A new song by well known Western Isles musician Willie Campbell with pupils from Castlebay Community School and accompanying video is now available to view online.
On a Wave to the West was showcased at the school concert on the theme of emigration as part of the Dìleab (Legacy) project which also formed part of Western Isles Council’s engagement in Year of the Young Person.
Evelyn Coull Macleod, multimedia manager at the council, said: “The Barra concert was a fitting commemoration on an important topic which still impacts the community of Barra.
“This song and video are the result of the hard work of staff, pupils and the department in collaboration with Willie Campbell. We are also very grateful to have had the expertise of Stephen Kearney in producing the video.
“The Dileab project, which ran throughout 2018, was important in ensuring that our young people are educated and informed about their local history and culture and we hope to further develop these links this year. Already plans are gaining momentum for the production of the Dìleab EP and further collaboration with creative industry experts in our islands.”
Mr Campbell said: “It was genuinely a pleasure working with the kids from Castlebay School. They approached the songwriting workshops with enthusiasm and the level of musical ability within the school is superb. I was really impressed at the level of knowledge within the classes on the topic.
“The kids helped me refine the broad ideas that I had for the song about emigration and the devastating effect it had on the island, they were totally engaged and the great performances of the songs on the night of the concert really reflected that. It’s a fantastic school with real community spirit. Stephen Kearney’s video, which also features kids from the school is superb and a stunning accompaniment to the song. It’s been an extremely rewarding experience all round.”
Video courtesy of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and Littleday Productions.