Heather puts TV focus on island characters
HEATHER Dewar is a woman of many talents – cook, gardener and artist – there are few things she can’t turn her hand to. But possibly her greatest gift of all is her ability to charm and chat.
In the second series of BBC ALBA’s Dealbhan Fraoich, Heather, from Islay, combines the roles of artist and interviewer as she creates a portrait of a well-known Gael while teasing out of them every little detail of their life story.
From the ferry skipper to the mountaineer, the musician to the mathematician, Heather’s natural curiosity about people and their lives helps her capture their personalities on paper.
From a young age, Heather has had a passion for portrait drawing. Since entering Edinburgh College of Art at the age of 16, she has drawn hundreds of portraits. To this day, she loves trying to capture someone’s likeness.
But drawing a portrait that conveys the twinkle in the eye or the shyness in the smile can be hugely challenging.
Armed with easel, charcoal, paper and pencil, Heather embarks on a tour of the country, drawing the fascinating and engaging people who’ve agreed to ‘sit’ for her.
In the third programme in the series, on Monday April 9, Heather draws Neil Campbell and the blackhouse he restored following his return to his native Benbecula.
Neil tells Heather about the lure of his native isle and about the musical heritage that led to his Mòd gold medal success.
In Glasgow, Heather meets Catrìona MacPhee, one of the hugely popular presenters of BBC ALBA’s Farpaisean Chon-chaorach series. Catrìona has had an interesting and varied career, working as a staff nurse before entering into the world of broadcasting. More recently she has returned to academia, completing a degree in Scottish history.
The fifth programme in the series sees Heather visit Elgol on Skye. There she draws a portrait of Ewan MacKinnon. Although in his seventies, Ewan still works fulltime as an electrician and only recently stood down from the local mountain rescue team after almost half a century of service.
On mainland Argyll, Heather meets Ethel MacCallum. Although Ethel’s adult life has been spent in Inveraray, she is extremely proud of her island connections.
Sent from a Glasgow orphanage to the Isle of Tiree at the age of six, her early childhood was challenging - but Tiree, and music, transformed her life.
Today she is a wellknown and respected singer and songwriter.
Heather is delighted to at last have the opportunity to visit Barra, one of the few islands she hadn’t been to. There she met Michael MacNeil who has worked for Caledonian MacBrayne for many a year. While people might not recognise his face, many in the Hebrides will recognise his voice as that of the assured captain welcoming his passengers on board.
Michael chats to Heather about his lifelong connection with the sea and his journey from fishermen to ferry skipper.
Dealbhan Fraoich is on BBC ALBA every Monday at 8.30pm.