Na Fiocairean

 

 

Bha dlùth cheangail eadar na Fiocairean agus a' Chomraich, gu sonraichte an Àird Dhubh. B' e Fiocair a bha air Iain MacGillIosa mar ainisg - chaochail esan ann an 1949 sa Chaol is esan 82 bliadhna a dh'aois. B' e iasgair a bha ann agus bha a bhràthair Alasdair, no Ali Dhòmhnaill mar a b'fheàrr a b' aithnichear, ris an aon obair.

 

Bha Fiocair pòsta aig Catherine Pheutan - às dèidh an Darna Cogaidh, bha bàta-iasgaich aig mic an Fhiocair air an robh Kathryn, is i air a h-ainmeachadh airson am màthar. Bha Catherine gu math cleachdte ri beatha ann an teaghlach iasgaich - bha i na piuthar do Thormod (Tormod Mòr) Peutan às na h-Uamhagan aig an robh an Seonaid agus a bha anns a' Chabhlach Rìoghail sa Chogadh Mhòr. Mar sin, cha robh e na iongnadh gum biodh na Fiocairean agus Tormod Mòr ag obair ann an dithis leis na bàtaichean aca is iad aig iasgach an sgadain.

 

Aig àm an Darna Cogaidh, bha an Annabel aca: bhiodh na bràithrean Donaidh (Dànaidh an Fhiocair), Kenny agus Tormod, air an robh an dà chuid Tormod an Fhiocair no The Banker mar ainisg. Ann an làithean-saora na sgoile, bhiodh Duncan John MacGillIosa còmhla riutha, agus bha Dick Clayton ag obair oirre cuideachd.

 

Bha Murchadh (Mortie an Fhiocair) greis mhòr air a' phoileas ann an Lunnainn, ach mu dheireadh thill e dhan Ghàidhealtachd airson a bhith còmhla ris na bràithrean aige air a' Kathryn.

 

 

 

The Gillies family, also known as The Fiocairs

 

 

The Fiocairs and Applecross are very closely linked, especially the township of Ardubh. John Gillies who died in 1949 in Kyle of Lochalsh at the age of 82 was known as the Fiocair but no-one knows what this byname means. Both he and his brother Alasdair, known as Ali Dhòmhnaill were fishermen.

 

The Fiocair had married a lady called Catherine Beaton - after WW II, their sons had a boat named for her called Kathryn. Catherine was well used to the life of a fishing family - she was a sister of Norman Beaton (Tormod Mòr) from the township of Uags, a man who owned the Seonaid and who had served in the Royal Navy during the Great War. So it was no surprise that the Fiocairean and Tormod Mòr worked their boats as a pair for the ring net herring fishing.

 

Around the time of the Second World War, the family had a boat called Annabel: the brothers Donald (Dànaidh an Fhiocair), Kenny and Norman (who was known as either Tormod an Fhiocair or The Banker) worked this boat. In school holidays, Duncan John Gillies from Culduie also worked on her, as did a man from Skye called Dick Clayton.

 

Yet another brother, Murdo (Mortie an Fhiocair), had been in the police in London for a long time but he eventually returned to the Highlands to join his siblings on the Kathryn.