Islay Battles

One reason for our project is to tell the story of an island—its landscape, its wildlife, its culture and its history. At the heart of what we do is a commitment not simply to produce attractive designs, but to tell stories carefully and thoughtfully. Each stamp set is conceived as a small chapter in a much larger narrative about Islay, and we see these miniature artworks as a way of inviting people to pause and reflect on moments that have helped shape the island’s identity.

This set aims to tell part of the story of Islay’s sometimes turbulent past by taking a look at four historic battles that took place on the island. This has been quite a challenge as there are no historic visual representations of these battles and the landscape has changed in the intervening years. Two of the battles are reasonably well documented, although inevitably have become embellished by legend—while two are unfortunately under-researched and even the battle sites are in doubt.

It has also been a challenge to create these from an artistic perspective. With no historic paintings or other depictions available, we have had to create these ourselves. This has, inevitably, required a degree of imagination. However, imagination has never replaced research and it has taken a year to create this issue. Considerable effort has gone into studying the historical record, archaeological findings and surviving descriptions in order to anchor each scene in evidence wherever possible. Particular care has been taken with the depiction of weaponry, armour and dress, drawing on advice from medieval enthusiasts to ensure that the swords, shields, helmets and tactics shown are appropriate to the period in question. We have also taken into account the island's coastlines, hills and general landscape to reflect as faithfully as possible what those landscapes may have looked like at the time. 

We have a skilled graphic artist on our team but she is no expert on medieval armour and weaponry and we wanted to make these look and feel authentic and as historically accurate as possible. Consequently we have consulted with people who are knowledgeable in this field and we are grateful for their help, which has significantly informed the artistic approach taken. 

We have tried multiple designs and experimented with different interpretations and retellings of the various battles. Throughout, we have been conscious that these images represent real conflicts in which real people lived, fought and died. It has been important to us to approach the subject with respect, aiming for a tone that acknowledges both the drama and the human cost of warfare.

We hope that the four images we finally agreed upon give a feeling of Islay at specific moments in time and a sense of medieval warfare more generally. We have arranged the stamps in chronological order of the battles and have written brief explanations as to the significance of the four battles, as well as providing links for further reading for those interested.

Click on an image to below to read about the battle.
 

THE BATTLE OF SLIABH A'CHATHA

​A defeat for Viking raiders

THE BATTLE OF TRAIGH GHRUINNEART

A clan battle fought on the shores of Loch Gruinart