0:00:34 > 0:00:39It's one of the most isolated and remote communities in Britain.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43The little island of Barra, the most southerly inhabited island
0:00:43 > 0:00:47of the Outer Hebrides, off the north-west coast of Scotland.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Life can be lonely here for anyone, but for the young
0:00:51 > 0:00:55Roman Catholic parish priest, Father John Paul MacKinnon,
0:00:55 > 0:00:58being alone has very much become a way of life.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Father John Paul lives in the big house attached to the parish church,
0:01:03 > 0:01:07overlooking the main harbour of Castlebay.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12And even though he's been here for more than a year, he's still
0:01:12 > 0:01:18not found himself a housekeeper to help with all the daily chores.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Yeah, I think, like,
0:01:23 > 0:01:28most men, if you're on your own, your domestic life is, uh,
0:01:28 > 0:01:33yeah, it's not my cup of tea. Yeah, the washing, the ironing,
0:01:33 > 0:01:36the hoovering, the mopping, the polishing.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43One of Father John Paul's most enthusiastic parishioners,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Maggie "Scraggy Aggie" MacKinnon,
0:01:46 > 0:01:48has a radical solution to the problem.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Why are priests not allowed to marry?
0:01:54 > 0:01:58I mean, it's all wrong. After all, it's human nature,
0:01:58 > 0:02:02so I think it's all wrong. They should all be allowed to marry.
0:02:02 > 0:02:03Look at animals!
0:02:03 > 0:02:06You don't see a poor bull going around on his own
0:02:06 > 0:02:09and not looking at a cow or anything like that, do you?
0:02:09 > 0:02:13No! It's only natural. That's all.
0:02:13 > 0:02:19So, if the cock-a-doodle-doos and all do that...these things there!
0:02:19 > 0:02:20There she is, now.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23It's only nature, for heaven's sake.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29Father John Paul's promised to pay Scraggy Aggie a call.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31She's had her house redecorated
0:02:31 > 0:02:33and he's not seen her for weeks.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36No doubt, she'll be giving him a piece of her mind.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50At the north end of Barra, there's a huge beach,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54which, at low tide, takes on a rather unusual function.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02When the sea's out, the beach becomes the island's airport.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04And it's possible for planes to land here
0:03:04 > 0:03:08because just beneath the sand, there are rock hard layers of shell,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12which have been built up over thousands of years.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14When the planes stop flying,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18distant figures can be seen dotted across the beach.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22These are the cockle-pickers, taking advantage of an apparently
0:03:22 > 0:03:27inexhaustible supply of tasty and valuable free food.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35One man you'll often find down here is Angus John Morrison.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38He's one of Barra's most eternally optimistic islanders.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44- So they're just beneath the surface, are they?- Just beneath the surface.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Well, if it's cold weather, they go further down with the cold weather.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53And see the beauty about this now is anybody can come out here.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57I mean, if you came here on a holiday, nobody would stop you.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59You could come out and have a taste of this.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03- Take as much as you like? - Take as much as you like.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Before I go home, I'll wash them all.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Wash the whole lot of them in the sea water,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11and they'll be clean and it takes all the sand away.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Now I'm going to have this for my tea tonight, just fresh.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18You couldn't ask for anything better.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21And there's nobody around to bother you.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26And I'm here, with my dog, as you see there, and it's fantastic.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32Angus John is also one of Barra's biggest cattle crofters.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36His smallholding is just up from the airport beach.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52That's my favourite, the yellow one, that one there.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54She's called Goldilocks.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58But she's a wee bit, you know...
0:04:58 > 0:05:01funny at times, you know, but it's all right to myself.
0:05:01 > 0:05:07Crofting's in my blood and... I was brought up on a croft.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Crofting's been in the family all our lives.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13- Would you want to live any other way?- No.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Some days, I might just hand everything over to you,
0:05:16 > 0:05:18but every job's like that.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22You know, and you get, uh, you get your ups and downs in it,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25but then you forget that just as quick as you get it,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27and you get on with it, you like it.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31On a day like today, it's lovely.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34- How many have you got?- Well, I never tell anybody how much I've got.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38I've got a few, as you can see. Ha, I never tell the number.
0:05:38 > 0:05:39And why is that?
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Ach, I believe it's not lucky. Aye.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Are you a superstitious man?
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Yes, a wee bit. I come from Uist, you see.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51So, they all say the Uist folk are superstitious.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54Some of them, anyway.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Like most islanders, Angus John can't survive
0:05:57 > 0:06:00on just one source of income.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04The only other job I've got here, I shouldn't mention this to you
0:06:04 > 0:06:08but I do dig the graves here, but you don't want that one to be...
0:06:08 > 0:06:11You don't want to do that often, you know.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14And believe it or not,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17the only times I see Father John Paul
0:06:17 > 0:06:19is when there's a funeral.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Aye, I always laugh. That's all the time...
0:06:22 > 0:06:25That's the only time I'll see him, is at a funeral.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Angus John's croft is in a stunningly beautiful location,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33and it's this asset, just sitting beneath his nose,
0:06:33 > 0:06:37and which for years he's taken for granted, that could be the key
0:06:37 > 0:06:42to another potentially very valuable source of income.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54A few miles away, Father John Paul's on his way to see Scraggy Aggie.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Always worried about his welfare,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01for weeks, she's been threatening to make him a new jumper.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15- Maggie? Are you in?- Yes! I'm here.
0:07:15 > 0:07:16- Hello!- Hello, Father.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Ah Maggie, Maggie. How's things?
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Ah, they're not too bad at all.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24I know, I've got cold hands, but a warm heart.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27- I see that...- So this is the palace I've come to see.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31- The palace, ooh, the shambles! - A work in progress.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35That's the bathroom, I've got things that I couldn't get out.
0:07:35 > 0:07:36This is the kitchen now.
0:07:39 > 0:07:40Oh, my, my, my.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43And what you can't eat, you can take with you.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Oh, my, my. You've been a busy, busy little girl today.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Oh, no, this is nice!
0:07:47 > 0:07:49So what's all this?
0:07:52 > 0:07:54You like it? You like the colour?
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Well, I've always wanted to be a leprechaun.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01That's nice. That's nice.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Do you think there's going to be enough wool to cover me?
0:08:04 > 0:08:08I'll send an SOS if I need more. I think I will.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Hold onto that for me just now, thank you.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15- You don't want me to finish it off for you?- Well, you can if you like.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17It doesn't need to be as baggy as the jacket.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22Is this a waltz you're doing? Should you not be round the other side?
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Double, double that, eh...
0:08:24 > 0:08:29I better not say. 25.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33- All the way round? That's fantastic. - Yes, that's 50 all the way round.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36- My mother would be so happy.- 26!
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Father, you're worth it. And I've told that all along.
0:08:39 > 0:08:45- It'll be a labour of love.- We've never had a priest like this before.
0:08:45 > 0:08:50- Och...- That is so...everybody says that. You're such an exception.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52You're more godly than manly. You are.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57You'd better put that tape measure round my head, cos it's bigger now!
0:08:57 > 0:09:00He is! Everybody says that.
0:09:00 > 0:09:05There's something about Father John Paul. Don't know what it is,
0:09:05 > 0:09:07but there's something special about you.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10With chat about the jumper exhausted,
0:09:10 > 0:09:15time for Scraggy Aggie to get things off her chest.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20By the way, that's one thing I have got to discuss with you, Father.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22And I think, in this day and age,
0:09:22 > 0:09:26all priests should be allowed to marry. I think it's only right...
0:09:26 > 0:09:28But who would want me, Maggie?
0:09:28 > 0:09:31And then they wouldn't need to... tell somebody to come in
0:09:31 > 0:09:34to clean the house. A wife could do it.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37If there was a wife in the house, I wouldn't be able to give
0:09:37 > 0:09:40- all my time to everyone, so... - You could leave her sitting, and,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43you know what, she could do the knitting! There you are.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47Nobody would have me, Maggie. I wouldn't even get one person...
0:09:47 > 0:09:50There was a person from Lewis...
0:09:50 > 0:09:54'Well, that's a brave woman that can take me on and look after me.'
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Was there anyone in your life that might have changed your path?
0:09:57 > 0:09:58Um, no.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02There wasn't a girlfriend there or somebody saying go the other way.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07I had friends about me and I just felt the path was leading me,
0:10:07 > 0:10:09and it's never stopped.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11And it's brought me to today and I've...
0:10:11 > 0:10:13no, I've never looked back.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19- Plonk!- Cheers!- There you are, now!
0:10:19 > 0:10:22'I can spend my life going around, visiting people.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24'They can feed me, I can go and...'
0:10:24 > 0:10:26I know I can get a meal somewhere.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28My family always like to have a laugh with me
0:10:28 > 0:10:31cos I seem to time it right, appearing in somebody's house.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35'Oh, it's lunchtime, whoops!' And they give me my lunch.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Who's the wee girl? Is it yourself?
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Many, many moons ago.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44- That's me again. - That's yourself again?- Uh-huh.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49'If a priest, a Catholic priest, was married, where is his loyalty then?'
0:10:49 > 0:10:51He has a divided heart.
0:10:51 > 0:10:56His wife, his kids, the family. Where is the parish?
0:10:56 > 0:10:59The parish is second or third, fourth down the line.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03And that's not the Catholic priesthood. The parish is first.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08The fact Catholic priests can't marry could be one of the reasons
0:11:08 > 0:11:11so few men are coming forward for ordination.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14In fact, there hasn't been a new Catholic priest ordained
0:11:14 > 0:11:19in this large West of Scotland diocese for nearly seven years.
0:11:23 > 0:11:29Father John Paul is now in danger of feeling more isolated than ever.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Recently, his best friend and colleague, Father Roddy MacAulay,
0:11:33 > 0:11:37the priest across the water on the neighbouring parish of South Uist,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40shocked everyone with the news that the Bishop
0:11:40 > 0:11:45is moving him to the mainland. It's come right out of the blue.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48In the years he's been in the parish,
0:11:48 > 0:11:52Father Roddy has become a much-loved figure.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56- Flora, how are you today?- Fine. - How are the hens?- Fine.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00How are the hens? Are they OK? Are they laying just now?
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Many parishioners will be very sad indeed to see him suddenly go.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09In these difficult times,
0:12:09 > 0:12:14Father Roddy's been spending a lot of time seeking solace alone.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17In every Catholic Church across the world, you'll find
0:12:17 > 0:12:21a series of pictures depicting Christ's journey to the crucifixion.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25They're called The Stations of the Cross.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31In so many ways, the story of Jesus is also our story.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Do you know in life, we all fall, we all pick up the cross.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42How many times in our own lives do people come along and comfort us
0:12:42 > 0:12:45when we're sad, when we're lonely?
0:12:45 > 0:12:48So the story again of Jesus and the way to the Cross,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51the way to Calvary, is the story of people's lives.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56The tenth station, Jesus is stripped of his garments.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01Eleventh station, Jesus is nailed to the cross.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07The twelfth station, Jesus dies on the cross.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10The fifteenth station is the Resurrection.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13So it's uniting the Cross and the Resurrection.
0:13:13 > 0:13:19And then all our lives, there are the successes, the joys,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22but also the crosses and sadness.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26And, you know, in times when we're asked to move from a parish to
0:13:26 > 0:13:31the new one, the Stations of the Cross are a beautiful meditation.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36It helps us to stop and to think, and to re-examine as well,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38our own faith, and my own faith,
0:13:38 > 0:13:42and think, well, yeah, if I can unite my journey
0:13:42 > 0:13:46with that of Christ, that's where I get my strength from.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49But Father Roddy's not being allowed to leave without
0:13:49 > 0:13:51the mother of all farewell parties.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Preparations and rehearsals are taking place in
0:13:54 > 0:13:56every corner of the parish.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00That's my son Seamus that's playing the pipes there.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04He's practising for a farewell do for Father Roddy on Sunday.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07He's a piper himself as well, and he's into...
0:14:07 > 0:14:11- Father Roddy's a piper?- Yeah. - So he'll appreciate this.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Oh, he will do, he loves the piping.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Ach, hopefully, it'll help him not to be too emotional.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19- He'll have a handkerchief to hand?- Yeah, yeah.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24Everyone wants to make sure his send-off is one to remember.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Doo, doo doo, doo, doo. Hop one, two, three. Hop one, two, three.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30Hop one, two, three. Pa de ba.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Hop one, two, three. Hop one, two, three.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36One, two, three. Pa de ba. OK, then, there's two...
0:14:36 > 0:14:40When he announced it at mass, there was quite a shock and a few tears.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43And a silence as well.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47I think he announced it and we didn't know what else to say.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49It was like you wanted to respond,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52but in church when the priest makes an announcement,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54you don't respond as if to say, 'Wait a minute!
0:14:54 > 0:14:58'What do you mean, you're going?' So everybody had to just take that.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02He's really made a difference with the community,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05and with the Church, and even ourselves just personally.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Doo, doo doo doo, doo... Hop one, two, three.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16Hop one, two, three. Hop one, two, three, pa de ba.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Nice big pa de bas! Really spring! Go!
0:15:19 > 0:15:24Father Roddy's American housekeeper Sandy knows how hard
0:15:24 > 0:15:25saying goodbye will be.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Everyone wants to give him a proper send-off.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35And him being such a humble person, it's really hard for him
0:15:35 > 0:15:38to accept the gifts that we're trying to give him
0:15:38 > 0:15:41because he never wants to make a fuss.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43He just wanted to quietly, discreetly go,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46but the community wouldn't allow him to do that.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48But, you know, you're in two minds.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52The reason you're having it you're not happy about,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56but the fact that we can give him a proper send-off, I think,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59will take some of the pain away.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02But there'll be a few tears, I'm sure there'll be a lot of tears.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04We'll miss him a lot.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21It's almost the end of April and, with the sun continuing to beat down
0:16:21 > 0:16:25every day, the Easter celebrations get started with a flourish.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29A very happy Easter to everyone.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30It's lovely to see the sun is shining
0:16:30 > 0:16:33and looking down upon us all today.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37We're very blessed, as we gather for this wonderful celebration
0:16:37 > 0:16:39of Easter Sunday.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Up at the parish church in Castlebay,
0:16:41 > 0:16:46there's an air of great optimism after the long months of winter.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52We've just been climbing this mountain, just climbing, climbing.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55We just want to get to the summit, which is Easter Sunday.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57And we've reached it. Easter Sunday today.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Fantastic weather, the sun's shining.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04It's just a fantastic experience. When I see the sunshine
0:17:04 > 0:17:09and I see the flowers are sprouting, there's all this regeneration.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13And that's what Lent and leading into Easter is all about. New life.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17With the coming of Easter, Barra sees the first stirrings
0:17:17 > 0:17:19of the holiday season.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Tourism is not yet a big business here,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24but the islanders know that with the future
0:17:24 > 0:17:28of the fishing industry in doubt, it's something they must develop.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32- Would you like some drinks for now? - Yes, please.- While you're waiting.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41As the days go by, more and more holiday-makers
0:17:41 > 0:17:43are starting to arrive.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47The trouble is that even finding somewhere to pitch a tent here
0:17:47 > 0:17:49is a big problem.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57And it's this which has given Angus John his latest brainwave.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02In recent days, there's been a lot of unusual activity up on his croft.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07This is my campsite. Hopefully, my, this is my new adventure.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11I've got the bins there.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13That was my first job.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15The bins there.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19And you can see here a concrete block.
0:18:19 > 0:18:24That's in the council's things, for the caravan jockey wheel.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28That you'll have a concrete... But I've got concrete blocks
0:18:28 > 0:18:31here and there, you know, and this is where I'm hoping...
0:18:31 > 0:18:35See this area here, this flat area here and a wee bit further up there?
0:18:35 > 0:18:40I'm hoping to have my caravans and caravanettes in here.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42- So all this space... - All this space.
0:18:42 > 0:18:48And, on the other side, on this side here, I'm hoping that
0:18:48 > 0:18:52if anybody comes and wants to pitch a tent, that I'll have them
0:18:52 > 0:18:57on this side, to keep them separate from the caravanettes.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02And I hope that it'll bring in a wee bit of money to me,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05which'll be very handy, as crofting is...
0:19:06 > 0:19:11..crofting is crofting, but you won't make a living on crofting, no.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15You won't make a living. You'll keep the wolf away from the door,
0:19:15 > 0:19:18but I can't manage to go on a holiday, I can't...
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Not that I want a holiday, I'm quite happy where I am!
0:19:20 > 0:19:26And you couldn't get a better place and the weather on a day like this.
0:19:26 > 0:19:27Fingers crossed.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Let's hope that in the very near future,
0:19:30 > 0:19:32I'll see a few caravans here.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35- What experience have you ever had with tourism?- Very little.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39There's one problem Angus John may have underestimated.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43Most holiday-makers arrive by ferry in Castlebay,
0:19:43 > 0:19:47the main community, right in the south of the island.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Angus John's fledgling campsite couldn't be further away,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54right on the northern tip of the island,
0:19:54 > 0:19:58in what must be one of the remotest locations in the whole of Scotland.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20Across on South Uist, there's not a soul to be seen.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26The entire parish is turning out at the village hall
0:20:26 > 0:20:29for Father Roddy's farewell.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49People want to say goodbye, they want to kind of shower you
0:20:49 > 0:20:51with their love and kindness and share some stories.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54And there'll be a lot of laughter as well.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57And I know, like Roddy, when I did it, you try to keep it upbeat.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00You want to...you're leaving on a high and you want
0:21:00 > 0:21:03the people to be feeling kind of happy with you.
0:21:03 > 0:21:08If you give your all to the parish, to the local community,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11there's nothing more you can do, and people just want to say thank you.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Jesus, may all that is you flow into us.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24May your body and blood be our food and drink.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28May your passion and death be our strength and life.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33Jesus, with you by our sides, enough has been given.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38May the shelter we seek be the shadow of your cross.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Let us not run from the love which you offer us,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44but hold us safe from the forces of evil.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48On each of our sufferings and our dyings,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51shed your light and your love.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Father Roddy's colleague, the retired Father Callum,
0:21:57 > 0:22:02knows what the younger priest is going through.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04You just don't know what's ahead of you. So there are...
0:22:04 > 0:22:09you ask yourself questions, and perhaps there's an uneasiness.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14We're all, naturally, human beings. We like the friends we make,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17and we're going to miss them wherever we go.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20But then you've got to take all that on board.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24And when you go to the new parish, you have to smile broadly
0:22:24 > 0:22:27at them all and say, "It's lovely to see you."
0:22:27 > 0:22:30But you still can't help but thinking back
0:22:30 > 0:22:34of what you might call the good times you had where you were.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38I'm sure he'll feel, um, a gut feeling,
0:22:38 > 0:22:43because your world as you knew it is coming to an end.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49APPLAUSE
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Over on the next-door island, Barra,
0:23:13 > 0:23:17two or three caravans have pitched up on Angus John's new campsite.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22But nothing like what he'd hoped for over this busy Easter period.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24So, you found the place...
0:23:24 > 0:23:28Well, it's a bit remote, it took us a bit to find it.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30But we got here eventually.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35Finding you, we actually drove the full length of the island
0:23:35 > 0:23:39- to find out where you were!- Yes, you see, I haven't put the sign up yet.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Cos you are on the extreme end of the island.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Yes, yes, at the north end of the island.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48I know it's a bit out of the way, out in the remote, you know, but...
0:23:48 > 0:23:52- Well, that's what we come here for. - Oh, yes, oh, yes.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58'Just a slight problem I've got is being so remote here.'
0:23:58 > 0:24:01They kind of find it difficult to get to.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04It would perhaps be worth having a little map
0:24:04 > 0:24:08on the back of a card to advertise where you are.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Yes, well, thanks very much for that advice.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14I have to thank you for all the attention you've given us.
0:24:14 > 0:24:19Ach, well, I like you, and I've liked your conversation, you know...
0:24:19 > 0:24:21But it's not all bad news for Angus John.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25'Since I've started this, I find...'
0:24:25 > 0:24:27it's nice to come down at night
0:24:27 > 0:24:31and just have a wee chat, ask them how they're getting on,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34how are they enjoying the place, and they tell you about
0:24:34 > 0:24:36where they've come from...
0:24:36 > 0:24:39And see across there? You're looking at my grandfather's country.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43- That's Uist, that's where I come from.- You come from...- Aye, aye.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45'See when I'm crofting,'
0:24:45 > 0:24:48I'm on my own and I don't see anybody
0:24:48 > 0:24:53for hours and hours, and you're just, you know...
0:24:53 > 0:24:55you're by yourself there.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57So people are getting here, but it's taking them a while
0:24:57 > 0:25:02- to find the place?- Yes, it's not so easy to find after all,
0:25:02 > 0:25:06but surely I can sort that out with a wee bit more advertising
0:25:06 > 0:25:09and signs and all that. I'll be able to...
0:25:09 > 0:25:13- Hopefully. - It'll take a while yet to see
0:25:13 > 0:25:17if Angus John can make a long-term success of his campsite.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20And being in such an exposed location,
0:25:20 > 0:25:26he's relying very much on it being a long, hot summer.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Back at Father Roddy's big farewell party, on the face of it,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39things seem to be going with a swing.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48But Father Roddy's parents, Charlie and Cathie, realise
0:25:48 > 0:25:54that beneath it all, Father Roddy is struggling to hold in his emotions.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58I think he's quite choked up tonight, leaving everyone, you know?
0:25:58 > 0:26:00He really loves the people.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02He's broken-hearted, I can tell you.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05- He's broken-hearted? - He's broken-hearted, yes, leaving.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08The people have been so good to him.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12It's a big, big move for him, to go to another part of the world.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15There was no warning, was there? It kind of comes out of the blue.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20This is what happens when you're in the priesthood. You just up and go.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23If the Bishop asks you to do it, you do it.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34One way or another, you've blessed each of us.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38You've shared in many, many important moments
0:26:38 > 0:26:41in the lives of your people here.
0:26:41 > 0:26:47Baptising the new babes born into the families of this community.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Preparing the children for their first communion,
0:26:50 > 0:26:54a most important point in their life.
0:26:54 > 0:27:00Marrying the young people, and burying many of our loved ones.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03You know everybody and everybody knows you,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06but more importantly, Roddy, everybody loves you.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17There's no way I could be a priest on my own,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21without the help and support of family.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Both my own mother and father, my brother, my sisters,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28and also the family of the parish.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31When I move on now to another parish as well,
0:27:31 > 0:27:36I move on with a lot of memories.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40In the midst of life, in all the losses, the sorrows, the pains,
0:27:40 > 0:27:44there will come as well a brighter day, another day.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54With Father Roddy now gone,
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Father John Paul has lost his mentor,
0:27:56 > 0:27:59confidant and best friend.
0:27:59 > 0:28:00The question now is,
0:28:00 > 0:28:05how will the young priest cope with being very much on his own?
0:28:08 > 0:28:11In the days to come,
0:28:11 > 0:28:14priests from all over the diocese gather for a major event.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18We choose this man, our brother, for priesthood
0:28:18 > 0:28:20in the Presbyteral order.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24The first new priest to be ordained in seven years.
0:28:26 > 0:28:31And Angus John is using all his marketing skills
0:28:31 > 0:28:35to improve the new campsite. It's an uphill task.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38It's just a wee sign. It's not...
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Just to show them how to go down to the beach
0:28:40 > 0:28:43off the campsite, you know.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45It's not the day to go to the beach today, is it?
0:28:45 > 0:28:48No, certainly not. It's a terrible day today.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Terrible altogether.