Iolaire

Tonight, as 2019 fades into 2020, New Year celebrations in Stornoway will be muted. It is now 101 years ago since HMY Iolaire sank off Holm Point, 1½ miles south of Stornoway, with the loss of 181 island sailors, and twenty other seamen from other places in the United Kingdom. One of the worst losses of life in British waters in peacetime. A major commemoration took place on 1st January 2019, and another event is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Several new memorials have been erected in and around Stornoway. The main memorial at Holm Point was upgraded and access improved ahead of last year's event. I shall post a number of pictures of all of these. The most memorable event last year took place at 2 am on 1 January 2019, which I attended.



Sheol an Iolaire


Memorial in the Carn Gardens


New access to the Holm Point memorial


Commemoration at 2 am on 1 January 2019