGCATRIONA BLACK

An exhibition of linocut illustrations of Gaelic Words and

Expressions from South Uist and Eriskay, collected by

Fr. Allan McDonald, revealing the sophistication of a

language full to the brim with folklore.

EXHIBITIONS11

THU26/10

WED25/10

HIDDEN GIFTS: THE MYSTERY OF ANGUS MACPHEE

AGUIRRE: THE WRATH OF GOD

THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

BEYOND WORDS

DAOINE NAN ÀITE. PEOPLE IN PLACE

Nick Higgins 2004

(25min)

2PM

3PM

5PM

7PM

7:30PM

Werner Herzog 1972

(94 mins)

Michael Powell 1937

(81 mins)

New Writing book

launch.

Main Gallery

Hebrideans in

photography. Murdo

Macleod and Finlay

Macleod

LOST HORIZONFrank Capra 1937

(132 mins)

2PM

5PM

7PM

ABSOLUTE NORTH

ARRIVALS AND SAILINGSThe Making of George

Wyllie – Jan Patience

WRITING GHOSTSWorkshop with Lilly

Greenall.

Community Room

ICELAND1925

(Silent film, 25 mins)

with live

accompaniment by

Jessica Danz6:30PM

FACES OF THE NORTH / LAST DAYS OF THE ARCTICIcelandic photographer

Ragnar Axelsson

7PM

THE SEABIRD’S CRYAdam Nicolson

8:30PM

FRI27/10

OFF THE MAP1958

(26 mins)

Travelogue of Scottish

Islands

2PM

1924 (108 mins)

Record of Captain

Scott’s expedition to

the South Pole.

THE GREAT WHITE SILENCE

2:30PM

FAITH IN HERE2017 (10 mins)

A film about a Harris

man's fight to get a

road built to

Rhenigidale.

2:45PM

7PM

WRITING GHOSTS IIWorkshop with Lilly

Greenall.

Community Room

THE MOUNTAIN CAFE COOKBOOK 

A Kiwi in the

Cairngorms: Kirsten

Gilmour - 2 course

Lunch for £10 12:30PM

EXHIBITIONSHYPERBOREA : LANDS OF THE NORTH3 Photographers (Gallery)

Faces of the North: Ragnar Axelsson

Dark Mountains | Silent Islands: Alex Boyd

After: Chris Friel.

FORRADH : SLY COOKINGCatriona Black (Café Bar Exhibition)

Sat 6pm - Acair 40th Anniversary reception and

exhibition launch

23 SEPT - 4 NOV

SAT28/10

HIGH ALTITUDE HIGH LATITUDE

THE EPIC OF EVEREST 1924 (88 mins)

Official film of the

Mallory & Irvine

expedition

4:30PM

7PM

UP AND ABOUTThe Hard Road to

Everest

Doug Scott CBE

DARK MATTER, THIN AIRHigh Altitude, High

Latitude Ghost Stories

Michelle Paver

8:30PM

HALLOWEEN CLUBNIGHT

CALENDAR OF EVENTSBRISEADH NA CLOICHFilm based on John

Murray’s short story

9:30AM

AN LEABHAR LIATHThe Erotic in Gaelic

Song & Verse: Peter

Mackay

10:30AM

LITREACHAS NA TÌREThe Literature of the

Gaelic Landscape

John Stuart Murray

11:30AM

MAPPING SCOTLAND’S ISLANDS

OVER LAND

Christopher Fleet

1:30PM

INTO THE UNWILDPatricia & Angus

Macdonald, University

of Edinburgh /

Aerographica

partnership

3PM 10:30PM – 1AM

LANDS OF ICE AND FIREBEYOND THE NORTHLANDSViking Voyages & the

Old Norse Sagas

Eleanor Rosamund

Barraclough 5PM

WINTER IS COMINGGame of Thrones:

Ep.1 (2011)

Free- ticket

required 7PM

WINTER IS COMINGThe Medieval World

of Game of Thrones

Carolyne Larrington

8:15PM

LANGUAGE OF EDEN HEBRIDEAN COLOURING BOOK WORKSHOP

Create your own fold-

out concertina book

(Martin's Memorial) £3

2PM

Free - no ticket

required

Faclan ÒGA SCHOOLS PROGRAMME

14

DINOSAURS, DUCKS,HARES AND TORTOISESALISON MURRAY

P1 - 3 ENGLISH Alison will read from Hare and Tortoise and Dino Duckling and show how

to create expressive picture book characters with line, mark making and

colour. Children will get a chance to create their own version of a

character from one of Alison’s stories.

MON 30 OCT 1.45PM, TARBERT LIBRARY TUES 31 OCT 10AM, AN LANNTAIR

SILVER SKINJOAN LENNON

S1 - 3 ENGLISH

Join Joan Lennon as she talks about the inspiration for her novel,

shares writing tips, and looks at some of the issues that past,

present and future share. Silver Skin was shortlisted for the 2017

Scottish Teenage Book Prize.

THURS 2 NOV 1.15PM, TARBERT LIBRARY FRI 3 NOV, TIME TBC NICOLSON INSTITUTE

WALKING MOUNTAINJOAN LENNON

P4 - 7 ENGLISH

Join Joan Lennon as she introduces her latest novel Walking

Mountain, looking at where this story of impending disaster and

unlikely friendships began, and how she went about inventing a

strange future world that is fantastic and familiar at the same time.

WED 1 NOV 2PM, AN LANNTAIR THURS 2 NOV 10.30AM, TARBERT LIBRARY

15

GRANAIDH AFRAGA     MÒRAG ANNA NICNÈILL 

P5 – 7 GAELIC

Morag Ann MacNeil will read an extract from her new novel,

‘Granaidh Afraga’ before answering questions from the audience. A

creative writing activity with a Hallowe’en theme will follow, in

which pupils will be encouraged to create their own scary characters.

TUES 31 OCT 2 – 3PM, AN LANNTAIR WED 1 NOV 10.30 – 11.30AM, TARBERT LIBRARY

AN TRIÙIR AGUS LUBAG MAOILIOS CAIMBEUL

S1 – 3 GAELIC

Myles Campbell will talk about the book 'An Triùir agus Lùbag' and

read a bit from it. He will also describe some of his other writings

and examples of flash fiction and there will be a writing activity for

the pupils.

TUES 31 OCT 1.15 – 2.15PM, TARBERT LIBRARY WED 1 NOV 10 – 11, AN LANNTAIR

LEUGH IS SEINN LE  LINDA MACLEOD

P1 – 3 GAELIC

Join us for a fun-filled Gaelic reading session with stories, songs

and puppets for early-years pupils with Linda MacLeod. Linda will

be reading ‘Montaidh agus Mìlsean’ by Gayle Clark. Supported by

Comhairle nan Leabhraichean.

FRI 3 NOV 10.30 – 11.30AM, TARBERT LIBRARY FRI 3 NOV 2 – 3PM, STORNOWAY PRIMARY

TICKET PRICESFaclan Festival Pass*

Films

Authors' Events

Combined Event Tickets

Hebridean Colouring Book workshop

(not included with festival pass)

School Events - Free, booking essential

£65/£60

£4/£3

£6/£5

£8 or £10

£3

WWW.LANNTAIR.COM INFO@LANNTAIR.COM 01851708480WWW.LANNTAIR.COM INFO@LANNTAIR.COM 01851708480

Sràid Choinnich, Steòrnabhagh, Eilean Leòdhais, HS1 2DS

An Lanntair, Kenneth Street, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, HS1 2DS

Natural Retreats, a proud sponsor of Faclan 2017, is a unique leisure and travel company offering extraordinary

experiences at a selection of stunning coastal, countryside and wilderness locations around the world.

NATURAL RETREATS OFFER

Explore. Dream. Discover. Go somewhere to remember. Get 10% off a stay of two nights or longer at Lews Castle by Natural Retreats during Faclan. Book your stay at

www.naturalretreats.com or call 01625 416430 using code HEBBOOK2017

*Faclan Pass Holders get a 10% discount on food in the Café Bar,

filter coffee or tea for £1, and receive an invitation to the writers'

reception on Friday night.

Pass-holders will also have an area of reserved seats.

All other seats will be unreserved.