Small Isles win weather battle
GALEFORCE winds and stranded guests failed to spoil the family fun at the Small Isles Games.
Around 60 people attended the 2016 games on Eigg last Saturday when island revellers, along with visitors from Rum, Muck and beyond battled it out for the inter-island games trophy.
While other events fell victim to severe weather warnings over the weekend, Maggie Fyffe from the Eigg Heritage Trust said she and her fellow attendees refused to let the rain ruin the fun, adding: ‘It was a great day and night – and next day, really, as people couldn’t leave because there were no boats on the Sunday. We kind of knew that would be the case because of the weather, so well done to the folk from Muck and Rum for still making the effort.’
Each year the event is organised by the community of the host island who Maggie explained put on a spread for the guests, who are in return encouraged to compete in high jump, long jump, races, tossing the caber and other activities.
She said: ‘Well, when you’ve got food and everything already in place you just need to get on with it don’t you and think, ‘what’s a bit of rain going to do to you?’ All the visitors got involved in the different events, especially the ones with kids. It’s just good fun. It’s not like Highland Games material really, it’s good proper community fun and about getting all the islands together. And Eigg won the shield so that was a plus.’
After the outdoor fun, the event was rounded off with a ceilidh. Maggie said: ‘The ceilidh was lovely. It was a really nice family ceilidh with lots of kids on the dance floor all night. We had lovely Gaelic singing by Ann Martin from Skye and we would have been two musicians short because some people couldn’t make it but locals stepped in and we were able to dance the night away.
‘I’m a wee bit tired after all the fun but I guess that’s a sign of a good night.’