Bàta nan Salm: a’ comharrachadh 10 bliadhna (English summary below)
’S iomadh port ris na shuath sinn: many places we’ve travelled
An dèidh na h-òrdaighean Diluain, bhiodh na h-eathraichean a fàgail eaglais Eilean Thabhaidh an Ceòs, dol gu taobh thall Loch Èirisort. Thogadh duine air tìr sailm, chumadh na daoine anns na h-eathraichean an sailm a dol. ’S iad fo sheòl no buille nan ràmh, a-mach an loch.
Seo an dealbh inntinn a las am buidheann coimhearsnachd Bàta nan Salm. Tha deich bliadhna bhon uair ud agus ’s iomadh port ris na shuath sinn. Bhiodh an aon chleachdadh, an sgìrean timcheall nan lochan mara, an Leòdhas agus Na Hearadh. Bha leth chuimhne air, agus criomagan ri chruinneachadh.
Thug na h-eathraichean sin sinn, a-steach a dhachaighean fasgaidh, tallaichean coimhearsnachd, làraich far an robh an soisgeul ri chluinntinn thar nam bliadhnaichean agus gu muir cuideachd.

The Psalm Boat community is celebrating 10 years in 2020.
The inspiration came from an account given by Donalasdair Smith to artist déirdre ní mhathúna. During the Spring and Autumn Communion Season, the people walked and came by boat to attend the services in Keose. On departure on Monday as the boats left the shore to return to the home port a Gaelic psalm would be sung with the response coming from those aboard the boats as they sailed or were rowed out of sight.
This was also a custom in areas, around other sea lochs in Lewis and Harris. The project has made links with those areas and gathered accounts of community life, pre road.
That is the power of a grass roots initiative which developed without funding support.
The archiving has begun….

See our Facebook page Psalmboat Project