Samhradh '78

by Màrtainn Mac an t-Saoir, Martin MacIntyre

Colin Quinn spent the summer of 1978 with his uncle, Ruairidh Gillies, on South Uist. While the world at large and many in the islands watch football in Argentina didnt Ally MacLeod say Scotland would win the World Cup nae bother? two Barra men deepen their relationship. Throughout these intense summer days and weeks, of almost forty years ago, we share the main characters growing intimacy and mutual understanding at joyful times and while facing some major challenges. In their company we enjoy the pristine beauty of the southern isles and feel the wrath of the elements when their mood changes.

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2018

About the author

Màrtainn Mac an t-Saoir (English & Scots: Martin MacIntyre ; b. 1965) is a Scottish author writing in Gaelic and English. He was brought up in Lenzie, Dunbartonshire and attended St. Aloysius’ College in Glasgow.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I particularly enjoyed this out-of-the-ordinary coming-of-age story because I read it on location in South Uist (part of the Outer Hebrides or Western Isles of Scotland) on holiday. It is a very capable evocation of a place and time, namely the summer of 1978. As World Cup fever ramps up, aimless 20-year-old Colin Quinn breaks from his university studies to shadow his uncle, Dr. Ruairidh Gillies, during his locum on Uist. Between the home medical visits and recording folktales and songs by an eighty-something bard and several other members of the community, Colin gets to know almost everyone - but the person he knows the least well is himself. His involvement with the bard's great-niece and her abusive husband will change the tenor of the summer for him, and have lasting consequences that only become clear decades later.

The many Gaelic phrases, defined in footnotes, help to create the atmosphere - we have met many bilingual Gaelic speakers here and heard a lot of Gaelic spoken. The chapter epigraphs from the legend of Oisín (son of Fionn Mac Cumhaill) and Tír Na nÓg, the land of eternal youth, heighten the contrast between Colin's idealism and the reality of this life-changing season. I think this is the first book I've read that was originally published in Gaelic and I hope it will find readers far beyond its island niche.

I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sonja Charters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first read by this author and if I'm honest, not my usual go to genre.

However, I absolutely love to stretch my reading and often grab a book and go in completely blind - especially when I'm drawn to the front cover image - this one was so beautiful, I couldn't resist.

 

I especially love a book that will surprise me and make me feel things that I wasn't expecting when I started the read.

Coming to the end of this, I did wonder why I don't read more of this genre as this was just such a great read.

 

First of all, I absolutely loved the setting!

I have a definite thing for books set in Scotland and the more out in the wilderness, the better.

This book is set in the Outer Hebrides and I was completely transported to South Uist along with Colin and his uncle for the duration.

 

The descriptive writing was just beautiful and I had such a vivid image in my head, hearing the sounds and seeing the sights - I really should get myself up there exploring one day!

 

This was a brilliant read that encompassed so many different things within the storyline. Not only looking at bonds and relationships, family and identity - but also the rich culture, history and folklore of such a wonderful area.

It really does feel like another world and such an education.

 

The writing style was a little tricky to get used to as it's written fully as first person, which was absolutely fine once I got used to it.

I liked that we were able to fully explore everything alongside Colin as he experienced the events.

We do see the use of some Gaelic throughout and this gave such an authenticity to the read.

I liked that we also got the translations at the bottom of the page, which made for a quick and easy reference point.

 

Something quite different from my recent reads and I absolutely enjoyed every minute.

I'd definitely read more from this author in the future and look forward to checking out more in this genre too.

 

 

 

[Lorna Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Summer like No Other – Martin MacIntyre – Wednesday 29th October 2025
Thank you to Love Book Tours and Louth Press for my physical copy to read and review.
After a disappointing end to a year at university Colin decides to spend the summer on the island of South Uist with his uncle who is a locum GP. This gives him the time and space to consider his next steps. His time there corresponds with Scotland’s adventures in the 1978 World Cup. This allows Colin to build relationships (both good and bad ) with the men of the island.
Colin is growing up and this is a right of passage journey where Colin learns some hard lessons about life and love and women and family.
Colin and his uncle have a fascination for the folklore of the island and Colin’s story is interspersed with the stories he collects from the local people. If you love folklore and history, then this would be the perfect read.
It took me a while to get used to the Gaelic names and the folklore elements, but I was taken in by Colin’s story and the role his uncle played on the island. The small community was an interesting back drop to the story and made me think about how these isolated communities work and the downsides of living this way.
The landscape of the story is stunning. This added to the atmospheric and lyrical feel of the book. Such a stunning place to learn life’s lessons.

[Fatguyreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Summer Like No Other is not my usual type of read, but i'm glad I gave it a go as I really did enjoy it and I think it's important for authors to have the perspective of readers who are not necessarily their target audience, so I try to read outside of my comfort zone as often as possible.

Set in 1978 in the beautiful Outer Hebredies, the story paints an evocative picture of life on those isolated Scottish islands, In this deep, tender tale of language, time and place, and belonging.

It's a thoughtful, thought-provoking, complex tale with wonderfully descripive writing that puts you right there on those remote islands.

While not being fast, the pace flows beautifully, and not all novels need to be fast paced, or should be, and this is a fine example of that.

I read this in two sittings while on an autumn break in Cumbria.

4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.

[Michelle Kilburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A summer like no other, or as I like to think of it: Colin’s summer of Lemon curd

I loved the breathtaking cover, I didn’t know whether to put it on my bookcase or hang it on my wall!
I was happy to find that the scenery created inside by Martin Macintyre’s beautiful descriptions is more than in keeping with the cover. I feel like I’ve had a tour of some Scotland’s most beautiful islands (and met some of their most interesting characters).

This is a coming of age story about family, history, isolation, community, temptation and consequences. I have found myself thinking about it a lot since I finished it.

I loved seeing Colin’s relationship with his Uncle develop and learning about the history and folklore of Uist.

Initially, I found the language switching to Gaelic was a tricky read and struggled to keep track of the characters with Gaelic names, but I persevered and it was more than worth the effort.

[Nicola Malloch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was truly unique and unlike any book I have ever read, it has a deep grounding in the Outer Hebrides and seeing how the community faces the remoteness and the reality of small community life was fascinating. This book felt very complex, the bonds that build and the way the story unfold is at times almost brutal and so powerful that left me pondering the connections we build over our lifetimes and how they shape and form who we are as adults. Sport is such an interesting backdrop as the way men in society often use it as a starting point of most connections and how it can unite or make an enemy out of each other

[Donaldinho14 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up on this with 60 pages to go and I barely ever give up on a book. Therefore I have to give it one star which is probably very harsh. Just found I was completelf disengaged with the novel and confused by the characters and some of the language.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an unusual story. My first that contained Gaelic. I really loved the characters, most of them.
A much simpler time in a beautiful place.
Very glad to have read this book.

[Struan Pendreich · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very well written. Poor syntax and comma splicing make for jarring reading. Characters pop up with no introduction and in some cases never reappear. The writing jumps around and is at times hard to follow. Compelling enough narrative to keep me reading. A shocking point near the end that almost earned it a two star rating but it rescued itself with its last chapter.