Islay Folklore
Our Islay Folklore issue was released on 17th January 2022 - a set of six stamps retelling Islay folk tales.
The artwork has been done by various members of our family, each inspired by a different folk tale from Peggy Earl's Tales of Islay: Fact and Folklore (first published in 1980 and available from the Museum of Islay Life, Port Charlotte).
The stamps reimagine the following folk stories: The Salmon of Knowledge, Godred Crovan and the Dragon, Captain Gorry's Ride, The Islay Hilt, The Water Horses and The Brollachan.
The main purpose of this issue is to retell these wonderful stories for a wider audience. To this end each stamp bears a QR code which, when scanned, will link to our own retelling of these historic traditional stories. These can also be accessed by clicking on the links below.
Stamps are available via our online shop or on ebay.
THE FOLK TALES
Please click on the stamps (below) to read the stories.
THE SALMON OF KNOWLEDGE
An ancient tale of a mystical fish
THE ISLAY HILT
A fairy tale - and not the nice kind
GODRED CROVAN AND THE DRAGON
A tale of legendary courage
THE WATER HORSES
The myth of the each-uisge
CAPTAIN GORRY'S RIDE
A story of a race with the Devil
THE BROLLACHAN
A tale of a fearsome beast