'Stepping into the Past' - A talk on Shetland place names by Eileen Brooke-Freeman
Thursday 25 June @ 7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Where: Shetland Museum and Archives, Hay's Dock, Lerwick
Having studied at Edinburgh University and the University of North Wales, Eileen worked as an archivist in England for 13 years before returning to Shetland in 2001 to run the Shetland Place Names Project.
This Shetland Amenity Trust initiative has proved popular throughout the isles, pulling together all known place name evidence on a database linked to digital maps. Priority is given to preserving oral names, and Eileen works closely with older members of the community locating and plotting individual rigs, geos and rocks on copy maps and aerial photographs.
During this talk Eileen takes us on a virtual tour of Shetland, exploring some common and more unusual place names featured on the recycled glass pavers outside the Shetland Museum and Archives.
The names take us from sea to land, on a journey from Unst to Fair Isle. Interesting names like Gorsendi Geo, Houlastongas, Klingrahool and Veltamatas are rooted in the Old Norse language, reflecting how incoming Norse settlers applied their highly descriptive names to almost every feature in the landscape.
A must-hear talk for anyone interested in Shetland's pride of place and Nordic links.
This is a free event.
For further information, please contact: Eileen Brooke-Freeman, Shetland AmenityTrust, tel 01595 694688 or e-mail eileen@shetlandamenity.org
