One question I always have when visiting such small islands is, what do the locals do to keep themselves entertained?  Well, I came to find out that for a handful of the residents on Jura, singing is the answer.  I was told that once a week a small group meets up at the old schoolhouse to sing songs together for a few hours in the evening, with no endgame beyond simply singing and enjoying each other’s company.  I called up Giles Perring, the man who hosted the group, and he invited me to come by that evening if I wished.

Giles is the local music guy and he has converted Jura’s old schoolhouse into both a home for himself and a recording studio.  I drove my rented car a few miles north of Craighouse, parked on the side of the road, and walked another three-quarters of a mile down a bumpy dirt road to the converted schoolhouse, down by the coast.  Giles warmly invited me inside and offered me tea while we waited for the others to arrive.  When four other people had joined us, we adjourned to the living room, and they began to sing.  Giles would select a song, get everyone in key by strumming a few notes on his guitar, and dive right in.  They were happy with my taking a few photographs, but it was immediately clear that if I was going to stay, I was expected to sing.  I apologized in advance and gave it my best.  A bottle of wine came out, and for the next several hours, tea and red wine wet our whistles as we sang our way through a variety of traditional and newer songs across all genres.  It was a very enjoyable night, and while I didn’t quite understand what I was walking into at the start, I left with a smile on my face and a pleasant feeling that it was exactly this sort of activity that was both the reason for, and product of, such a closely knit community of islanders.