by Ron Ferguson
FRIENDS from the deep South – Glasgow, for instance – often ask me what I get to do up in Orkney.
The answer takes a long time: this is a very creative, very sociable, community. Every day, I am spoilt for choice. Orkney boasts a rich cultural life. The St Magnus International Festival brings world-class orchestras and writers to the Isles.
In recent years it’s been possible to bump into the likes of Andre Previn, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Isaac Stern, Evelyn Glennie, Tommy Smith, Tom Fleming, Sorley MacLean, Norman McCaig, Seamus Heaney and Iain Crichton Smith on the streets of Kirkwall.Youngsters who grow up in a school and community environment that demystifies and appreciates artistic endeavour are privileged indeed.
My wife sings in the St Magnus Festival Chorus; I’m a bit more downmarket: I sing with Orkney Rocks. Lady Madonna and all that. So far we’ve had two overseas tours, all the way to Westray. But Orkney isn’t all about culture. Let’s talk about the elemental: the quality of air. After a longish spell in the cities of the south, I’m always glad to head northwards again and breathe in the fresh air.
Orkney also breathes history. World Heritage sites such as Skara Brae and Maeshowe – older than the Pyramids – attract thousands of visitors each year.
The recent discoveries at the Ness of Brodgar, the subject of a recent three-part documentary on BBC TV, make Orkney a magnet for people who are interested in archaeology. The scenery is pretty special as well. Every day, as I write in my electronic croft, I look out on the hills of Hoy.
Part of the price one pays for such a wonderful outlook is the fact that the fresh air can sometimes be over-fresh, especially when it’s coming at you at more than 70 miles an hour. It is said that, one day, the wind in Orkney suddenly stopped and everybody fell over.
But it’s all character building stuff. Another question people in the Central Belt ask me is why I live in such a remote place. My answer is: “’Why do you choose to live so far away from Orkney?”
Dr Ron Ferguson, who has lived in Orkney for 26 years, was minister of St Magnus Cathedral for 11 years. He is a full-time writer.
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