Video | Scotland

In Conversation: Commemorating Arctic Explorer John Rae

John Rae was an Orcadian surgeon, author, and Arctic explorer who owed much of his success to Inuit, First Nations, and Métis people who taught him how to live off the land. In this video, Orkney expert and historian Tom Muir chats with Bill Swan about Rae’s life and career.

By Tom Muir | October 01, 2020

Related expeditions: Scotland Slowly, Scotland, The Faroe Islands, & Iceland: North Atlantic Saga, and The Northwest Passage

About the Author

Tom Muir

Tom Muir

Storyteller, Historian, Archaeologist, and Author

Tom Muir has a love for the lore of his native Orkney Islands, and for the Nordic lands of his Viking ancestors. He has published and contributed to many books of Orkney history, Nordic tales, and the Icelandic Sagas.

As a storyteller, Tom has traveled from Nunavut to Hong Kong and across Scotland, Scandinavia and Europe. He also runs the annual Orkney Storytelling Festival.

He and his wife, Rhonda Muir, are developing a website about all things Orkney.