Season 1 - Episode Guide

The first episode looks at what bards such as Neil MacDonald from North Uist and Duncan Johnston from Islay had to say, first at the beginning of the war and later on after direct experience of trench warfare on the battlefields of France.

The second episode looks at the impact of the war on Highland and island communities. One bard reflects on how the war has taken so many active young men away to fight, casting a shadow on their villages and districts. But amongst the gloom there is also an attempt at lightheartedness, with one Skye bard complaining about the shortage of tobacco!

The third episode looks at how the poets handled the great loss of life during the war, both at sea and in the trenches. The songs reflect a range of perspectives: the mother mourning her son, the widow's grief over the loss of her husband and a soldier's first-hand account of the bloodshed on the battlefield.

The final programme looks at the legacy of the war through the eyes of the bards who were writing in the years after it had ended. It was thought that the war would be 'the war to end all wars', but that wasn't the case, and that realisation led many poets such as Murdo MacFarlane to question the effectiveness of war in general. However, at the same time, it is realised that the sacrifice of those who went into battle should never be forgotten.