Final leg of National Library’s Centenary tour heading to Shetland

The National Library of Scotland’s collections are taking flight and shaping a landmark exhibition in Shetland Museum and Archives in the final instalment of its centenary programme. Outwith: Valda, MacDiarmid and Whalsay will focus on the years that poet Hugh MacDiarmid (pen name of Christopher Murray Grieve) and his wife Valda Grieve spent in the Shetland island of Whalsay, exploring how the island influenced their lives and work despite persistent challenges.

Christopher Grieve spent nine highly creative years (1933–1942) in Whalsay, Shetland. However, it was Valda’s strength, resilience and independence that were central to their survival. By immersing herself in the island community and forging relationships, she helped sustain their daily life in the face of poverty, ill health and isolation. Her creativity and strong will shaped both their shared experience and Hugh MacDiarmid’s writing. During these years, he wrote half of his life’s work, drawing on Whalsay’s landscape and people, while the experience profoundly influenced his engagement with Scottish identity, language and politics.

The exhibition will feature original manuscripts of ‘Shag’s Nest’ and ‘In Dury Voe’ from the National Library’s collections, poems that were written during MacDiarmid’s Whalsay years. Visitors will also be able to see personal letters sent between Chris and Valda in this period and experience the emotional connection that comes from viewing correspondence written by hand.

Director of Collections, Access and Research, Alison Stevenson said:

“We’re delighted to send these precious and personal papers from our shelves in Edinburgh to the museum in Shetland, and to collaborate with Shetland Museum and Archives to create an exhibition and events programme that will bring the past to life for residents of and visitors to Lerwick. These manuscripts and letters will help visitors step into the lives of this couple and discover how the island community and rugged tranquillity of Shetland shaped both their personal lives and creative legacies. We’re particularly excited by the renewed focus on Valda, whose memory is still kept alive by people in Whalsay today, and who leaves a fascinating legacy that we’re still learning more about.”

Tracey Hawkins, Collections Manager at Shetland Museum and Archives said:

“We are proud to present this special exhibition, which reveals how profoundly the island of Whalsay and its community shaped Hugh MacDiarmid’s work and the creative partnership he shared with Valda. Her story is integral to the exhibition, deepening our understanding of their relationship and its influence on his writing. It is a rare privilege to share these original letters and manuscripts in Shetland, alongside photographs and artefacts, offering fresh insight into a remarkable partnership and its enduring legacy."

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said:

“The National Library of Scotland has been and continues to be, a cornerstone of our nation’s cultural life, preserving, protecting and sharing Scotland’s remarkable and complex history.

“It is valuable that, as part of National Library’s centenary celebrations these treasures are shared with Shetland Museum and Archives, enabling people to get close to these exhibits and explore the stories. This demonstrates the important work of the National Library to create freely accessible and available spaces, which enables communities to connect with Scotland’s past and present.”

Other key items in the exhibition include photographs from the Grieves Estate, and loans from Whalsay Heritage Centre including Valda’s knitting pattern books. There will also be visual art from portrait artist Alexander Moffat (RSA) and landscape artist Ruth Nicol (RSW).

This exhibition is a continuation of the National Library’s national outreach programme OUTWITH: National Library around Scotland, which has been marking the Library’s centenary around the country. Cultural partners in Aberdeen, Perth and Shetland all chose treasures to borrow from the national collections that resonate locally, and Shetland Museum and Archives’ selection allows them to tell a unique story connecting national heritage with local Shetland history.

As part of this project, Shetland Library will host a special edition of National Library Live on Thursday 14 May, where a team of National Library staff will give taster talks about the Library's collections and resources, as well as drop-in games and activities, free for all to attend. They will also deliver a wider series of school and community outreach events around Shetland from 12–15 May, with more details to be announced in due course.

OUTWITH also continues in Perth, where The Last Letter of Mary, Queen of Scots can be viewed for free in Perth Museum until Sunday 26 April, and Robert Burns' poem 'Lament of Mary, Queen of Scots, On the Approach of Spring' written in Burns' own hand, as well as early manuscripts from Liz Lochhead's iconic play 'Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off’ are on display at nearby AK Bell Library until Saturday 25 April (please check ahead for library opening times).

The Perth edition of National Library Live will take place at AK Bell Library on Saturday 7 March from 10am–3.30pm, featuring free taster talks exploring Perthshire maps, moving image archives, newspapers and more, Bookbug and family story sessions, and a range of drop-in games and activities for all ages.

Outwith: Valda, MacDiarmid and Whalsay will be free to view in Da Gadderie, Shetland Museum & Archives, Lerwick from Saturday 28 March until Saturday 20 June 2026. Entry to the exhibition is free. For more information, please visit https://www.shetlandmuseumandarchives.org.uk/exhibitions/outwith-valda-macdiarmid-and-whalsay 

The National Library of Scotland's OUTWITH programme has been kindly supported by Garfield Weston Foundation, the NLS Foundation, The Gannochy Trust, P F Charitable Trust, Stichting Teuntje Anna (TA Fund), The Ettrick Trust, William Grant Foundation, Murdoch Forrest Charitable Trust, and by supporters of the National Library's Centenary Appeal.