TV pundit Kirsty’s visit helps inspire students on the island
Last Week, the senior pupils of Arran High School were treated to a visit from the journalist, television presenter and author, Kirsty Wark. Her debut novel ‘The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle’ is set on Arran during the Second World War and has been well received in the literary world. Gabrielle Allison of S6 gave us this account of Kirsty’s visit.
Kirsty began by sharing with us her extensive knowledge of the island, something that I was personally very impressed by.
Having lived on the island for over 10 years, I was under the impression that I had heard every Arran story imaginable, although it soon became clear that I was to be put to shame by a woman who had a very clear and admirable interest in the history of the island and was very keen to share it with us.
We also learned that she had relatives from Arran, which was useful in the writing of her book because she had an insight into island life. Unsurprisingly, she is a fan of the island and takes visits here when her schedule allows it.
Once we had been suitably blown away by her historical awareness of our island, she went on to discuss her book with us. Despite it being a work of fiction, Kirsty hoped that her book would be fairly accurate in the information it contained.
Many of the places mentioned in the book are areas of Arran that are familiar to us all and are described in a way that highlights the beauty that the island is known for. To add authenticity to the novel, letters owned by her great-uncle were used as inspiration for letters contained within the novel.
When asked why she thought that Arran would be a suitable setting for the book, rather than another rural area around the same time, she replied that Arran is a character in itself and that she and many others believe it to be ‘magical’.
When the floor was open for questions, many people took the opportunity to quiz her on a variety of topics. She spoke about how young people have become very engaged in politics and how she is impressed by this.
She gave helpful tips to aspiring journalists in the au- dience. She spoke about the path she took to get to where she is today. After some time plucking up the courage, I asked a question about my favourite author, Iain Banks. Kirsty Wark conducted his first ever interview for his novel ‘The Wasp Factory’ and he contacted her for his last ever interview before his death in 2013.
She told us about how it was a very emotional interview because she knew that he was terminally ill, sadly, nobody knew that his death was to be quite so soon after.
Overall, even though we only had a short time with her, I found her to be an inspirational and very knowledgeable person who manages to stay connected to her roots despite her success.
She still provides a fresh perspective on a huge array of topics even after having been in the public eye for nearly three decades.
Her book is currently being enjoyed by many pupils and staff at Arran High School, myself included, after its author made a lasting impression on us all.