Once the centre of a thriving fishing industry, Stronsay – one of Orkney’s northern isles – used to host up to three-hundred boats at a time, whose crews would visit the lucrative herring grounds to the east of the island. They would set sail in the early evening and work overnight, returning with large catches that would shimmer under the morning sunlight, giving herring the local name of “Silver Darlings”.
The twenty-first century Silver Darlings have rekindled the island’s vibrancy, with followers far and wide. A thriving community group of enthusiastic and dedicated folk musicians.