Join Dr Erin Farley to hear about her experience as an oral history fieldworker, and as the editor of the book 'Lighthouse Lives'.

Lighthouses are enduring symbols of resilience, hope and safety. For generations each Scottish light was lit at sunset and extinguished each dawn by lighthouse keepers. Over the years, lighthouse keepers, their families, and the Northern Lighthouse Board’s engineers and boat crews, formed an extended community centred around Scotland’s coastline, ensuring the safe passage of countless ships. More than a decade after the last Scottish lighthouse was automated in 1998, the Northern Lighthouse Board Heritage Trust’s Oral History Project set out to record the stories of the lighthouse workers and their families who experienced the transition from manned to automatic lights.

In this talk, Erin Farley will speak about her experience as an oral history fieldworker on the project and of editing the book 'Lighthouse Lives', sharing reflections and stories from the interviews which reveal some of the lives behind the lights.

About Dr Erin Farley

Erin Farley is a storyteller and writer who has performed at book and storytelling festivals across Scotland. She was a fieldworker on the Northern Lighthouse Board Oral History Project between 2013 and 2015, interviewing former lighthouse keepers and their families, engineers, boat crew, and trustees. She is the author of 'Angus Folk Tales', co-editor of 'In One Woman's Life - Essays Celebrating Mary Brooksbank', and has contributed to several other publications. She works as a local history officer with Dundee Libraries.

This talk complements the free NRS exhibition 'For the Safety of All: Scottish Lighthouses' open from 3 August to 25 September and Saturday 26 September at General Register House, Edinburgh. More information can be found on the NRS Exhibitions and Displays page.

Description supplied by the event organiser.