SS Metagama Centenary: Mass Hebridean emigration and loss of Gaelic speakers, 1923 - 2023
Hundreds of Scots said goodbye to their Hebridean home as they set sail for Canada in April 1923. And to the communities left behind as well as the very fabric of Scottish culture, life was never the same.
Thomas Mackay
By Thomas Mackay
Published 20th Apr 2023, 11:08 GMT
Updated 20th Apr 2023, 12:59 GMT
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The SS Metagama successfully completed 151 North Atlantic round-trips before the Great Depression saw it scrapped by the year 1934.
The SS Metagama successfully completed 151 North Atlantic round-trips before the Great Depression saw it scrapped by the year 1934.
On April 21, we commemorate the 100th anniversary of Scotland’s mass emigration from the Outer Hebrides onwards to Canada. The SS Metagama departed from Stornoway with around 300 young men around 22 years old – and 20 women – that followed the SS Marloch, which had recently ferried off with hundreds more.

In the wake of World War One and the Iolaire disaster – known as ‘the worst UK maritime disaster during peacetime’ – the Hebrides lost thousands of young people, which devastated the community. So, it comes as no surprise that even 100 years later a mention of “Metagama” resonates profoundly with locals.