WILL CRISTO BUILD THE ATLANTIC WALL?:

On the campaign trail the prospective Republican presidential nominee has talked about keeping immigrants out of the US - from building walls at the Mexican border to banning Muslims - but has said little about his own immigrant story, particularly that of his mother who left Lewis, some 40 miles from mainland Scotland, for a new life in the US aged just 18. [...]

By the 1920s, Lewis' economy was in tatters, the herring industry decimated by unlikely twin blows of the Russian revolution and American prohibition (Salted Hebridean fish had been a popular bar snack.) Successive harvests had failed, too. In 1930, Mary Anne left for New York aboard the Scottish-built Transylvania, according to Ellis Island records. [...]

As we continue along the family line Lawson happens upon a surprising discovery: Trump's great-great grandfather, Alasdair MacLeod was known by everyone as "Ruadh," or "Red," on account of his hair - perhaps the source of Trump's own infamous mop (which was more reddish-brown than lurid yellow in his younger days). "Red hair is very common on the islands," Lawson said. "Almost everyone in the island, you trace back their DNA [and] you come to a Viking."

Trump might have got his highlights from Lewis but few on the island are rooting for a potential President Trump come November. Most islanders view Trump's presidential candidacy with a mix of wry amusement and embarrassment. The fact that so many here call him "Domhnall Iain" - the Gaelic for his first and middle name - is a mark of disparagement, not endearment.

Lewis has a strong local identity, often linked to the church. The island is arguably the UK's last religious redoubt. Presbyterianism is not as powerful as it was in Mary Anne's day but until recently the ferry did not sail on Sundays and many still observe the Sabbath.

A thrice-married c****** owner turned reality TV star turned blustery presidential candidate does not sit easily with traditional island values.

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