Orkney Vikings raid rivals’ reputations
BOTH communities forge a life for themselves on the furthest-flung fringes of the country, thriving in the face of isolation, limited resources and the very worst of Scottish weather.
But now it seems the similarities end there – with the northerly Orcadians branding their Hebridean cousins ‘lazy’ and dependant on handouts from the mainland.
In retaliation, angry residents of the Western Isles have called Orkney islanders bitter and judgmental.
The claims follow a US study led by Assistant Professor Michael Lange of Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, who concluded that the modern day people of Orkney identify more with their Norse ancestors than with mainland Scots. He found that some even refer to the Viking era as their ‘golden age’ – in contrast to the way in which the pillaging invaders are regarded elsewhere.
Professor Lange, whose study looks at the Viking heritage of early settlers in Canada, said: ‘The perception that Norse Orkney is independent, while the Gaelic Western Isles stretch an umbilical cord to Edinburgh, is common among Orcadians.’
He quoted one person from Orkney as saying: ‘There’s a sort of a get-up-and-go in the place. I mean, we don’t depend at all on government handouts. Our cousins on the Western Isles, in the Hebrides, they just expect everything to be handed to them. But they have a totally different cultural background. Even though the Norse were there, still the Gaelic, the Celtic, influence remained. Here the Norse were absolutely dominant, and I think sadly in the Western Isles they don’t have the same zest for doing things for themselves.’
But Stornoway hotelier Mike Reilly, 0, yesterday hit back, saying: ‘I can’t see how this person can say that about this place, especially as he hasn’t been here. I wouldn’t pass judgement on those places of which I have no experience, so how can he? I recently opened up my business. I didn’t rely on handouts. I worked hard on this business and I got no help with it. I’ve been here for years and most of the people here are hard working.’