Iris is married to David Anderson who was a fisherman and who later skippered the Whalsay ferry for many years. Their son, David John, is the present skipper of the ferry which runs from Symbister across to mainland Shetland. Iris runs the local post office and shop at Harlsdale close to Symbister harbour.  Always  active, she is a keen gardener and is currently the proud owner of a large polytunnel to allow her to grow crops which would otherwise be difficult to produce in Shetland.