Hirta Songs (of St. Kilda) Released Today

Something a little different, from Alasdair Roberts

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"The story of St. Kilda is a fascinating one of human endurance and survival in the most unpromising of settings. The most westerly point of the Outer Hebrides, the islands are a remote outpost in the North Atlantic, 40 miles west-northwest of North Uist and 100 miles from the Scottish mainland. The forbidding cliffs, however, can be seen from as far away as the mountains tops of Skye and offer an ideal habitat for vast colonies of seabirds to nest and breed. The archipelago are regularly buffeted by strong winds, with high rainfall and humidity, but little snow, despite very cool average temperatures all year round. A strong sea swell makes navigation around the islands difficult, so the seabirds and a small population of ancient sheep stock that were the main food sources on the islands, the biggest of which, is Hirta".