‘When tragedy visits one household on the island, it is felt by all’

Comment Martyn Mclaughlin

Compton Mackenzie, one of the greatest advocates of Barra’s delights, once reflected on the “peculiar magic” of the Hebridean island. It was a force he attributed to three factors: the stunning natural landscape, its religious observance, and above all, the “character of the people” who welcomed him as one of their own.

Such virtues in part explain why Barra has prospered at a time when islands across Scotland have been struggling to stem the tide of depopu-