What We Do In The Winter

This episode is a conversation with Steve Irvine of Loch Na Meal, near Tobermory. Born in Dundee, Steve grew up mostly in Carnoustie. A retired forest ranger, Steve has always had a passion for the outdoors and adventure. In our conversation we hear about Polar Bears and Arctic Foxes in unexpected locations, talk about encountering a Basking Shark in Loch Goil, go into the genetics of the local de...

This short episode is being released to coincide with the premiere of Banjo and Ro Beale’s new series Banjo and Ro’s Grand Island Hotel. which can be found on BBC iPlayer. The short episode you’re about to hear features a conversation with the wonderful Andrena Duffin, a local historian and tour guide who knows so much about our history. A minute of this conversation was featured in the first epis...

This episode is a repost of episode 75 of What We Do in the Winter, an oral history podcast about the people of Mull, Iona, Ulva, Gometra and Little Colonsay. It features a conversation with Banjo and Ro Beale to coincide with the release of Banjo and Ro's Grand Island Hotel on BBC iplayer. Originally released for Christmas 2023 it features some seasonal greetings and a wee bit of context about th...

Nollaig chridhiel dhuibh! A very merry Christmas to you! This episode is a conversation with Dr Jennifer Jack of Tobermory. Jennifer comes originally from West Kilbride in Ayrshire. She moved here in the late 1980’s to take up a role within the medical practices in the North End of the island. Our conversation goes into her childhood in Ayrshire, her studies, musical and sporting interests and how...

This episode is a conversation with Kenny and Colin MacIntyre of Tobermory. Kenny is a well known broadcaster and host of Sportsound on BBC Scotland, and Colin is a world famous musician under the name Mull Historical Society and also an acclaimed novelist, writing the Mull Mysteries series featuring Ivor Punch. Kenny and Colin talk about their father, the political broadcaster Kenny MacIntyre and...

This episode is a conversation with Mary McMillan of Tobermory. We discuss Mary’s family life, life at Newdale outside of Tobermory, some of the characters she remembers from her youth, a remarkable tale about something that washed up on the shore, the skull in the Western Isles, Aleister Crowley, school brutality and so, so much more.  Episode links and more can be found at whatwedointhewinter.co...

A collection of local news clippings that show how VE Day was marked on the Isle of Mull, presented in a 1940's news reel style.

This episode is a conversation with Davie Hewitt of Tobermory. Born in Wales, Davie spent the first part of his life in and around Ammanford and Abergeron, eventually coming to live in Tobermory where he has been resident for many years. We talk about so much in this episode, Davie has so many tales to tell. Some of the things we look at are his childhood, the love and care his Grandmother express...

This episode is a conversation with Hugh Boa, who farms at Antuim, here in Dervaig in the North of Mull. I’ve wanted to speak to Hugh since What We Do in the Winter started, so I’m delighted to be able to share this episode with you. Our conversation covers all sorts of ground. We talk about people of the island in the past, different farming cultures on different estates, family members, the decl...

This episode is a conversation with Alison and Angus Johnston of Iona. Many listeners will know Alison and Angus from their time running the Columba Hotel on Iona. We talk about their lives before Iona, with memories of life in Dublin and an amazing account of the WW2 victory parade in Edinburgh, then come to talk about life on the island and the characters of the past, the loss of Gaelic on the i...

This episode is a conversation with Christine Leach of Balevulin, Tiroran. Originally from near Portsmouth, Christine has lived on Mull for many years. Christine runs Pennyghael in the Past Historical Archive. PPHA is a remarkable archive full of the most interesting materials that shines light onto the history of Brolas and its surrounds. I’ve always found Brolas here on Mull to be a very tricky...

This episode is a conversation with Allan and Cameron Maclean of Tobermory. Cameron and Allan are brothers, Cameron born in Tobermory and Allan on Tiree. I’ve wanted to speak these gentlemen for quite a time, so to finally get a moment to spend time together was very special. We talk about so much in this episode. Places of the past, people of the past of both Mull and Tiree, fishing practice and...

A conversation with John Pirie about Skerryvore and lighthouses. Dr John Holliday of the Hynish Trust and Alasdair Satchel of What We Do in the Winter talk with John Pirie, retired lighthouse engineer about Skerryvore lighthouse and the culture of working in manned lighthouses. Recorded at An Iodhlann, Tiree, June 2024 I'm putting this out as a side episode of What We Do in the Winter, so there's...

In this, the 78th episode of WWDitW, Anda Campbell shares some time with us to talk about his life. We talk about his childhood in Bunessan, his family life, members of the Bunessan community of the past, tales of adventure crossing snowdrifts to help out cabinet ministers, the musical visitors to the Arms, sport on the island, his involvement in the Rally and much, much more. For episode links an...

A special live episode about the Mull Rally, a car rally that started on the island in 1969. As Alasdair doesn't know too much about this subject he invited Duncan Brown, who spoke to us for episode 56, to host the episode. This episode was recorded on Zoom. For photos from the history of the rally and other links, please visit the whatwedointhewinter.com for more information. Thanks for listening...

This episode is a conversation with Gail Struthers. Gail hails from the Hillfoots, the villages and towns around the foot of the Ochil Hills, near Stirling. She’s lived on Mull for many years now and has worked principally in catering in hotels and cafes in the North of the Island. She currently works at Bowman Court and our local hospital in Craignure. Our conversation takes us through Gail’s chi...

This episode is a conversation with Eilidh Young. Originally from Penmore in North West Mull, Eilidh lives in Lochdon, where she was the head of Lochdonhead Primary for many years. Our conversation brings the North of Mull to life during the second world war, so much so that we’ll hear what the infamous Lord Haw Haw, Nazi Propogandist on ‘Germany Calling’ had to say to the people of Tobermory one...

This episode is a talk between Seamas Carey of The Reason Why podcast and me, Alasdair Satchel, of What We Do in the Winter which explores the nature of our podcasting work. Seamas’ podcast The Reason Why was released in the spring of 2022. It consists of 10 themed episodes and two live episodes which round the project off. It explores the social issues, hidden history and culture wars of contempo...

A very happy Christmas to you! This episode is a conversation with Banjo and Ro Beale. Banjo and Ro originally hail from Australia but have settled just outside of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. Ro is one of the masterminds behind the distillery at Isle of Mull Cheese, and Banjo is a celebrated interior designer, whose work you may have seen in Interior Design Masters, his own series Designing the...

This episode is a conversation with Donald Macgillivray of Pennygown. We talk about his childhood, go way back into his family history, talk about drove roads and the last cattle drove off Iona to Falkirk, the changes he’s seen in agricultural practice over his career, his work with Highland cattle, abandoned villages and places long forgotten, his dear friend – the late and much missed Hugh MacPh...

This episode is a chat with Cressida Cowell, author of the How To Train Your Dragon books, the Wizards of Once series and Which Way to Anywhere. Cressida grew up in London where her Dad, Michael Hare, had significant roles in several well known organisations. In the 1970’s Michael bought the island of Little Colonsay, which lies between Ulva and Staffa, which was to become the family’s summer home...

This episode is a conversation with Anne Scott about Java and Craignure from the late 1940's and into the 1950's. Anne grew up in Falkirk, lived in Edinburgh for many years and now resides in Largs. Alexander Maclachlan, Anne's Grandfather, was the head gardener at Java Lodge. Anne offers up insights into the communities around Craignure in the mid part of the last century and the arrival of the f...

This episode is a conversation with Cameron Fletcher. Born in Fanmore, Torloisk, Cameron tells us tales of his school life on the island and away in Oban. He talks about a wide variety of characters from his youth, then goes on to tell us about his working life here and away in Argyll and Perthshire. Cameron offers up a unique take on life growing up on the island that I know will really connect w...

This episode is a conversation with Andrew Macfarlane of Glen Aros. Aged 81 he has lived all his life here on the island, starting off at Tiroran, moving to Pennygown, then onto Salen and to Glen Aros. His family hale from the Isles of Gometra and Coll. We cover a great number of subjects in our chat including childhood memories of Coll, the people around him here on Mull as he grew up, his school...

This episode is a conversation with Alastair McIsaac Maclean of Tobermory.
 Alastair is 84 years old and lives at the back of Tobermory main street in a building which used to be a bakery, where he worked as a young boy.  Our chat we cover his early years in Tobermory and Bridge of Weir, memories of Aros House and the delights of the walled garden, life on the pier in Oban, being wrecked in the So...