FOR US

1 For Us

In the memories shared in these interviews, animals appear not just as sources of food and income, but as recurring threads connecting the individual to their community and shaping their identity.

Interviews with Logan Paterson

Logan was interviewed in 2013 about his life spent in the New Galloway area. He shares memories of helping his father operate their family butchery and socialising at annual gala days. Logan was inspired to write about the surrounding countryside and farm work he was involved in throughout his life, portraying the rural, unspoilt landscape in his poems and songs.

These photographs of Logan were taken by fieldworker Ted Cowan in April 2013, when he interviewed Logan about his life and memories of the New Galloway area.

Reference: EERC/DG/DG29/1

Reference: EERC/DG/DG29/1

Dr Jo Miller is a singer, fiddler, ethnomusicologist, and community musician. Jo grew up in Galloway and has described Logan Paterson's "unpublished, but not unknown" writing as a valuable contribution "to the historical record of rural Galloway."

In 2020 Jo Miller wrote an essay about Logan's work, describing how his verse was inspired by the local community and contributes to a long tradition of self-taught poets and song-makers from the Galloway area. Read the article here.

Interviews with Hugh Reid

A local of Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway, Hugh talks about his adventures as a poacher in the countryside around Stranraer. Hugh explains that local businesses were happy to buy rabbits from poachers because the business owners were confident the poachers would keep away from other wildlife and livestock owned by farmers. His memories portray a strong sense of community spirit and appreciation for the food sources provided by the natural environment.

Reference: EERC/DG/DG26/18

Reference: EERC/DG/DG26/18