The South Ronaldsay and Burray Development Trust are hoping to achieve a community buy-out of the Tomb of the Eagles and visitor centre. They aim to reopen and restore it as a community hub and tourist attraction. They have set up a crowdfunding page and would appreciate any support.
Orkney Heritage Society are happy to support this project and have donated £500 towards the target.
“The internationally famous Neolithic chambered cairn at Isbister, known as the Tomb of the Eagles, occupies a spectacular clifftop location in the South Parish of South Ronaldsay. The 5,000+ year-old burial tomb is currently in private ownership. For over 20 years it was a successful family-run, and family-friendly, visitor attraction comprising the chambered cairn, scenic walks, a Bronze Age burnt mound, and a visitor centre. The Tomb provided employment opportunities for young people, and established itself as a much-loved and unique part of South Ronaldsay and Orkney’s tourism scene.”
Follow the link below if you would like to make a contribution.
Another year has gone by and we are rapidly approaching the AGM, which this year will be held in the St Magnus Centre, Kirkwall at 7.00pm on Thursday 14th November 2024.
2024 has been a particularly busy year for the Society, the highlight of which has been an oral history project on St Magnus Cathedral. Forty-six people have been interviewed for this project giving their memories of this most iconic of buildings as well as describing what the building means to them. The interviews were conducted by Tom Rendall and Annie Thuesen, with the recordings now available in the Orkney Library and Archive. Summaries of the interviews have been made into a small publication, St Magnus Cathedral Memories and Meanings costing £10 which will be launched at the conclusion of the AGM business. Tom Rendall will give a talk on the project.
For those that cannot attend in person, you can join online. This will be via Microsoft Teams, and you will need to register via Eventbrite to attend online. Please follow this link to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1061964156379
The link to attend will then be accessible via the Eventbrite event page, and will also appear in your confirmation email.
The AGM provides an opportunity for members to get together to exchange ideas for future activities of the Society. As ever there is an opportunity to get involved and we are always keen to welcome new board members.
Normally, meetings are held every six weeks or so on an evening in Kirkwall and last for up to two hours. During winter and in times of expected bad weather, meetings are held online.
On Thursday 18th of July at 7:30pm Orkney Heritage Society is arranging a meeting in the Stenness Community Hall to provide an opportunity for people to share knowledge on what they have heard SSE are planning for the county.
During a recent ‘Orkney matters’ community meeting in Stenness the issue emerged of the lack of information about proposed works. ‘We found that different people had different stories about what is planned’ explained OHS Chair Spencer Rosie. ‘We thought it could be useful for people to gather to share what information they know as a starting point.’
Stories have emerged of worries about overhead poles and also the scale of the land to be used in burying the export cable from Finstown to Warebeth. ‘Land owners report having had sporadic visits from people associated with the project, but things go quiet for months.’ Different people have different information and there doesn’t seem to be a central source of information on all the works. We thought it would be useful to bring people together to share what we do know.
‘We realise that there is going to be a lot of work to be undertaken in order to prepare Orkney for the renewables that we will need to see to tackle climate change, however it is important that this is undertaken with the minimum of disruption and as few surprises as possible to those affected. The works are going to be extensive and pass right through Stenness parish, so this seemed to be the logical place to hold this initial meeting.’
There will be some short presentations on known information by local residents and any other people with information will be able to contribute to the body of knowledge as it builds up.
If you have had approaches from SSE about your land or have information on what is planned then please do come along.
For more information contact: chair@orkneyheritagesociety.org.uk
“The internationally famous Neolithic chambered cairn at Isbister, known as the Tomb of the Eagles, occupies a spectacular clifftop location in the South Parish of South Ronaldsay. The 5,000+ year-old burial tomb is currently in private ownership. For over 20 years it was a successful family-run, and family-friendly, visitor attraction comprising the chambered cairn, scenic walks, a Bronze Age burnt mound, and a visitor centre. The Tomb provided employment opportunities for young people, and established itself as a much-loved and unique part of South Ronaldsay and Orkney’s tourism scene.”
