7465: Norman Macdonald

Excerpt from "The History of Kirkibost" by C B Maclean, Stornoway:

"No. 14 was the home of clan Dhaibhidh, as they were known in the village. There were four brothers and a sister. Dhaibhidh, Callum Donn, Aonghais Mor and Tarmod. The sister was Peigi. The only one of the family I really knew was Tarmod. He often came visiting to No 18, during the war, to listen to the news bulletins. Afterwards he took part in the interesting discussions about how the war was going. He was a smart little man, always clean and tidy. I heard he was an expert in local history and geneology. I wish someone had written down his stories. I think one or two of the brothers were reclusive. I seldom saw them out and about, and I can’t remember seeing Peigi out either.

I called at their house a few times with a bottle of milk but I did not go inside. The neighbours with milking cows shared their milk with those who had none. The bottles were always the green glass screwtop beer bottles. They were saved for this purpose. They were well rinsed and used again and again as there were not many of them about.

When the Dhaibhidh family died the croft was taken over by Tarmod a Spung and his wife and they built a house beside the leas mòr or Big garden at the side of the road."