0:00:02 > 0:00:05Today, Songs Of Praise visits the Isle of Lewis,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07off the west coast of Scotland.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12I'm aboard a local trawler on its way into Stornoway harbour,
0:00:12 > 0:00:16and I'm glad it's a relatively calm day today - believe me, it is! -
0:00:16 > 0:00:19because this is an island that can get
0:00:19 > 0:00:22battered by Atlantic storms in winter.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24It's also quite a private island
0:00:24 > 0:00:28with a traditionally deep attachment to its churches.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Today, it finds itself under a rather unlikely spotlight, though,
0:00:31 > 0:00:35because of its links with probably the most powerful man in the world.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41'It was from here that a young woman emigrated to America, and on Friday
0:00:41 > 0:00:45'her son, Donald Trump, will become the President of the United States.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50'We'll be following in Mary Ann Macleod's footsteps,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53'finding out more about the faith that underpinned her life,
0:00:53 > 0:00:55'and tracing her family roots.'
0:00:55 > 0:00:58And she was baptised here, and her name is in that book!
0:00:58 > 0:01:00You were very excited when you discovered this, weren't you?
0:01:00 > 0:01:04- Mary Ann.- There she is.- Daughter of Malcolm Macleod and Mary Smith.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07'And we'll reveal how Donald Trump's early life in New York was
0:01:07 > 0:01:10'influenced by a charismatic church minister who wrote
0:01:10 > 0:01:12'a book that sold millions.'
0:01:14 > 0:01:17We'll also be hearing about a tragedy that overwhelmed the
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Isle of Lewis, when more than 200 men returning from the
0:01:21 > 0:01:26First World War drowned within just feet of the shore.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29I would say it probably ripped the heart out of the island.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46Just look at this - sky, sea, wind, the joy of Lewis.
0:01:46 > 0:01:47With that in mind, let's have our first hymn.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51It's by the American composer Dan Schutte.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41'Lewis is the largest island in the Outer Hebrides, and it was
0:04:41 > 0:04:43'here over a century ago
0:04:43 > 0:04:46'that a young woman, Mary Ann Macleod, grew up.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50'She was to become the mother of a future American president.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53'Donald Trump's relatives were crofters working
0:04:53 > 0:04:58'a small amount of land to survive, but often this wasn't enough.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04'I'm here at Stornoway harbour to meet the Reverend James Maciver,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06'to find out how they made ends meet.'
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Life would have been very hard.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Crofts on the island generally tend to be quite small,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16portions of land maybe four or five acres, something like that,
0:05:16 > 0:05:18so it really would be impossible to make
0:05:18 > 0:05:20a living out of that entirely on its own,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23so many people combined crofting and fishing.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24It would have meant danger
0:05:24 > 0:05:28but also difficulty, hard work, uncertainty with weather and so on.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30So it would have been a very difficult lifestyle, really,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33for her family and many others.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35When Mary Ann was just two,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39the First World War broke out and had a dramatic effect on the island.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Proportionally, more men from the island actually served in the war,
0:05:42 > 0:05:47per head of population, than any other district in the whole country,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50which meant that the losses, obviously, proportionally,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53were also greater, which of course explains, to some extent at least,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56why some people chose to leave and to emigrate.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Mary Ann was just 17 when she decided to start a new life.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07She left her home and her parents behind and she sailed to America.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10GAELIC CHORAL SINGING
0:06:11 > 0:06:15But Mary Ann, whose first language was Gaelic, would never forget
0:06:15 > 0:06:19the island or the Presbyterian faith that she grew up with.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23The church was built in 1909,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26three years before Mary Ann was born, so she would have been
0:06:26 > 0:06:29in this main sanctuary here as part of the Gaelic congregation.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32And she was baptised here, and her name is in that book!
0:06:32 > 0:06:35You were very excited when you discovered this, weren't you?
0:06:35 > 0:06:38We have the United Free Church Of Scotland Baptismal Register,
0:06:38 > 0:06:42- and in 1913, you can see the entry there for Mary Ann.- There she is.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Daughter of Malcolm Macleod and Mary Smith of Tong.
0:06:46 > 0:06:47Mary Ann was youngest of ten,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- and we have another seven siblings here...- Goodness!
0:06:50 > 0:06:54- ..all baptised together on the same day...- On the same day!- ..in 1903.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58- Any Donalds in there?- Yes, there's Donald.- Oh, yes, so there is.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02'She would go on to name one of her own children Donald.'
0:07:04 > 0:07:08But her passion for her roots went much further.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12Mary Ann kept returning here year on year when she was Mary Ann Trump,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15and she used to sit with her family in the front pew upstairs.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19We'd be talking about the '60s, '70s, '80s.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21We're proud of her, as a congregation.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Islander Christine MacCuish remembers the overseas visitor.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31From the organ, I could see this very striking figure -
0:07:31 > 0:07:38tall, beautifully turned out. Her hair was just immaculate.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39So you managed to get a good look,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41even though you were playing the organ.
0:07:41 > 0:07:47I did. And Mrs Trump was conversing freely with the congregation
0:07:47 > 0:07:49in her native tongue, Gaelic.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52- Ah, she was talking Gaelic? - Yes, she was.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55She obviously never forgot her first language.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00What values do you think she might have taken with her?
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Mary Ann's upbringing wouldn't have been easy.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06She would have developed a resilience that's characteristic
0:08:06 > 0:08:10of the Hebridean, and I think she'd have taken that with her to America.
0:08:13 > 0:08:21# Deep peace of the running wave to you
0:08:21 > 0:08:30# Deep peace of the flowing air to you
0:08:30 > 0:08:37# Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
0:08:37 > 0:08:47# Deep peace of the shining stars to you
0:08:47 > 0:08:56# Deep peace of the gentle night to you
0:08:56 > 0:09:05# Moon and stars pour their healing light on you
0:09:05 > 0:09:12# Deep peace of Christ
0:09:12 > 0:09:16# Of Christ
0:09:16 > 0:09:28# The light of the world to you
0:09:28 > 0:09:43# Deep peace of Christ to you. #
0:09:45 > 0:09:48The seas around Lewis can be treacherous.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53Donald Trump's own great-grandfather was drowned in a fishing accident.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57And shortly, we'll hear about the worst maritime disaster to
0:09:57 > 0:09:59strike the island.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04But first, a hymn written in 1860 by William Whiting, who felt his life
0:10:04 > 0:10:09had been spared when his ship was almost claimed during violent seas.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19Earlier, we learned how badly Lewis was hit by the First World War,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21but the biggest single loss of life
0:12:21 > 0:12:24would actually come after the conflict had ended.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31The sinking of the Iolaire on New Year's Day 1919 remains
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Britain's worst peacetime disaster at sea since the Titanic.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Those who died were in touching distance of home.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46The men were returning to Lewis after four years away fighting
0:12:46 > 0:12:51in World War I, and what made it even more awful was that some
0:12:51 > 0:12:53of their families were waiting
0:12:53 > 0:12:56right here on the harbour pier for their men to return,
0:12:56 > 0:13:01unaware of the disaster that was unfolding less than a mile away.
0:13:03 > 0:13:08Earlier, the Iolaire had set sail from the Scottish mainland.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11The men on board had survived the horrors of war and were eager
0:13:11 > 0:13:15to be reunited with their loved ones.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18But as the ship entered Stornoway Bay, disaster struck.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Local author John MacLeod has written an account of the tragedy.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26This is where the Iolaire disaster happened,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28where the vessel ran aground.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32She came round the corner of the bay late at night, pitch-black,
0:13:32 > 0:13:35far too close to the shore, and with inexperienced officers
0:13:35 > 0:13:37in charge who had never sailed her at night.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42The ship struck a notorious reef, the Beasts of Holm,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44which lie below this marker.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Suddenly, with a tremendous bang, she keeled over to the side.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Dozens of youths aboard on the open decks were washed away,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55left fighting for their lives in the sea,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57soaked to the skin, chilled, terrified.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Most who tried to make it ashore were immediately lost,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08but one man held his nerve.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11John Finlay MacLeod plunged into the ferocious waters with a line,
0:14:11 > 0:14:16and used the momentum of the waves to reach dry land.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20There's only one chance. Just keep afloat.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23And watch out for the waves.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25And don't take the first one...
0:14:27 > 0:14:30..or the second. But watch the third one.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32It's always the highest.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38Once ashore, John and others brought dozens to safety.
0:14:41 > 0:14:47But the remorseless sea would claim 205 lives, with only 80 survivors.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58Anne Macaulay's great-grandfather was one of those who drowned.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02She remembers how deeply her grandmother Mairi was affected.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06My granny was ten when her father died.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11She was the only one of the five children in her family who
0:15:11 > 0:15:14properly knew what it was like to have their father at home,
0:15:14 > 0:15:18and therefore she was the one who most keenly felt his loss.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23There were so many losses.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26I would say it probably ripped the heart out of the island.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31People just closed the door on it,
0:15:31 > 0:15:35because I think talking about it would have just been too painful.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41The Church was very strong in the island, and I would say that
0:15:41 > 0:15:45the faith of the people up here at that time is what got them through.
0:15:56 > 0:16:02# God on high
0:16:02 > 0:16:08# Hear my prayer
0:16:08 > 0:16:14# In my need
0:16:14 > 0:16:22# You have always been there
0:16:22 > 0:16:29# He is young
0:16:29 > 0:16:35# He's afraid
0:16:35 > 0:16:41# Let him rest
0:16:41 > 0:16:47# Heaven blessed
0:16:47 > 0:16:52# Bring him home
0:16:53 > 0:16:58# Bring him home
0:16:59 > 0:17:04# Bring him home
0:17:04 > 0:17:10# He's like the son I might have known
0:17:10 > 0:17:15# If God had granted me a son
0:17:15 > 0:17:21# The summers die
0:17:21 > 0:17:23# One by one
0:17:23 > 0:17:28# How soon they fly
0:17:28 > 0:17:31# On and on
0:17:31 > 0:17:36# And I am old
0:17:36 > 0:17:41# And will be gone
0:17:42 > 0:17:49# Let him live
0:17:49 > 0:17:55# Bring him home
0:17:56 > 0:18:06# Bring him home
0:18:06 > 0:18:23# Bring him home. #
0:18:25 > 0:18:29Between the two World Wars, the Isle of Lewis saw hundreds of
0:18:29 > 0:18:34islanders move away to build new lives.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35In our next story,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39we hear about people who've left their homes to come to the UK.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Three years ago, St Mark's Church in Stoke got a new vicar,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47the Reverend Sally Smith.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52'It was typical, really, of a church in a post-industrial city.'
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Just a handful in the congregation on a Sunday morning,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57of mainly white people.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59But that soon changed.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03A growing number of asylum seekers were arriving in Stoke, and
0:19:03 > 0:19:08Sally couldn't turn her back on the new influx of people to her area.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09- ALL:- Hallelujah!
0:19:09 > 0:19:13We opened the door to welcome people into a drop-in,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15where people could come and have a cup of tea, a piece of toast.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19- Are you going now? - No, I go home.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Some of those have responded to the kindness that they've
0:19:22 > 0:19:26encountered and they've wanted to learn more about Jesus,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29so they've started to come along and worship with us and become
0:19:29 > 0:19:32part of the life of the church.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34'And so we have regular baptisms now.'
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Receive the sign of his cross.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41And we've done around 60 baptisms this year, and probably 50 of those
0:19:41 > 0:19:43are from a Muslim background.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45- Amen.- Amen.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47'One of the questions I often get asked is,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49' "Aren't they just doing this to get their papers?" '
0:19:49 > 0:19:53And I, as a follower of Jesus and as a minister, as a priest,
0:19:53 > 0:19:57I have to say, "What would I want for this person in front of me?
0:19:57 > 0:20:00"How would Jesus respond to this person in front of me now?"
0:20:00 > 0:20:02..the riches of his grace.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Zahir already has a visa to stay in the UK,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07but he still chose to be baptised.
0:20:07 > 0:20:12- TRANSLATION:- I was really happy. I can't describe my feelings.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16I'm going to change to a new version of me.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18With a growing congregation of asylum seekers,
0:20:18 > 0:20:23Sally saw a new need, and the solution was on her doorstep.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27There was a house across the road from the church, which I bought.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30I had some money in the bank which wasn't earning any interest.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34'We were able to buy that house and do it up with the help of
0:20:34 > 0:20:37'volunteers who come along to the drop-in, who have many, many skills.
0:20:37 > 0:20:43'Now it provides accommodation for people who are completely destitute.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46'I get contacted by churches around the country who've seen
0:20:46 > 0:20:49'things about us in the media and have said, "Exactly the same
0:20:49 > 0:20:51' "thing's happening here in our church,"
0:20:51 > 0:20:52'not just Anglican churches.'
0:20:52 > 0:20:54- Beautiful!- Nice?- Nice!
0:20:54 > 0:20:57There is something happening around not only this country but
0:20:57 > 0:20:59around Europe, a spiritual awakening.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Jalal was a TV engineer in Iran.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06He says that installing systems into people's houses which allowed
0:21:06 > 0:21:11them to tune in to foreign news made him a target for the regime.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15- TRANSLATION:- Everything has changed in our lives now.
0:21:16 > 0:21:22Our lives are full of joy, hope, love, kindness, peace.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29Life used to be based on fear, but now it's totally changed.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34There's a prophecy in the Book of Isaiah that talks about the
0:21:34 > 0:21:37wealth of the nations coming to us, and about foreigners
0:21:37 > 0:21:40rebuilding our cities and building up our walls that have been
0:21:40 > 0:21:44broken down, and I believe that asylum seekers and refugees
0:21:44 > 0:21:46are the wealth of the nation.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49- # Yes, Lord - People came to worship him
0:21:49 > 0:21:51# Yes, Lord... #
0:21:51 > 0:21:54'And not everyone will see that.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56'But we need to be able to see through the eyes of the
0:21:56 > 0:21:58'prophet and we need to see the gifts and the skills and the
0:21:58 > 0:22:03'abilities and the treasure that's coming to us, and to welcome them.'
0:22:03 > 0:22:08They've brought new life to my church, and I wouldn't change one
0:22:08 > 0:22:12moment of what's happened over the last couple of years.
0:22:14 > 0:22:21# Our Father, all of heaven roars your name
0:22:21 > 0:22:28# Sing louder, let this place erupt with praise
0:22:28 > 0:22:37- ALL:- # Can you hear it, the sound of heaven touching earth?
0:22:37 > 0:22:38# The sound of heaven touching earth... #
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Sing together again. Our Father.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03The sound of heaven!
0:23:03 > 0:23:05# The sound of heaven touching earth... #
0:23:05 > 0:23:06Spirit break out.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19# Spirit break out... #
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Let's sing it together. King Jesus!
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Here on the Isle of Lewis, I've been following in the footsteps of
0:24:32 > 0:24:37Mary Ann Macleod, the late mother of president-elect Donald Trump.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Mary Ann experienced a hard life here,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42and the First World War had devastated the male population
0:24:42 > 0:24:46and the chances of a young woman getting married.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50To make matters worse, Mary Ann was the youngest of ten children
0:24:50 > 0:24:54and only one son could inherit the family croft.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57You can understand why she decided to follow her sisters to
0:24:57 > 0:25:02a new life 3,000 miles away in New York City.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08Mary Ann arrived in 1930, and six years later,
0:25:08 > 0:25:12she married Frederick Trump, with whom she had five children,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14the most famous, Donald.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17As the child of immigrants,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21his mother in particular thought it was important to make sure
0:25:21 > 0:25:26that her children grew up going to church and knowing their
0:25:26 > 0:25:29understanding of their Christian faith through church attendance.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32At a Presbyterian church in Manhattan,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Donald Trump met his greatest spiritual influence,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39the controversial pastor Dr Norman Vincent Peale, who wrote the
0:25:39 > 0:25:42international bestseller The Power Of Positive Thinking.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46His most famous book put forth a philosophy that if you
0:25:46 > 0:25:48thought good things would come your way,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51then good things would come your way, and if you changed your
0:25:51 > 0:25:54attitude then your life around you would change.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59Many Christians objected because it didn't adequately handle the
0:25:59 > 0:26:04reality of suffering in the world and the reality of evil.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07While some distanced themselves from the Peale theology,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09Donald Trump was a close friend.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12The pastor officiated at family occasions,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15including the funeral of his mother, Mary Ann.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Donald Trump made a name for himself as
0:26:20 > 0:26:24a property tycoon and star of The Apprentice USA.
0:26:24 > 0:26:30In 2008, he visited Lewis with his eldest sister to explore his roots.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Today, I'm retracing his steps with Iain Maciver,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36a local journalist who was there that day.
0:26:36 > 0:26:42This house here is where his mother was born and brought up,
0:26:42 > 0:26:46so Donald Trump himself came here to have a look.
0:26:46 > 0:26:53We were all waiting at Stornoway Airport, and Trump One landed,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56you know, with great ceremony, and he appeared at this door.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59And very presidential, looking back at it!
0:26:59 > 0:27:01He sort of stepped into a limo and was swept off.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05It was almost like a foretaste of what was to come!
0:27:05 > 0:27:07The house has remained in the family,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10so the visit was also a reunion.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14- OK. Got enough?- Excellent.
0:27:14 > 0:27:20The cousins were assembled and waiting, and they all went in.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24We're told that he had a quick tour of the house. It didn't take long.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Within a few minutes he was back out, battling the wind again.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32- I won't say, "You're fired," right? - Oh, you can do that one, as well.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Donald Trump is a controversial character, to say the least.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41Is it difficult for the Macleod family to be in the spotlight
0:27:41 > 0:27:44in the way that they've had to be recently?
0:27:44 > 0:27:46The cousins, they have decided amongst themselves
0:27:46 > 0:27:49that the best thing to do, at least for the moment,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51is to say nothing at all, and they certainly have
0:27:51 > 0:27:56no intention of upsetting, you know, their cousin.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00What do you think Donald Trump might have got from his Lewis
0:28:00 > 0:28:05heredity that would prove useful for Donald Trump in his presidency?
0:28:08 > 0:28:13We may already be seeing some of the Lewis background,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16the traits coming through in Donald Trump,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19in that he says what he thinks, whether he's saying,
0:28:19 > 0:28:25"You're fired," or whether he's giving his views about immigration.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27So although they're a reserved people,
0:28:27 > 0:28:31when they're put on the spot, island people, too, will usually
0:28:31 > 0:28:34tell you exactly what they think, whether you like it or not.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37I'm not going to give you a question. You are fake news.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39Go ahead.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Donald Trump is no stranger to controversy,
0:28:42 > 0:28:44as evidenced again this week.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47And after a divisive election campaign, it's not just Lewis
0:28:47 > 0:28:51people who are wondering what sort of president he's going to be.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55He has often in the campaign put people against one another.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59Whether he will keep that up during the presidency we don't know.
0:28:59 > 0:29:00I brought my Bible.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03- LAUGHTER - See?
0:29:03 > 0:29:06He has said that he wants to be a great representative of
0:29:06 > 0:29:10Christianity in the presidency, and so I think I, for one, will be
0:29:10 > 0:29:13looking to him to see what that looks like.
0:29:13 > 0:29:14Thank you.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17Christianity isn't something that you just say or you believe,
0:29:17 > 0:29:20it's something you do, and so I'll be watching.
0:30:53 > 0:30:58Next week, we're in Hull, the 2017 UK City of Culture.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01But we end today with a hymn, a beautiful hymn,
0:31:01 > 0:31:04from Scotland's capital. Bye for now.