Our comitee was formed in 2017 with the express purpose of organising and delivering the Sheiling for Deirdre and Naoise at Beinn Ghlas, Taynuilt in Argyll. Incorporation not only drew in a wonderful team of colleagues but qualified the project for grant aid from a variety of quarters. Notable among those approached were the Taynuilt Community Council, Ventient Wind Ltd, and David Keat, of the Brander Lodge Hotel, all of whom gave generously to the cost of the project and the funding of a notable Opening Weekend attended by Scottish Minister MSP Michael Russell, and the Irish Consul General from Edinburgh Mark Hannify and 95 invited guests.
The Team included Chairperson Sam Macdonald, Management Coordinator Marlyn Turbitt, Publicist and local Councillor Breege Smyth, Sculptor Lucy Gray, and Film- maker Julia Fayngruen. The team met on numerous occasions to coordinate the project from the autumn of 2017 until the opening on imagination, and skills of this group allied to the outstanding work done by Public Artist Designer David Wilson guaranteed a successful outcome. The Opening Weekend was concluded by the casting of a bell for Deirdre and Naoise by Bell casters David Snoo Wilson and Jo Lathwood.
A funding appeal to friends around the world by Sam Macdonald was successful in raising significant contributions from over 50 generous supporters.
Sam MacdonaldChairman
Financial journalist and former owner of Barguillean Estate, retrained as a horticulturalist in 1976 and developed Barguillean Nurseries Ltd specialising in rhododendrons and ericaceous plants for export. Recently honoured by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC for written and photographic work he contributed to the new Museum for African American history and Culture.
David F. WilsonDesigner and builder
Award winning Sculptor, Designer and Stone waller and recent recipient of a Churchill Foundation scholarship to tour America lecturing and meeting other leading public artists. A graduate of the Dundee Art School and has successsfully built more than 50 iconic commissions around Scotland and the UK including the outstanding 'Return' for the Kinross Gateway project.
Marlyn TurbittOrganiser
A well travelled senior executive with a global pharmaceutical company spending many years working in different parts of the world. After retiring to her native Scotland she became one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the Lorn Organic Growers in Taynuilt enabling local families to cooperate in the growing of vegetables for themselves and the community.
Lucy GraySculptor
Lucy Gray lives and works in Taynuilt, Argyll. She is a graduate of the London Central School of Art and Design from where she went on to train at a high level in furniture restoration. In recent times she has started to concentrate on her skills as a mixed media sculptor with a series of exhibitions around the UK showing work of exceptional originality and innovation.
Breege SmythPublicist
Fashion designer and member of the Master Court of the Incorporation of Weavers of Glasgow; she splits her time between textile projects and her other passion as an independent documentary maker for local and Irish radio. She is Chair of the Highlands and Islands Music and Dance Festival and is currently spearheading a campaign to secure a ‘mothballed’ school for the benefit of a remote community.
Julia Fayngruen Film maker
Trained as a commercial photographer and currently exploring the medium of film to tell stories about people and small enterprises. While still pursuing travels and collecting more stories and skills, Julia is anchored on the Isle of Lismore in Argyll, where she has completed a number of film-making commissions.
David Snoo Wilson & Jo LathwoodBell Casters
Bronze Bell Founder who won a Churchill Foundation Fellowship to travel extensively in Eastern Europe exploring the ancient art of bell casting. He has also received funding from the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust to conduct research into bell alloys and their harmonic consequences. He has set up the Ore+Ingot, the travelling foundry company in association with bell caster Jo Lathwood and has cast a series of bells at events all over the UK.