"Hairy"

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"Hairy"

Postby kintyre forum news 4 » Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:26 pm

Image

The photo is from the collection of Angus Martin and features his grandfather Duncan Martin's brother Neil, who had the nick-name 'Hairy'. The photographer, as identified on the back of the postcard, was J. P. Milnes, 'Photo Artist, Stranraer & Newton Stewart'. From this information, the image can be dated to the earliest years of the 20th century, say around 1906, when the Kintyre herring fishermen attended an annual winter fishery in Stranraer Loch and Loch Ryan. Neil McInnes Martin was born in 1881 in Queen Street, Dalintober, one of ten sons of John Martin, fisherman, and Sarah Campbell. He was something of a wild man in his younger years and his story can be read in Angus Martin's 'Kilkerran Graveyard Revisited', published earlier this year. He skippered three ring-net skiffs in his lifetime, the 'Bella', the 'Amethyst' and finally the 'Renown'. His companion has not so far been identified, but his surname may have been McMillan. Three letters, written from Stranraer in February 1910 by another Dalintober fisherman, James 'Crusoe' Robertson, to his sister Cathy, were published in No. 58 of 'The Kintyre Magazine' (Autumn 2005).

It is interesting that "Hairy" is wearing the Campbeltown Gansey patterned jumper. The pattern is attributed to Bella Ralston mother of Tommy Ralston a local author.
kintyre forum news 4
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