Strong Highland Women: Stories from Durness and Balnakeil - Paperback

by Ronald Lansley (Author), Courtney McKay Stevens Edd (Author)

This wee book is a collection of women's stories from the fartherest Northwest coast of Scotland, the hard and beautiful land of Clan Mackay. From Christine Sutherland Mackay, Lady Reay, in 1741, to the role of women in resisting the attempted clearance of Durness Parish in 1841, to present-day community leaders and artists, these were - and are - strong and beautiful women.

Author Biography

Courtney McKay Stevens was born in Richmond, Virginia, USA. She is a graduate of the Medical College of Virginia, Boston University, and earned a doctorate of education from Wilmington University, Wilmington, Delaware in 1998. She first visited the Durness area in 1999. Like so many others she made friends in the area and returned numerous times. In 2003 she spent a sabbatical from Alvernia College, Reading, Pennsylvania, in Durness, continuing her nursing research interests with District Nurse Katie Kay, now MacDougall. Ronald (Ronnie) W. G. Lansley was born and grew up in Edinburgh. His formal education was obtained in biological sciences at Napier College of Science and Technology. At his wife Gwen's encouragement, the Lansleys moved to the Balnakeil Craft Village in 1981 and developed their business and community life there. They are the parents of two adult sons. In 1999, Balnakeil Wine and Wax moved to the Sango Bay area of Durness. Ronnie compiled the first contemporary history of the Durness area, Durness Past and Present. He has been a long-term contributor to community initiatives and since 1997 has been the local correspondent to the Northern Times newspaper.