Death of community activist, Màiri Bremner
23 September 2019
Former Western Isles councillor Màiri Bremner has died aged 74.
Mrs Bremner from Carnan, South Uist, was critical condition in hospital following a fall in a Glasgow street earlier this month.
Mrs Bremner originally hailed from Greinish. As a young woman she worked as a secondary school teacher in Fort William. There she took up the hobby of stock car racing, the only woman in the male dominated sport.
She married Robert Bremner from Lochaber. The couple moved to Uist and had three of a family.
They ran a village store in Carnan with Mrs Bremner spiltting her week behind the
counter and teaching part-
For 24 years until 2003 she represented the Iochdar ward on the council. She was
the social work chairperson for a time and was also vice-
In recent years she was heavily involved in plans to provide amenities in her local district, including developing a sports pitch, maintaining children’s play parks and tree planting.
Mrs Bremner also served on Western Isles Health Board and, latterly, on Hebridean Housing Partnership (HHP).
She was a passionate advocate for the Gaelic language and culture, serving for many years on Pròiseact nan Ealan, Comunn na Gaidhlig, and the European Bureau of Lesser Used Languages.
HHP chief executive Dena Macleod said “It is hard to take in that Màiri is no longer with us. She was a vibrant character who brought so much more to us than her board skills; she brought humour, a huge heart for the people in our community, wisdom and compassion.
“Màiri appeared to have an enviable unbounding level of enthusiasm and was always eager to encourage whoever came across her path. I will miss that voice of encouragement and the endless stories of her beloved dog, Bingo.”
Council convener, Norman A Macdonald, said: “Màiri was a tremendous voice for her community, serving in distinguished roles on the comhairle, most notably as chair of social work.
“Màiri was a robust campaigner for her community and for the islands and she was full of compassion and concern for the most vulnerable in our community.
“She was also a leading figure locally and nationally in health and care issues.
Our thoughts at this sad time are with Màiri’s husband of over 50 years, Robert, her family and her many friends.”
The comhairle flags at offices in Balivanich and Stornoway are flying at half-
Mrs Bremner is survived by her husband, Robert, and two sons, Aeneas and Steven.
HHP
