James W. Irvine

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James W. Irvine was born in 1917, at Exnaboe, in Virkie, where he was also brought up. He was educated at Virkie Public School, Anderson Educational Institute and Edinburgh University, from where he graduated in 1939. After six years of army service he held the position of Further Education Officer for Shetland for a time, before reverting to teaching. He became Headmaster of Lerwick Primary School in 1966, a position he held until his retirement in 1977. He was made a Fellow of the Educational Institute of Scotland in 1973, and awarded the MBE in 1974.

In his retirement he has become one of the islands most prolific writers.

Books by James W. Irvine

• 1980 Footprints
• 1982 Up-Helly-Aa
• 1985 Lerwick
• 1987 Dunrossness Story
• 1988 The Waves are Free
• 1991 The Giving Years
• 1993 Men Bølgene er jo Fri (Norwegian translation)
• 1994 The Years Between
• 1995 Through Storm to Calm
• 1996 An Island Miscellany
• 1997 The Bold and the Free
• 1998 A Lass from the Lanes
• 1999 Lay Hold on Life
• 2000 Along the Road
• 2001 Unsung Heroes
• 2002 Good Old Days
• 2003 To Be A Soldier
• 2004 Final Curtain (Sequel to The Waves are Free)
• 2005 Memories are Made of This - An Autobiography
• 2006 Costly Cargoes
• 2007 Meandering