Regular visitors to the Ink Desk will know that I occasionally post interesting obituaries from the Telegraph website. I am continuing the tradition today with the obituary of Lise Sinclair, a folk singer of whom I was previously unaware.

One of the things that makes the obituary particularly interesting is the fact that Sinclair lived on Fair Isle, famous for its sweaters, which is one of the most secluded islands off the coast of northern Scotland.

The folk on Fair Isle live something of a primal existence, rooted in traditions that have been obliterated by the onward rush of modernity. The population of seventy who live on the island seem to be like latter-day hobbits, living in an isolated Shire, far removed from the attention of modern-day Saurons in the modern Mordors on the mainland.

The sheer hobbitness and northernness of Lise Sinclair and the people amongst whom she lived would have delighted Tolkien as much as it delights me.

As if this were not enough to charm and disarm me, winning my sympathy and admiration, Lise Sinclair and her musical collaborators have also been adapting some of the work of the wonderful literary convert George Mackay Brown, a great and sadly neglected genius who deserves to be more widely known and appreciated.

I hope that the foregoing has whetted your appetite or at least has piqued your curiosity. You can satisfy your hunger or indulge your curiosity by following this link:  

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10269361/Lise-Sinclair.html