This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8226450.stm
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Abandonment of St Kilda recalled | Abandonment of St Kilda recalled |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A day has been dedicated to St Kilda - 79 years after its final inhabitants abandoned the remote group of islands. | A day has been dedicated to St Kilda - 79 years after its final inhabitants abandoned the remote group of islands. |
| St Kilda Day - Latha Hiort - has been organised by the Gaelic Arts Agency, with funding from Homecoming Scotland. | |
| The project has been launched as a follow-up to the 2007 St Kilda Opera, which was staged across Europe. | The project has been launched as a follow-up to the 2007 St Kilda Opera, which was staged across Europe. |
| Organisers hope the day will become an annual celebration. The last St Kildans left on 29 August 1930 because life on the islands had become too difficult. | Organisers hope the day will become an annual celebration. The last St Kildans left on 29 August 1930 because life on the islands had become too difficult. |
| People had lived on St Kilda, the westernmost islands of the Outer Hebrides, since prehistoric times. | People had lived on St Kilda, the westernmost islands of the Outer Hebrides, since prehistoric times. |
| In the 19th Century, tourists began to visit the archipelago and the St Kildans - known as the Hiortaich - became more dependent on the outside world. | In the 19th Century, tourists began to visit the archipelago and the St Kildans - known as the Hiortaich - became more dependent on the outside world. |
| Dwindling population | Dwindling population |
| In the 1850s, 42 of the islanders emigrated to Australia, half of them dying on the way. | In the 1850s, 42 of the islanders emigrated to Australia, half of them dying on the way. |
| Until that decade ended, their houses had been built from materials that were easily available on the largest island, Hirta, with stone walls and roofs of thatch or turf. | Until that decade ended, their houses had been built from materials that were easily available on the largest island, Hirta, with stone walls and roofs of thatch or turf. |
| Contact with the mainland led to the building of 16 new houses on Hirta in the 1860s. | Contact with the mainland led to the building of 16 new houses on Hirta in the 1860s. |
| These new homes were cold, and it was necessary to import coal from the mainland as the supplies of peat on St Kilda were not sufficient to heat them. | These new homes were cold, and it was necessary to import coal from the mainland as the supplies of peat on St Kilda were not sufficient to heat them. |
| The development of tourism meant the world learned of the St Kilda Parliament, in which the men met each morning to discuss the day's tasks. | The development of tourism meant the world learned of the St Kilda Parliament, in which the men met each morning to discuss the day's tasks. |
| Visitors reported that the islanders' ankles were unusually thick and strong from climbing cliffs to hunt seabirds, which were the basis of their economy. | Visitors reported that the islanders' ankles were unusually thick and strong from climbing cliffs to hunt seabirds, which were the basis of their economy. |
| The contact with non-islanders has been blamed for increasing disease and high rates of infant mortality. | The contact with non-islanders has been blamed for increasing disease and high rates of infant mortality. |
| The winter of 1929 was particularly hard on the island and some of the remaining inhabitants died, many having already left. | The winter of 1929 was particularly hard on the island and some of the remaining inhabitants died, many having already left. |
| The remaining 36 islanders wrote to the government asking to be taken off so they could lead new lives on the mainland. The island was abandoned the following year. | The remaining 36 islanders wrote to the government asking to be taken off so they could lead new lives on the mainland. The island was abandoned the following year. |
| St Kilda, which is owned by the National Trust for Scotland, has dual Unesco World Heritage status. | St Kilda, which is owned by the National Trust for Scotland, has dual Unesco World Heritage status. |