Every year, ten men from Ness, at the northern tip of the Isle of Lewis,
sail north-east for some forty miles to a remote rock called Sulasgeir.
Their mission is to catch and harvest the guga; the almost fully grown
gannet chicks nesting on the two hundred foot high cliffs that circle
the tiny island, which is barely half a mile long. After spending a
fortnight in the arduous conditions that often prevail there, they
return home with around two thousand of the birds, pickled and salted
and ready for the tables of Nessmen and women both at home and abroad.
The Guga Hunters tells the story of the men who voyage to Sulasgeir each
year and the district they hail from, bringing out the full colour of
their lives, the humour and drama of their exploits. They speak of the
laughter that seasons their time together on Sulasgeir, of the risks and
dangers they have faced. It also provides a fascinating insight into the
social history of Ness, the culture and way-of-life that lies behind the
world of the Guga Hunters, the timeless nature of the hunt, and reveals
the hunt's connections to the traditions of other North Atlantic
countries.Told in his district's poetry and prose, English and -
occasionally - Gaelic, Donald S. Murray shows how the spirit of a
community is preserved in this most unique of exploits.
