The Churchill Barriers

At the start of World war 2 the world war 1 defences were brought back into use and further blockships sunk. But they did not work. On 14 October 1939, The German U-Boat, U-47, took advantage of a high tide and got past the blockships and into Scapa Flow. Once there, U-47 torpedoed HMS Royal Oak and left the same way it had entered. Over 800 members of the Royal Oak's crew were killed.

Soon after this had happened Winston Churchill visited Orkney and ordered that work should begin on the construction of four permanent barriers linking together the 4 small islands together South Ronaldsay, Burry, work began began for this in May 1940.

The Churchill Barriers were formally opened by the first Lord of the Admiralty on 12 May 1945 however just as they were oppenend the war's ended. As a result their lasting role was not as a defence for Scapa Flow, but as a series of causeways linking the five islands together.

The Ba' Game

The ba' game is an annual game in Orkney. It is played every Christmas day and new years day. It is like a football and rugby match merged together. However there are no rules to the game. There is two games each day, the boys ba' and the men's ba'. The game starts out side St Magnus Cathedral in the centre of Kirkwall.

There are two different teams, the Uppies and the Doonies. Originally were you were born depended on weather you we an Uppie or a Doonie. Those born to the north of the Cathedral were a Doonies, with Uppies being those born to the south. However family loyalty is more important to day so the boys just play for the team there fathers did and there grandfathers.

The ba' is a handmade, cork-filled, leather ball. Every time a game is played a new ba' is handmade by one of a few Orcadian ba' makers.

The Uppie have to touch the ba' against a wall in the south end of the town and the Doonies have the get the ba' into the water of Kirkwall Bay, to the north. Last year the Uppies won the ba' game. so the Doonies will be fighting even harderd this year to try and win.

The Ring Of Brodgar

The Ring of Brodgar is the finest known truly circular late Neolithic or early Bronze Age stone ring. the Ring of Brodgar was built between 2500 BC and 2000 BC. The stone ring was built in a complete circle, 104 metres wide, and originally contained 60 megaliths. Today, only 27 of these stones remain. In 1792, there were 18 standing stones, with eight lying on the ground. But by 1815, two more stones had been toppled, leaving only 16 standing stones. Then, in 1854, there were only 13 stones still standing, ten complete, but fallen, stones and parts of 13 broken stones. The Ring of Brodgar was taken into state care in 1906 and, two years later, most of the fallen stones were placed back to their original place. Since then two stones have suffered lightning strikes, leaving 27 standing today. The Ring of Brodgar was originally surrounded by a deep circular ditch. This ditch remains clearly visible today, but is a lot smaller that what it was. The ditch has a diameter of 123 metres (403.6 ft) and was originally three metres (9.8 ft) deep and five metres (16.4 ft) wide. today you can still see were the ditch would have been but it is not as deep but twice as wide because of erosion. Because of this the ditch is now about 10 metres wide. However you can still walk across the cause way into the centre of the ring like they did when it was first built.