This summer, Portree welcomes a remarkable exhibition that brings Skye’s ancient shieling culture vividly back to life.
ùir-sgeul | earth story is the work of North Skye artist Eilidh MacKenzie, who has poured her love of Gaelic heritage into every corner of this thoughtful and moving show.
Hosted at the Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre, the exhibition explores the rich history of the shieling, or àirigh, where generations once moved their cattle to summer pastures, living in simple turf and stone shelters.
Eilidh weaves together songs, stories, maps, archaeology, and recorded memories to offer a deeply personal look at how these forgotten places still echo through the land today.
Her work spans paintings, earth pigments, sculpture, sound pieces, and collaborations with children from Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Phort Rìgh, making the exhibition both intimate and immersive.
At its heart lies a question of identity, memory and loss, as Eilidh reflects on how much of this indigenous knowledge has faded, even as its traces remain beneath our feet.
The exhibition forms part of the wider Curious Travellers project, a collaboration between the University of Wales, Glasgow University, and the Natural History Museum in London.
The project revisits the writings of 18th-century travel writer Thomas Pennant, who journeyed through Skye and the Hebrides in 1772, recording a rare and sympathetic outsider’s view of Gaelic life.
Professor Nigel Leask of Glasgow University, a leading partner in the project, praised the work for placing Pennant’s writing back into its rightful Gaelic context.
He called it “a tremendous project that moves between 18th century sheilings and 21st century tourist pods,” highlighting the fresh insights that have emerged.
During her residency, Eilidh discovered a rare 1772 sketch by Pennant’s travelling companion, Moses Griffith, showing a shieling in Jura, which inspired her to begin mapping shieling sites across Skye.
There are hundreds of these sites, each holding fragments of song, story and ecological history waiting to be rediscovered.
In a chapbook published alongside the exhibition, Eilidh speaks of the bittersweet experience of standing close to these places while feeling the deep loss of culture and language that once animated them.
“You need to be motivated to go deeper and look harder to find out about the history, heritage, culture, language, stories or music of a place,” she writes.
The exhibition runs from 20 June to 29 August, with a family-friendly preview on 20 June at 2pm, offering music, cake and conversation.
On 19 June at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, visitors can enjoy Ships, Songs, Sheilings, an afternoon of talks concluding with a special performance by renowned Gaelic singer Margaret Stewart.
A final highlight comes on 7 August, when Eilidh will give an artist talk to launch the exhibition’s accompanying publication, with proceeds supporting Skye Mountain Rescue.
Full details and bookings can be found at atlasarts.org.uk or through the Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre.
