Lewisman Donald S Murray tells in his inimitable verse and prose Stornoway's story from the days when Mesolithic people sheltered there to its present-day life as a bustling, modern harbour, casting light on men and boats, native herring girls and island visitors, the town's triumphs and tragedies. These include such events as the sinking of the Iolaire, the ship which went down with over 200 soldiers as they returned home from World War I, the departure of the Metagama to Canada in 1923, packed with islanders on their way to start a new life in North America, and the dramatic arrival of the fishing boat the Astrid, with 29 refugees from Soviet Estonia, in 1948. Accompanying the work are 20 striking and distinctive illustrations from, Douglas Robertson, as well as over 30 photographs. All of this comes together to capture both the past and present of the port, making the book a delight both for those who know the town well and the many holiday-makers who explore its harbour during summer months.

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• An I-View
• A Wider Vantage
  • Beginnings
  • Herringopolis 1
  • The Ballad of the Fife Adventurers
  • Goat Island
  • Sprinkling Salt
  • Foreshores
  • Castle Grounds
  • Stirrings
  • Herringopolis 2
  • The Cooper’s Song
  • The Herring Girl’s Prayer
  • Love Song with Kippers
  • Horses
  • Stornoway Fishermen and Merchants
  • Spaces for the Shipwrecked
  • Chaie Wexler
  • Vlademar Gundel
  • Moishe Wexler
  • Rolf Vaagaasar
  • Photograph of Norge Survivors
  • Kristian Christensen
  • Love Song with Jelly Fish
  • Sea-shanty
  • Herring Girl in Love
  • Herring Girls in Wartime
  • Thomas F. Macleod
  • Iolaire
  • The Iolaire Memorial
  • Coal-hulk in Stornoway Harbour
  • Leverhulme
  • Metagama
  • Glitter
  • Stornoway in the Great Depression
  • Harbour Praise
  • Bela Lugosi in Stornoway
  • Psalm 46 in the Advent of War, 1939
  • Herring in Years of Conflict
  • Love Song with Whelks
  • The Arrival of the Astrid, 1948
  • James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson in Stornoway
  • Estonian Children on the Astrid
  • Operation Cauldron, 1952
  • A Fishy Story
  • Self-preservation
  • Marilyn Monroe in Stornoway
  • Tales My Uncle Told Me
  • Rudolf Nureyev in Stornoway
  • Lifting Light
  • Flooding
  • Below the Pier
  • Wool-sacks on the Harbour
  • A Meeting
  • Watching
  • Harbour Worker
  • Young Love in Stornoway
  • Old Love in Stornoway
  • Love Song with Dogfish
  • Love Song with Conger Eel
  • Dockers Strike, 1972
  • The Girl Who Taught the Fisherman To Read
  • Love Song without Sole
  • Love Song with Flounder
  • Unlucky Fisherman
  • Love Song with Crustaceans
  • Love Song with Seaweed
  • Love Song with Mackerel
  • Love Song with Sea Anemone
  • Sealessickness
  • In This Condition
  • At the Fish-mart
  • Leaving
  • Airnish
  • Love Song with Plankton
  • Love Song with Tropical Fish
  • Fishermen’s Mission
  • A Short Selection of Announcements
    • Made by Cal Mac about the Failure of Their Vessel
    • Isle of Lewis To Sail over the Last Few Years
  • Boats
  • Love Song with Boats
  • Valediction
• Rear View