The Iolaire

Handsel Press, 2019. 36 pages. Paperback.

A Piobroch Poem on Book Four of the Old Testament Psalms.

Introduction by Alan Riach and Gaelic translations by Myles Campbell.

‘There could be no more fitting tribute for the lost ones of the Iolaire than a work rooted in both the knowledge and rhythms of the psalms which played such a major part in their daily lives. Jock Stein, poet, preacher and piper, has provided us with an extraordinary series of verses that draw upon his knowledge not only of the Bible but his awareness, too, of the piping tradition that is central to much of the Gaelic world. Together with his translator, Myles Campbell, he should be congratulated for gifting us this work. It is true to the realities of the men and women who lived in Lewis and Harris both during the early years of the twentieth century and many decades afterwards, as well as the sad, untimely end of those who were aboard the vessel that terrible and unforgettable night.’