When I was really ill and in unbearable pain, I sometimes asked my GP for morphine. He always refused. Then I read about a woman in Glasgow who died an hour after being given a morphine injection; she had been given 20 times the dose. read more

I enter my other world where pain – a brutal sun – rises so slowly I hardly know its pointless orbit has begun Then – too late – it floods my landscape. Higher, harsher more violent rays find my soul and all dreams die I read more

In the league table of conditions migraine is low. It’s down there with depression,  fibromyalgia, ME etc. Novelists use it to explain female absences or backsliding: ‘She has one of her migraines,’ as though she could have anyone else’s. I hate them for it. When read more

Of all the Irish missionaries who crossed the sea in coracles to bring Christianity to these islands, St Moluag is one of the least known and venerated. Yet, it was not always so. If reports are to be believed, he had a busy life travelling read more

Part 3: How residents’ houses become empty or holiday lets When Liosaich die or move for health reasons, it’s always a time of great sadness for islanders, especially when we see their once bright homes lying empty. From one day to the next, a family read more

The 2011 census states 85% of houses are occupied by residents while current figures show this is now only 58%. This trend of increased second and vacant homes creates a challenge for people wanting to move to the island. The purchase prices are high and read more

26 August 2020 Amy is here cleaning my shiny surfaces. As I type I hear soothing sounds with the odd squeak as she cleans the windows outside. Music as good as Bach. She arrived on her bike in the rain clasping her bucket and pole. read more

20 August 2020 The wind is back. Torrential rain in the night. Yesterday was a great day for a walk to Bernera Island fully described in walk section. It lies off the south-west coast, so you need to know the tides. Two hours before low water read more

In Memory of Dollina Carmichael Dollie’s Cottage was a Lismore landmark. Originally known as Tigh a Bheallaich (house of the pass), it was universally known as Dollie’s Cottage. Dollie had lived there all her life and her mother had died there just short of 103. read more

Homecoming 2009 Even as we leaveWe’re coming homeThat’s the way we bend, strainOur prevailing windOur magnetic pole and guiding star Lismore Time can play with us butOur direction is true – unvariedWe are at home here. Not a Liosach I hear!A settler perhaps, a blow read more