Lunchtimes 2021

We’re extending our lunchtime sessions to a full half-hour, to give time for the varied guests and activities, and also to give us more time to enjoy the Orkney food we’re sampling each day.

For one of the lunchtimes, we will be joined by Scotland’s new Astronomer Royal, Prof. Catherine Heymans of the University of Edinburgh, as we hear about the work of the community of North Ronaldsay to attain recognition for their dark island skies.

On another lunchtime we’re going to Birsay live for an event commemorating a great Orkney naturalist who lived there in the mid-18th century. The work of Rev. George Low covered Orkney’s history as well as its natural history, and we’ll go over to the garden of the manse that was once his home.

Tristan Cameron-Harper will join us on several days to show us scenes from his Orkney travels, including drone footage, and Eric Walker will tell us what to look for in the night sky.

Preparing your own Peedie Kirk lunch

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September 3, 2021 → 12:45 pm ─ 1:15 pm

… and hear today about developments in North Ronaldsay with its dark skies, for which we’ll be joined by Scotland’s new Astronomer Royal, Prof. Catherine Heymans of Edinburgh University ...

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September 4, 2021 → 12:45 pm ─ 1:15 pm

... where Dr Martin Braddock will tell us about the extreme conditions under which living creatures can flourish – and why that means we should expect to find life elsewhere in the universe. We’ll also be joined by mountaineer and photographer Tristan Cameron-Harper to tell about his Orkney travels.

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September 5, 2021 → 12:45 pm ─ 1:15 pm

… which today will be in Birsay, where we go to see a memorial plaque unveiled to the great Orkney naturalist Rev. George Low, in the garden of the Old Manse, where he lived. We will hear more about his life and work, with some music as well.

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September 6, 2021 → 12:45 pm ─ 1:15 pm

We’ll hear about making electric vehicles more efficient with motors in the wheels. We’re joined by the founders of the pioneering Slovenian company who developed the concept. Prof. Tom Stevenson answers questions about James Clerk Maxwell and Eric Walker provides night sky advice.

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September 7, 2021 → 12:45 pm ─ 1:15 pm

Our guests today come from Finland, Iceland and mainland Scotland, to tell us about a new idea to generate visitor numbers. It’s called scientific tourism, and it brings together the feeling of exploration and discovery of a field trip with practical experiences and learning opportunities. Plans to develop it are being taken ...

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September 8, 2021 → 12:45 pm ─ 1:15 pm

... with mountaineer and photographer Tristan Cameron-Harper back to see us with more scenes from his travels in Orkney. Eric Walker looks upward into the Orkney night sky, and Sandy Smith brings us news of the outcome of the Great Molecule Hunt and draws the winning entry ...