A handprint in concrete with the 'Seanair 18.3.21' written underneath.
A young blond man with a small blonde girl of about 3 dressed in red sitting on his knee.
A black and white image of an older man with a toddler on his back.
A young woman and an older man standing together, both smiling and wearing sunglasses. Marina in the background.

Rowan

Seanair, Scott, Dad....Malcolm is actually his name but that's not what he has ever been called.

Malcolm Archibald Scott MacAllister, but with his dad's name being Malcolm and Archie the name of an uncle, he has always been known as Scott.

When we introduced my dad to his granddaughter he didn't hesitate in identifying himself as Seanair. Why did he choose to be Seanair? For us it's a tie to language, culture, tradition and family.

I hadn't expected myself to write a poem as part of this project, but it felt very natural, like a stream of consciousness one morning. I was inspired by, and wanted to reflect on two poems which are significant to me. One of them is a poem my dad read at my wedding, McAllister Dances Before The King, and the other is the poem, Sea Fever, that dad has always liked and makes me think of his connection with the sea.

In my poem there are some lines in Gaelic; phrases which are frequently used by my dad. Which I think reflects the "bits and pieces" of the language used by parents and grandparents going back. Then there are nods and winks to my dad’s love of a roaring fire, a wee dram and a story and if it's a really good night ... a wee Gaelic song.

Perhaps if you read the poems, "McAllister Dances Before the King" by DM McKenzie and "Sea Fever" by John Masefield you will see some lines that are reflected in my poem.

Seanair

Ciamar a tha thu?

Good to see you, lass.

Strong hands, clout upon the back.

Come through, won’t you take a glass?

Duin an doras.

The chill is not for us, fire burning bright.

Sit round and he will tell you

Of many a memorable night.

Will we sing a Gaelic song?

Come close and listen well.

It’s a story that you’ve heard before,

Now it’s your turn to tell.

Tells us of the ships he crewed,

Disasters near a miss,

Of how he managed to survive

For daughter he had to kiss.

Of long walks to the school,

So great was his renown

In pleated kilt and tackety boots,

The move from Mull to town.

Let’s go to the sea again,

MacAllister and his boats

Hoisting sails and inventing tales,

That’s Seanair and the coast.

- Rowan Acey

Hands holding a framer black and white photo of a family group showing a boy, a girl, an older man and an older woman.

This family picture was taken at Buchanan Terrace Oban after the family had left Mull. My Dad Scott here is the wee boy, my aunty Janet and their parents; my nan Janet and granda Malcolm.

Nan came up to stay with family on Mull during the War, she lived in Glasgow as a girl and was evacuated out of the city. My granda was away with the parachute regiment in Japan, Hiroshima when she first arrived to Mull. They later met and married and settled in Bunnesan.

Hands holding a black and white image of a man and a woman in a black frame.

A portrait of my dad's mum and dad. Granny and Pop (Helen/ Granny Nelly and Peter). In 1919 Pops was in the army, he brought home with him a bugle from the Somme which we still have.

A hand holding a black and white photograph in a wooden frame, showing a family group of two children and four adults.

A family portrait of my dad's mum's family- Their name was Carnie and lived in Glasgow with relations on Mull. In this picture you can see my Nan as a little girl, her brother uncle Archie, her mother Janet and her father John. Also, my great, great grand parents who were Morrisons.

Hands holding a black framed black and white photograph of a boy of around 8 and an older man walking together by the sea holding hands.

This is one of my favourite pictures; my dad with his dad walking along the sea front at Dunoon. A trip to visit the Morrison side of the family.

A blond man in a white t-shirt holding a baby in a white babygrow.

My dad holding me as a baby.

An older man in a blue rain jacket standing on a beach holding a girl aged about 2 also dressed in a blue rain jacket.

Dad with my daughter Aria at Ganavan.