Our Sunday last week was spent on the shores of Geirinis, overlooked by the MOD missile testing site and Our Lady of the Isles, a 30 foot high sculpture of the Virgin Mary, by Hugh Martin Lorimer. The sculpture was commissioned in 1957 by Canon John Morrison, the local parish priest in response to concerns that proposals from The Ministry of Defence for a large missile testing range and associated military facilities in the area would undermine the island’s culture, way of life and language.

No red flags on Sunday, so we accessed the shore guided by a local crofter who was going out onto her croft to dig potatoes. She explained to us that when the red flags are up, she doesn’t venture onto the croft at all, even to check on livestock.

We beachcombed for a few hours looking for fragments of missiles and target planes which often wash up here. We hope that Qinetic, who manage this MOD facility will work with us by supplying steel decommissioned ordinance which we can use to create sculptural bells for the installation at An Lanntair in May 2016.