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Updated by 11.00am on
the first Thursday of the month
February 2010
Stoer in line
for two 5kW wind turbines
The Assynt Crofters Trust and Stoer Hall Committee are planning
to build two small-scale wind turbines in Stoer. And, fortunately,
the trust’s crofter-only membershop is unlikely to be an
obstacle to gaining grants for their turbine, as it has been
sometimes in the past. More
A response to
the recently published Crofting Reform (Scotland) Bill and associated
commentaries NEW
by Iain and Netta MacKenzie
The crofting system we now have emerged from a serious of legislative
impositions. Some, like the Act of 1886, were intended to stabilise
a very fraught law and order situation which had occurred as
a result of economic pressures and landlordism run riot. Gladstone`s
great contribution in 1886 was the curbing of untrammelled plutocratic
power. More
Hello sailor!
Fiona Burnett hears
about 19-year-old Donald Morrison’s adventures in the Merchant
Navy
Choosing a career in life is never plain sailing. Much depends
on exam results, although nowadays even if you qualify for the
job of your dreams the job you want isn’t always out there
and students have to alter their career paths. It’s a stressful
time in a youngster’s life. How do you really know what
you want when you leave school? More
Some other reports and
features from this month’s print edition
Did this road
really need to be in this state a month after the snow arrived?
Although Highland Council was hardly slow to congratulate itself
for clearing snow and treating ice on Highland roads this winter
— a press statement entitled “Praise for Council staff
in combating winter weather” was released on January 5 —
a different version of events was being played out if you were
struggling to go about your daily business eighty-odd miles north
of Inverness — in Strathnaver.
Retired doctor
and busy activist dies
The death occured at her home at Fuines, Torrisdale, Skerray,
on Wednesday, January 27, of Elizabeth Taylor Mackenzie after
a short illness.
History File
by Malcolm Bangor-Jones
Shepherds were critical to the Australian wool industry. Most
had been convicts but after the end of transportation in the
late 1840s quite a few shepherds from the Highlands decided to
emigrate. For a while, shepherding tended to be the first employment
for many new arrivals who had neither capital nor a trade.
January
2010
Forest group
irons out voting troubles after Strathnaver and Altnaharra boob
The long-standing
voting district of Strathnaver and Altnaharra was overlooked
by promoters of a land buyout attempting to test public opinion
in the run-up to a programme of land purchase in the upper reaches
of Halladale and Strathnaver. More
Results of the
New Year races
by Donald S Murray
Of all the sporting activities in our district when I was growing
up, there was no doubt that the ones held on New Year’s
Day drew the greatest number of spectators. In terms of its appeal,
it attracted greater numbers within the locality than a Scotland-England
football match, Celtic v Inter Milan in the European Cup Final
and the Olympics combined. It seemed to spark the interest of
everyone in the entire community. Even the most unathletic and
rheumatic spinsters in the village were not immune to its charms.
More
View from the
croft gate
by John Macdonald
I notice a fair degree of comment in the press at the moment
as the Crofting Reform Bill goes through another stage of its
torturous journey — well, not the press in general, for
who wins a talent contest, or who can make the bigger spectacle
of themselves, is much more newsworthy than anything to do with
the mundane life of the crofter, unless of course, Prince Charles
drops by to give a hand with the tatties. More
Some other reports and
features from this month’s print edition
Fiona Burnett
talks to George Fulton, Droman
Snow to a
child is magical. From building a snowman to snow ball fights
and sledging, most children love playing in the snow. And, of
course, when conditions get too bad they rub their hands in glee
because sometimes a heavy snowfall means a day off school!
Hugh Mackay
July 1936 — December 2009
Born in Newlands, Bettyhill, on July 4, 1936, Hugh Mackay was
the third eldest of a family of seven of James Mackay, Bettyhill,
and his wife, Elizabeth (née Macdonald), a native of Scourie.
From an early age he acquired the nickname Teed. His formative
years were spent in Bettyhill, where his father, James (“The
Old Crow”), an expert ghillie on the Naver, encouraged in
him a lifelong interest in the art of fishing.
History File
by Malcolm Bangor-Jones
Unmarried women falling pregnant two hundred years ago faced
an awful predicament: many tried hard to conceal their condition.
Their babies were sometimes found dead. This led to women regularly
appearing in court charged with concealment of pregnancy and
child murder.
December
2009
Catriona MacLeod
talks to Lily Byron, Rosehall
Murdo Mackenzie trained as a blacksmith in Tain where he married
and had one child. Then, in 1881, he moved to take up a post
as estate blacksmith at Rosehall where the remaining thirteen
children were born in an estate house where his granddaughter,
Lily, now lives. More
Catherine Mackay
An appreciation
The communities of Skerray, Tongue, Strathnaver and Bettyhill
were saddened to hear of the sudden unexpected death of Catherine
(“Lal”) Mackay in the early hours of Tuesday, November
17, 2009. More
History file
by Malcolm Bangor-Jones
In April 1856 the Rev David Williamson, minister of the Established
Church of Assynt, produced a report on the examination of the
schools in the parish which had taken place the previous month.
The examination included seven schools including the parish school
and all of the charity schools. The three Free Church schools
were excluded. More
Some other reports and
features from this month’s print edition
Court tends to
decroft, if planning permission given
Although reading through recently published responses to the
Draft Crofting Reform (Scotand) Bill suggests that many crofters
believe the Crofters Commission enjoys sufficient powers to moderate
the excesses caused by decrofting for financial gain, the head
of the Crofters Commission sees it rather differently.
Bettyhill star
recalls Norwegian hero in special Glasgow event
The life of a Norwegian hero who graduated as a musical instrument
maker before risking his life in the Second World War is to be
commemorated at the Celtic Connections festival next month in
a show headlined by Bettyhill’s best known musician, Jenna
Reid.
Free Press is
exception to rule
Only two local newspapers in Britain are worth saving from extinction
according to one to the country’s most eminent journalists.
Writing in the Guardian, George Monbiot stated: “I can think
of only two local newspapers that consistently hold power to
account: the West Highland Free Press and the Salford Star.
November
2009
Woodland croft
purchase suffers setback
The people
of Assynt have failed to achieve sufficient local support to
buy Ledmore Forest to create woodland crofts. The 1,038 hectare
forest is owned by the Forestry Commission Scotland, which wants
to sell it as part of its repositioning programme. More
John McKay McInlay,
Fisherman, Achtoty, Skerray, 1810-1883
by Margaret McKay
There are no photographs of John McKay McInlay to give us a picture
of him and there are no family papers. His land in Achtoty and
what remains of his house are now part of the neighbouring croft
but his life, however obscure and distant it now seems, is part
of his descendants’ inheritance and greatly valued by them.
More
Nature’s
call
by Andy Summers
Whatever turns you on, I suppose. “Look over there. He is
near the back, beside the grey stone. He is scratching his head
just now. No not that one! He is slightly smaller than the rest
and he has dark legs. Oh look he has just stretched. Can’t
you see?” More
Some other reports and
features from this month’s print edition
The neglect of
crofting I see is at the hand of government
A Radical solution to croft speculation ran the headline! The
latest lifeline thrown to Ms Cunningham’s Draft Crofting
Bill must be a good one, given the amount of ink expended on
the very bold type. Having read the earth-shattering proposal
which revolves round a further restriction on the tenant crofter’s
right to assign, I looked out of the window counting the number
of crofts which are still owned or tenanted by those whose families
were in them in 1912, a date, about which I have accurate information,
and the words of the poet came to mind, “in vacant or in
pensive mood...”
Catriona MacLeod
talks to Elliot Rudie, Bettyhill
Earlier this year, Elliot Rudie found himself travelling to Paris,
to be present at a conference celebrating fifty years since publication
of William S Burrough’s controversial book, “Naked
Lunch”. Also at the Festin Nu@50 was documentary arts film
director, Allan Govenar, filming for his current project, “The
Beat Hotel”. The film is centred around Harold Chapman’s
stunning black and white photos of the residents of the aforementioned
hotel in Paris, one of whom was Burroughs and another, Elliot
Rudie, who had also been recording life in “The Beat”
through his sketches, drawings and letters home.
Former Caithness
solicitor has murder firmly in mind
Last month Wick resident Jean McLennan saw the toils of her labour
come to fruition when her book “Blood in the Glens”
was published, writes Fiona Burnett. The book, a collection of
eleven true crime stories from the Highlands and Islands over
the last sixty years, looks into the background of each crime,
the motives of those involved, the crimes themselves, and their
repercussions.
October
2009
Numbers up at
Invercharron
The gods looked down kindly on the considerable turnout, as a
slight drizzle at the time of the official opening caused people
to pause and count their blessings as the rain clouds blew away,
leaving a fine day. More
Councillor calls
for committee upgrade
George Farlow, SNP councillor for North West and Central Sutherland,
has called on The Highland Council again for recognition of the
Gaelic Committee equal to that of other strategic committees
rather than hanging on the coattails of the education culture
and sport service. The Gaelic committee of the Highland Committee
met in Ullapool last Friday (September 25). More
Studying medicine
in the north
by Daniel Racey
I am in my fifth and final year at the Peninsula Medical School
based in Plymouth. We are given the freedom to choose a block
of study at the beginning of our final year. The purpose of this
elective part of the course is to broaden our experience of medicine.
Many students choose to go abroad to Africa or India or the Caribbean.
More
Some other reports and
features from this month’s print edition
Catriona MacLeod
talks to Cathel Kerr Mackay, Melness
Wisecracking musician and former coalman Cathel Kerr Mackay was
born in Helmsdale a while back, in the Pope maternity hospital.
They closed it shortly afterwards.
Life of World
War I hero remembered
He had been an adopted child who was brought up by a brother
and sister in the parish of Eddrachillis, yet thousands attended
his funeral in a far distant land. Robert McBeath VC was only
twenty-four when he died.
Nature’s
call
by Paul Castle
I would like to start this particular article with a heartfelt
thank you to Mary Legg the senior countryside ranger in Caithness
who retired at the end of September. Mary has amassed a huge
amount of knowledge and has worked tirelessly within the ranger
service in Caithness for many years. Mary’s knowledge, enthusiasm
and love of her work have resulted in countless successful projects
and initiatives.
September 2009
‘Sea eagles
took half my lambs’ — Rhiconich crofter
Although pleased with the price he received for his lambs in
August, crofter David Forbes says he has lost between forty and
fifty per cent of this year's lamb crop to sea eagles, birds
protected in law. More
Mandy wins award
with her first novel
Author and environmental campaigner, Mandy Haggith from Achmelvich,
near Lochinver, was last week announced as the winner of the
inaugural Robin Jenkins Literary Award for her first novel, The
Last Bear. More
History file
by Malcolm Bangor-Jones
The introduction of the poor law in 1845 brought a major change
to the way the poor were assisted. The management of the new
system was entrusted to parochial boards who were empowered to
raise money by levying an assessment on the rents, draw up a
poor roll, appoint inspectors and build poorhouses. A central
Board of Supervision in Edinburgh provided guidance and exercised
control where appropriate. More
Some other reports and
features from this month’s print edition
Forest group
content with Forsinain, Dyke and Rosal
The purchase of 16,500 acres of mainly afforested Forestry Commission
land in Farr and Kildonan by North Sutherland Community Forest
Trust is no longer an option, following the district valuer’s
price tag of £5.4m.
On a mission
to save the mission
The people of Assynt are once again on the community ownership
campaign trail — only this time it is not land they are
trying to buy, but a building. The Lochinver Fishermen’s
Mission closed earlier this year, and following an enthusiastic
public meeting last month the Assynt Community Association formed
a steering group to find a way to reopen it and run it for the
benefit of the whole local community.
View from the
croft gate
by John Macdonald
While up on our hill ground gathering the lamb sale one of the
first things I spotted was a fine sprig of white heather. It
seemed a good omen and so it proved to be. It is a long time
since I have gone to a sale and seen such a dramatic increase
in stock prices and a buzz of relief amongst the sellers that
at last prices start to come more into line with the price of
everything we purchase to keep our agricultural enterprises going.
August 2009
Durness Highland
Gathering 2009
“I really enjoyed the walk from the square to the park,
with all the chieftains,” said Lachlan Ross from Kinlochbervie,
chieftian of the 2009 Durness Highland Gathering, as he spoke
to the assembled company on what started out as a very wet day.
More
Backcoaster’s
Diary
Nae velar fricative
noo
We ask, with not a little regret, if the Guid Scots Tongue is
undergoing terminal decline. More
View from the
croft gate
by John MacDonald
What a contrast
of weather since I wrote last month. For a start, hot and dry
weather as is rarely seen in these parts, followed by a northerly
chill and as I write, very unsettled weather and back to a pattern
with which we are more familiar. More
Some other reports and
features from this month’s print edition
After 15 years
crofters’ trust has £100,000 in the bank
Uncertain times for crofters and hill farmers they most certainly
are, but Assynt’s crofter-owned estate is very much in the
black after fifteen years of steady progress. “At the AGM
there we had £100,000 in the bank and we made about —
well on paper we made about — £18,000 profit last
year,” says chairman, Allan MacRae. “That’s on
paper, but the trust is doing quite well. We have no debts.”
1,220 words.
Catriona Macleod
talks to Christian Goskirk, Lairg
At the age of seventeen, having finished her schooling at Golspie
High, Christian Goskirk decided that the bright lights of Scotland’s
big cities weren’t enough of a change from her home village
of Lairg and instead headed off across the sea for a year at
senior school in America. It wasn’t that long ago, but even
in the late eighties Gap Years weren’t commonplace and it
was usually after university or college life that students ventured
abroad for a taste of the wider world. 960 words.
The best of company
Roger Leitch in conversation
with Tommy Ross, a native of Tumore, Loch Assynt, and resident
of Inverness
From the archives of the School of Scottish Studies, Edinburgh
University
RL: Can I ask first of all, Mr Ross, when you were born?
TR: August the 6th, 1929.
Now, was this in Tumore?
In Tumore house by Loch Assynt, in Sutherland.
And how long were you in fact there?
Well, up until the time — I would be about eight years old
when my father decided — there was a change in the estate
then, and it was off to Argyllshire at Dalmally — that Sir
Douglas Hall and Lady Hall, as she was then, decided to go and
wanted my father to go with them. 3,194 words.
July 2009
Postbox
SNP seemed to draft
bill with a ‘degree of militancy’
We are not
only in the “silly season” but living in “strange
times”, when on the one hand the Scottish government produces
a “Shucksmith crofting bill” in bold defiance of crofter
opposition to the Shucksmith Report last summer, but then the
Northern Times keeps out of harm’s way by failing to report
the more than lively meetings at Lairg and Durness, on June 9
and 10 respectively, when the consultation road-show reached
the Raggie’s patch. More
Nature’s
call
by Paul Castle
Several times
in the past I have stood with folk on a guided sea watch at Strathy
Point and struggled to see any cetaceans (whales, dolphins and
porpoises) or just had a quick glimpse of a fin and that’s
it. On a recent sea watch we saw four species in just two hours.
Minke whales, common dolphins, harbour porpoise and Risso’s
Dolphins were all recorded, with the Risso’s Dolphin’s
right in alongside us. I wish every sea watch was like that.
More
Crofting ‘reform’
as I see it
by Iain MacKenzie
“Vassals: in a feudal relationship with landlord, their
feudal superior.” That is the description the well respected,
late DJ MacCuish, crofting law expert, used to describe tenant
crofters in a paper delivered in 1968. More
Some other reports and
features from this month’s print edition
Contractor for
Glencanisp to be appointed this week
Recent Observer article
criticised
The Assynt Foundation is expected to appoint the main contractor
for the £1.3million redevelopment of Glencanisp Lodge tomorrow
(Friday, July 3) and work on site should be underway in a matter
of weeks.
Fiona Burnett
talks to Angus John McEwan, Inverkirkaig
Born to Scottish parents, Angus John McEwan’s evacuation
from London to Scotland during World War II was “influential”.
He spent his earlier days with family in Tain, going to school
there, interspersed with holidays in Lochinver where he also
had family, later returning to continue his education in London,
when the war ended. His education “was much establishment”,
his college having an army and a corps where he was sergeant
major, where he marched once a year in uniform across London
Bridge to St Paul’s Cathedral, playing the drums as he went.
New edition of
Bettyhill guide out
A new edition of Kevin O’Reilly and Ashley Crockford’s
indispensable 2005 “What to see around Bettyhill” has
been published.
The A5 39-page booklet fits in the pocket and contains an impressive
amount of information for the visitor or local, covering the
history, archaeology and geology from Loch mo Naire in lower
Strathnaver to the holy island of Eilean Neave off Skerray to
the west, to the remains of the medieval stronghold of the Clan
Mackay, Borve Castle, near Kirtomy, which was destroyed by the
Earl of Sutherland in 1555.
June 2009
New commission
may charge crofters for essential services
Crofting Reform (Scotland) Bill, published by the Scottish Government
on May 19, may be different in a some respects from that controversially
advocated by Professor Mark Shucksmith’s Committee Inquiry
on Crofting, but initial reactions suggest it could face a rough
ride before it reaches the statute book. More
Have you seen
this bee?
by Bob Dawson
In the photo above is the wonderful Great Yellow Bumblebee, mentioned
in these pages before (see Paul Castle’s column from April).
Once widespread on the UK mainland, it is now only found along
the northern coasts of Sutherland and Caithness. More
Bookends
by Kevin Crowe
“One
Light Burning (CD)”, Dave Whyte & Donny O’Rourke,
2008; “Blame Yesterday”, Donny O’Rourke, 2009.
Both from Bonny Day Books.
Two years ago, I reviewed poet Donny O’Rourke’s and
artist Harry Magee’s collaboration on “One Light Burning”.
I wrote that the poems could be put to music. O’Rourke had
the same idea, and asked Dave Whyte to write the music. The result
of their collaboration is this excellent CD, which follows the
same running order as the book. More
Some other reports and
features from this month’s print edition
‘Delinquent’
Glen to the rescue!
by Fiona Burnett
When, last month, residents of Scullomie, Tongue, witnessed an
impressive mock water rescue demonstration put on by Karen Wyatt
from Thurso and her 1-year-old black Newfoundland dog, Glen,
they would never have guessed that until a short time before,
Glen had caused his owner and her family endless heartache and
distress. It was in fact the first time they had been in the
water together.
History file
by Malcolm Bangor-Jones
The importance of the Caithness herring fishery in the nineteenth
century has tended to overshadow the local fishery. Despite the
often erratic appearance of the herring, problems accessing salt
and barrels, and the challenges of finding a market, the west
coast fishing was not insignificant.
View from the
croft gate
by John MacDonald
Friday. Cuckoo time and I am just about going cuckoo myself with
this Blue Tongue vaccinations lark. We struck early when the
scheme had just started: sheep and cows, the lot were done, being
the start of the winter.
May 2009
Mackays turn
out in force for Global Gathering
As this article is being written, the ground floor area of Strathnaver
Museum, Bettyhill, is full to overflowing with Mackays. The contingents
of this Mackay body are, while waiting to be photographed, being
entertained by the highly accomplished members of the Feis movement
and enjoying baking supplied by members of the community who
would apparently give Mr Kipling a run for his money. More
Fanagmore headmaster’s
son dies at 89
On February 18 this year, John WR Junner died in a residential
care home at the age of 89. He had been headmaster of Strachan
Primary School in Aberdeenshire from 1966 until he retired in
1985. Immediately before that he had been headmaster at Strathy
Primary, since closed. More
Nature’s
call
by Andy summers
Open wide! It won’t hurt”. When you are trying to take
a mouth swab sample from a Golden Eagle it pays to be polite
if you want to keep your fingers. When you see the remains of
a badger’s skull, a tawny owl’s wing and a bit of antler
from a stag lying in the nest, you know this is a top predator,
which has some dangerous bits of kit. More
Some other reports
and features from this month’s print edition
Disparity in
condition of roads unexplained — so far
After considerable time spent fishing for information, we have
been unable, so far, to persuade Highland Council to explain
to our satisfaction why the condition of two single track roads
across what appears to be very similar terrain differs to such
a degree that they could well be in different countries.
Postbox
Merit of tenancies
Labour MSPs propose that the Scottish Parliament shelves legislative
proposals regarding crofting and that the Parliament’s time
would be better spent combating the effects of the recession.
History file
by Malcolm Bangor-Jones
The settlement of the Island of Handa in the spring of 1828 proceeded
according to plan. Ralph Reed, who was in charge of the operation
on behalf of the landlord, Lord Reay, had pointed out the stances
for the tenants’ houses. Not all of the applicants were
content and one of them, Kenneth MacLeod, was anxious to give
up his holding. There were, however, two or three others willing
to take it. It was given to Eric Mackenzie who had gone with
MacLeod to the factor at Tongue.
April 2009
Postbox
Wind turbines already
rejected
I am surprised at Assynt Foundation development manager, Mark
Lazerri, citing wind turbines as a possible source of income
(“Foundation considers forest purchase as lodge works go
on”, Am Bratach, March 2009.) More
The touch of
a master
Hector
MacAndrew: Legend of the Scots Fiddle. Greentrax Recordings Ltd,
Cockenzie Business Centre, Edinburgh Road, Cockenzie, East Lothian
EH32 0XL. £11.85.
As a boy I was familar with the fiddle playing of Hector MacAndrew
(1903-1980), thanks to my father, writes DONALD MACLEOD. A player
himself, my father was horrified when a neighbour called in while
a MacAndrew broadcast was playing over the air waves exclaiming:
"You're just as good yourself!" More
History file
by Malcolm Bangor-Jones
Handa Island was one of the few inhabited islands off the northern
mainland. According to an account of 1726, it was inhabited by
“one or two familys”. Later, however, it was cleared
and given over to sheep, possibly in the early 1800s. By 1818
it was part of Badnabay sheep farm tenanted by William Munro
of Achany and Ralph Reed at Scourie and inhabited by one of their
shepherds, Donald Morrison. More
Some other reports
and features from this month’s print edition
Morrison family
brings home the plight of AIDS-struck South Africa
‘From the minute
they can walk they are singing and dancing’
Four Zulus — three men and a woman — will sing of their
people’s heart-rending experiences at a free concert to
be held in Durness hall this coming Saturday (April 4). The brainchild
of Sangobeg-born Colin Morrison and his wife, Karen, artistes
from the Gaelic tradition, like locally-born singing brothers,
David and Willie Morrison, and piper James Mather, will also
take part.
HIE in the spotlight
Does the
government straitjacket that Highlands and Islands Enterprise
appears to operate under mean it is forced to follow the latest
whims of the politicians and even repeat the mistakes of the
past? In this interview, we hope some light is shed on this and
other questions of topical interest.
Postbus service
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP, John Thurso, has written
to the Royal Mail Group and Highland Council urging both parties
to re-engage in discussions about the future of the postbuses
that provide services between Tongue and Thurso. The council
grant-aids the passenger element.
View from the
croft
by John Macdonald
As I sit writing this article the showers are driving past the
window frequent and heavy, as they say, not a day to lie behind
a dyke, although I suppose that if the choice was between lying
out on an exposed hillside or in the lea of a dyke I would opt
for the latter.
March 2009
Robin Hood in
reverse
Highland
Council is apparently hell-bent on reducing the wages of its
poorest paid employees whilst increasing the pay of thousands
of better off staff — under cover of a “job evaluation”
exercise. More
Backcoaster’s
Diary
Stranger than fiction
We read in an Edinburgh broadsheet that six unnamed “historians
and intellectuals” have been asked to provide information
about the history and culture of Caithness, apparently with a
view to demonstrating to councillors of that northern fastness
that they have nothing in common with anything or anybody south
of the Arctic Circle. More
Bookends
by Kevin Crowe
Fasachadh
An-Iochdmhor Ratharsair (The Cruel Clearance of Raasay) by Calum
Macleoid. 2007, Clo Arnais. £7.99.
The name Calum Macleod will be known to all interested in Highland
affairs: he was the Raasay crofter who between 1962 and 1976
built the road that ever since has borne his name, having failed
to get the relevant authorities to provide one. More
Postbox
Letter to minister
Through your
columns I would like to thank all those who supported my petition
to the Scottish Parliament, calling on the Government not to
accept the main recommendations of the Shucksmith report on crofting. More
Some other reports
and features from this month’s print edition
Foundation considers
forest purchase as lodge works go on
£1.52m Glencanisp
project to start
You might think they had plenty on their plate with a million
plus renovation programme for Glencanisp Lodge about to begin,
but the Assynt Foundation, the parish’s newest public landowners,
are hoping to extend their 44,400-acre holding of mountain, loch
and hill with around 2,471 acres of Forestry Commission land
at Ledmore. 1,123 words.
Darwin inspires
Kerracher gardeners
A magical garden located in one of the loveliest parts of Assynt,
and accessible only by sea, is to become even more magical this
year when husband and wife, Peter and Trish Kohn, open an extension
to the garden which the “Independent” has included
in a list of the “10 best gardens to visit in summer”.
Boat trips from Kylesku are available three times a week in the
season time. 487 words.
History file
by Malcolm Bangor-Jones
In November 1850 the recently established Inverness Advertiser
contained an article on the Highland Clearances which drew attention
to events at “Abirscross, in Sutherlandshire, where the
people lived in comfort, and paid their rents regularly; but,
on a foreign migrant coveting their lands for a sheep walk, were
ordered immediately to remove.” 714 words.
February
2009
‘Positive
feelings’ for forest trust becoming landowners
Group left ‘high
and dry’ over log cabin
The North
Sutherland Community Forest Trust, which we reported in December
as expressing interest in purchasing up to 16,500 acres of mainly-afforested
Forestry Commission land in Farr and Kildonan, is delighted with
the public’s response to their proposals, but feel they
still have some way to go in explaining what they are about.
More
Foundation rebuked
over MacKenzie petition
The petition to the Scottish Parliament by Netta MacKenzie from
Elphin calling on the parliament to urge the Scottish Government
not to adopt the main recommendations of the Shucksmith report
on crofting is being closed on the grounds that communities will
have a further opportunity to make their views known when the
draft Bill is published and that the issues raised by the petitioner
could also be considered as part of the Parliament’s scrutiny
of the Bill and amended as necessary. More
Litir bhon ’a
Cheathramh
le Alasdair MacMhaoirn
Aig àm na Nollaig seo chaidh bha mi ann an Ontario, Canada,
agus fhuair mi cothrom tadhal air sgoil Mnjikaning Kendaasawin
a chaidh a chur air chois leis an treubh Ojibwe. ’S e sgoil
sònraichte a th’ ann, on a chaidh curriculum a dhealbhadh
a bheireadh a-steach mòran dhen dualchas aca fhèin.
Abair ceum mòr a th’ ann, air sàillibh eachdraidh
dòrainneach is cruaidh cas a bh’ ann nuair a bh’
aca ri dèiligeadh ris an Riaghaltas. (Bilingual) More
Some other reports
and features from this month’s print edition
Fiona Burnett
talks to Joni Gray, Tongue
Having enjoyed her childhood growing up in Tongue, the sixteen
year old teenager headed for the bright lights of London staying
for four years, enjoying a whirlwind romance when she met her
husband-to-be and became engaged after just three weeks of meeting
him, becoming his wife four months later.
Postbox
Gulf Stream not taken
into account
It’s a strange argument against global warming to suggest
(Am Bratach January 2009), on the evidence of US scientists,
that no forest plantings should be done north of 50 degrees N,
i.e. north of The Lizard in Cornwall.
An Appreciation
The late Winnie Mackay
Now all we have are our memories, memories that will stay in
our souls, treasured forever, for Winnie Mackay was what the
real people of Sutherland will know as a true daughter of that
county, beautiful, honest and brimming with kindness, so capable
and with such a sense of humour she could disarm the Devil, and
she called a spade a spade.
January
2009
Crofters Commission
in hot water as some crofters' views overlooked
Crofters
in Ullapool and Coigach were disappointed to discover in last
month's Bratach that their views on the Scottish Rural Development
Programme and the Shucksmith report, the subject matter of a
Crofters Commssion meeting held in Ullapool on July 1 of last
year, were not recorded. More
Obituary
Gordon Rutherford DL
March 29 1925 - November 16 2008
Gordon Rutherford, who died on November 16 aged 83 was a legend
in his lifetime. His family came from Kildonan and a touch of
gold was always about him — in his speech, in his humour,
in his gift for friendship with all and sundry, in his glamour
and his earthiness. More
Bookends
by Kevin Crowe
“The
Beatles in Scotland” by Ken McNab, Polygon, 2008. £20.
I was twelve when the Beatles had their first big hit, and the
band — along with Bob Dylan — provided the soundtrack
to my teenage years. Each record was bought as it came out. The
singles and EPs have long since gone, and the LPs replaced by
CDs, but I still regularly listen to their music. This beautifully
written and illustrated book will be a welcome addition to the
shelves of all Beatles’ fans. More
Some other reports
and features from this month’s print edition
The guga hunters
It takes
a feat of imagination for those tied to the land and a more sheltered
existence to understand what it is like to live in close proximity
to howling gales, jagged rocks and the cruel sea. And even if
we do have a smattering of understanding, it is easy to relegate
such lifestyles — especially in their more extreme manifestations
— to times gone by.
Postbox
Purity of race too
difficult a concept
Imagine the fear which the headline “I`m an endangered species”
struck into the heart of a male of a certain age. After realising
John Macleod, son of the eminent principal of the Free Church
College, and friend of crofters, was the author of the Daily
Mail article I thought I could relax.
History File
by Malcolm Bangor-Jones
David Hird’s excellent book, A Light in the Wilderness,
tells the story of the building of the lighthouse at Cape Wrath
and includes a full transcript of the very detailed specification
and the contract signed with John Gibb from Aberdeen in the summer
of 1827.
December
2008
Local group set
sights on Forestry Commission land
As the Scottish
Government consults on what has been claimed to be the part-privatisation
of the Forestry Commission in Scotland, a charitable company
with members in the parishes of Durness, Tongue and Farr has
expressed interest in acquiring up to 16,500 acres of commission-owned
land, most but not all of it planted, in the parishes of Kildonan
and Farr. More
Postbox
Government listens
to crackpots
I have been a crofter for forty-four years, ever since my father
gave me the croft when I was sixteen. My people have been fighting
all kinds of weird policies proposed by strange-thinking academics
who wanted to change crofting to a fairy world, but the Shucksmith
recommendations take the ticket. More
Fiona Burnett
talks to Hamish Campbell, Durness
Shepherding is in his blood. Perhaps not surprising given that
his great great grandfather was the first shepherd at Arnaboll,
Hope, where his father and grandmother were born. He has sold
his hardy breed of Lairg type North Country Cheviot tups as far
south as Cornwall and as far north as Shetland. More
Some other reports
and features from this month’s print edition
No plans to cull
deer on Little Assynt says chairman
The Assynt Crofters Trust raised fears at a recent meeting in
the parish that the neighbouring estate of Little Assynt, owned
by the Culag Community Woodland Trust since 2000, is planning
to plant trees on the open hill with damaging financial consequences
for their own operation.
What the commission
heard
We can reveal that crofting and environment minister, Mike Russell
MSP, did not request public meetings held in the summer about
the Shuckmith report and the new Scotland Rural Development Programme
(SRDP).
History File
by Malcolm Bangor-Jones
In the mid 1820s the Reay estate management made strenuous efforts
to end the illicit distilling of whisky by the small tenants,
a practice often referred to as “smuggling”. On January
11 1827, John Horsburgh, Lord Reay’s factor based at the
House of Tongue, issued instructions to Hugh MacIntosh, the ground
officer for the parish of Eddrachillis, to collect all the copper
still pots.
November 2008
Real test of
crofter opinion came with recommendations
Evidence not so rigorous
and compelling as Shucksmith says
Speaking
at the Scottish Crofting Foundation's annual gathering in early
October, Professor Mark Shucksmith took the opportunity to hit
back at critics of his recent report and its recommendations
for the future of crofting, writes a correspondent. More
Gone but not
forgotten
November
11 is a special day in the calendar, known by various names,
in particular Remembrance Day, Poppy Day and Armistice Day.
More
Postbox
Mailbus journeys with
a difference
It was lovely to read about “Donnie the Mails” in last
month’s Bratach. It brought back many happy memories. More
Some other reports
and features from this month’s print edition
Postbox
Too much advice
“Who dug the crofts out of the hill?” enquired an exasperated
crofter from Stoer towards the end of a long presentation on
the merits of the Shucksmith report, which he did not seem to
agree with.
The man with
the cow
John Macdonald, author
and compiler of “Rogart: The Story of a Sutherland Crofting
Parish”, looks back on the life of the man whose photo appears
on the cover of his book
Since launching the reprint and second edition of our book on
Rogart parish I am often asked the question “who is the
man with the cow”?
Shucksmith report:
a response to David Forbes
‘Stirring stuff,
but none of it is true’
by Alistair MacIver
If you focus on the substance of David Forbes' criticism of the
Shucksmith Report in his "personal view" article (Am
Bratach, August 2008), you'll be struck by how similar some of
his views are to those of the Scottish Crofting Foundation.
October 2008
Invercharron
games roundup
“If I never attend another Highland games, I’ll remember
this one,” says Invercharron Traditional Highland Games
president, Morag Chalmers, of last month’s event. “I
thoroughly enjoyed the day. More
Postbox
Voters ignored
Rob Gibson’s letter in last month’s Bratach is worrying
and disturbing. More
Bookends
by Kevin Crowe
“Scotland
and the Union 1707-2007”. Edited by TM Devine. Edinburgh
University Press, 2008. £14.95.
It is an irony of history that, 300 years after the Union of
Scotland with England, a Nationalist administration is in power
at Holyrood. More
Some other reports
and features from this month’s print edition
‘Not Shucksmith’
report goes to crofting Minister
As we went
to press, the Scottish Government confirmed that Mike Russell
MSP, the environment (and crofting) Minister, was due to announce
precisely at 2.35pm on Wednesday, October 1, his government’s
long-awaited response to the Shucksmith report on the future
of crofting.
Fiona Burnett
talks to Donald Mackay, Scourie
By the time Lochinver-born Donald Mackay from Scourie came into
the world, his father, also Donald, was reported to have consumed
forty-seven cups of tea!
Lady Elizabeth
recalls life during the last war
During the World War II, women from all walks of life came together
in the form of the Women’s Land Army, a non-military organisation,
where thousands of women all across the country threw themselves
into men’s boots, working the land to provide the country
with much needed food.
September 2008
Foundation meets
MacRae as Shucksmith suffers delay
A sense of
emergency at the Scottish Crofting Foundation may have prompted
a meeting between their leaders and one of the principal critics
of the Shucksmith report on crofting, and of the organisation’s
surprising reaction to it. More
Hats that are
not for wearing!
by Andrew Marshall
Since the Bratach has a much wider circulation than in its own
postcode no doubt some readers shop at a Sainsbury branch. More
Postbox
English was never big
in Caithness until Dounreay
I just want to thank you for publishing Dr Stiubhart’s article
on the history of Gaelic as spoken in Caithness. More
History file
by Malcolm Bangor-Jones
The economic depression which followed the Napoleonic Wars hit
the Highlands hard. More
Some other reports
and features from this month’s print edition
Postbox
Seeing the bright side
of Shucksmith
“Sort out the Crofters Commission”, was the main message
agreed by over 120 crofters and crofting representatives at a
meeting in Broadford last summer, according to the Free Press
and The Crofter.
Obituary
Jessie Rooney, 1923-2008
Jessie Rooney was born at Riverside Cottage, Hope, on August
15 1923, third eldest of nine children born to Isa and Jessan
Gow
The Assynt Highland
Games in words and pictures
It was a day of record smashing in the heavy division at this
year’s Assynt Highland Gathering, held in the Culag Park
on Friday, August 8.
August 2008
Durness Games:
place of reunion
At the opening
ceremony, this year’s chieftain, Cate Jackson, said she
had never missed a Durness Highland Gathering since 1970, despite
living away all her adult years. More
Bernd’s
KLB swim marks his 50th visit
Bernd Retzlaff, a high school teacher in Berlin, first visited
the Oldshore-Kinlochbervie area in 1973, writes Andrew Marshall.
More
Postbox
Oran a’ Phetition
Over one
hundred years ago Màiri Mhòr nan Oran remarked
that her people had become so strange that sorrow was wheat to
them. More
View from the
croft gate
by John Macdonald
Haymaking
is the task of the moment and, of course, the weather has decided
to play up. More
Some other reports
and features from this month’s print edition
Assynt trust
unhappy with Shucksmith crofting report
Skye-born
advocate issues warning
In a letter sent to the Scottish Government minister for the
environment, the Assynt Crofters Trust has become what is believed
to be the first established crofters’ organisation to publicly
criticise recommendations contained in the report of the Committee
of Inquiry into Crofting.
The Shucksmith
report — a personal view
‘Shucksmith
claims a croft is a public asset, like a municipal park’
The Shucksmith report or crofting enquiry is a modern-day “consultation”
for the new Scottish Government, writes David Forbes.
Downtown crofting
on the up
When I wrote that July article about incomers boostng land usage
I hoped to get some reaction, writes Andrew Marshall.
July 2008
Wedding in a
romantic setting
by Fiona Burnett
Castle Varrich, the ruined castle overlooking the village and
Kyle of Tongue, believed by some to have been a stopping off
place for the bishop of Caithness on his visits to Durness in
the late Middle Ages, was a centre of attraction on Saturday,
June 21 — Midsummer’s Day — at three o’clock
when family and friends gathered to witness local painter and
decorator Scott Coghill and German-born Silke Plass exchanged
marriage vows. More
Sisters make
dash for charity
Strathnaver sisters, Marsaili (left) and Catriona MacLeod, raised
£450 for Cancer Research UK when they took part in the
charity’s “Race for life” in Aberdeen on June
2. More
Bookends
by Kevin Crowe
Mandy Haggith “The Last Bear”, Two Ravens Press, 2008.
£8.99.
This story, set in North West Scotland over a thousand years
ago, pits two groups against each other: the Vikings from Scandinavia
who at the time the novel is set have settled to a mainly peaceful
life and the Celts who earlier arrived in Scotland from across
what is now known as the Irish Sea. More
The Inner Man
by Chris Duckham
At the restaurant
we love to use the freshest local fish, and one of my personal
favourites is sea trout. More
Some other reports
and features from this month’s print edition
Shucksmith report
receives poor reception at North West meetings
You would
not guess by listening to crofters in North West Sutherland that
the “authentic voice of Scottish crofters” is conveyed
in the Shucksmith report on the future of crofting.
New life is being
breathed into Kinlochbervie crofting
A woman in
Harrogate phoning a friend in Kinlochbervie said: “I’m
fed up with the rising cost of food; I’m going to grow my
own."
Fiona Burnett
talks to Douglas Pearson, Skerray
Douglas Pearson,
Achtoty, Skerray, has experienced life from a great height.
Lairg Music Festival:
a matter of teamwork
At the 2008
Lairg Music Festival the usual array of musical talent drawn
from all round the country was on display.
June 2008
‘Dangerous’
Shucksmith raises crofter temperatures
The Shucksmith report on crofting, published last month, has
been described to us as a "dangerous" document offering
"Eastern block" solutions to the challenges facing
today's crofter. More
Gallaibh nan
Gàidheal ’s nan Gall (Caithness of the Gael and the
Lowlander)
by Domhnall Uilleam
Stiùbhart
Recently we’ve all been hearing and reading rather a lot
of opinions, not all of them particularly well-informed, about
the question of Caithness’s Gaelic heritage. More
Backcoaster’s
diary
It seems
that conservation plans reported in these columns a month ago,
plans designed to save the River Naver from anglers, are not
going according to plan. More
Nature’s
call
by Andy Summers
I was feeling a bit sore this morning. More
History file
by Malcolm Bangor-Jones
In July 1765 the factor for the estate of Coigach in the parish
of Lochbroom reported that several of the tenants had lost cows,
horses, sheep and goats during the previous winter. More
May 2008
Scotland-wide
rural scheme ‘discriminates’ says MacRae
Crofters’ leader, Allan MacRae of 83 Torbreck, Lochinver,
describes aspects of the Scottish government’s flagship
Scottish Rural Development Programme, which received EU approval
in January, as “hugely disappointing”. More
Skye parents
aim for Gaelic school
by Arthur Cormack
Ninety-nine
children currently attend Gaelic-medium in Portree, while 136
attend the “mainstream” school. More
Nostalgic reunion
for Lovat Scouts
by Willie Morrison
Three Lovat
Scout veterans of World War II relived the dangers, fears and
excitement of more than sixty years ago when they met again this
week for lunch at Achness House Hotel, near Rosehall. More
Litir bhon ’a
Cheathramh
le Alasdair MacMhaoirn
Taighean
Geala agus smachd sòisealta. Thàinig an smaoin
seo a-steach orm bho chionn ghoirid nuair a fhuair mi brath bho
charaid mu colbh a bh’ anns The Herald (12/4/08). (Billingual)
More
Bookends
by Kevin Crowe
Review: The
Thistle and the Crescent” by Bashir Maan. Argyll Publishing
2008. £12.99. More
April 2008
Rhiconich crofter
favours right to buy
In evidence
submitted to the Scottish government’s Committee of Crofting
Inquiry, a North West Sutherland crofter, who for a number of
years was a prominent member of the Scottish Crofters Union North
West Sutherland Area, illustrates the advantages of both the
tenant’s right to buy and of the tenancy system itself.
More
Council ploughs
on with ‘cluster’ head at primaries
Opposition by Tongue parents to the joint headship of Tongue,
Farr and Melvich primary schools, revealed in Am Bratach last
month, has not deterred Highland Council from pressing ahead
with the appointment of a single teacher to supervise the three
schools. More
Local lads set
up building business in Tongue area
A brand new
building business, Kyle of Tongue Construction, has been set
up by Graeme Gunn, Melness, and Richard Mackay from Tongue. More
St Kilda —
the edge of the world
by Jaqqi Carney
It is no
easy feat getting your feet on St Kilda. More
Nature’s
call
by Paul Castle
The early
part of the year is a relatively quiet period for us countryside
rangers before the mad, head-down rush of spring and summer really
begins. More
March 2008
Parent council
was ignored over ‘cluster’ appointment
Education bosses performed a climbdown of sorts the day after
we questioned the local authority’s procedures for appointing
a new joint head teacher to Tongue, Farr and Melvich primary
schools. More
Writers and artists
explore Strathbrora
Thumbing
through this booklet, some will ask why it has been published
by a heritage society when the first impressions are of a work
not obviously concerned with the past. More
Litir bhon ’a
Cheathramh
by Alasdair MacMhaoirn
Deagh naidheachd ann an Inbhir Theòrsa! (Billingual.)
More
History file
by Malcolm Bangor-Jones
In 1818 Dugald Gilchrist took over the sheep-farm of Shinness:
some of the large population of sub tenants were not permitted
to remain or chose not to. More
February
2008
Planner’s
dream
After examining
evidence garnered from seventeen public meetings held in June
and August of last year...More
Broadband on
the blink for two days
by Fiona Burnett
Broadband
users in Strathnaver, Altnaharra and Kinbrace, left without a
connection for two days late last month, were told their computers
were to blame. More
Ùrachadh
success at Celtic Connections
Taigh na Gàidhlig Mhealanais project, Ùrachadh,
was well received at Celtic Connections, where the multimedia
show made its festival debut at the Tron Theatre on Burns Night,
reports secretary, Catriona MacLeod. More
View from the
croft gate
by John MacDonald
I see that regulation about the double tagging of sheep is kicking
in about now. More
History file
by Malcolm Bangor-Jones
The new sheep farm of Shinness was let to the Matheson family
in 1808. Ten years later it was taken over by Dugald Gilchrist
of Ospisdale, sheep farmer, road contractor and minor landlord.
More
January
2008
Gaelic accounts
not acceptable
A small Skye-based
company has challenged the notion that the Gaelic language has
no place in official documentation by submitting its annual report
and accounts for 2006-2007 to Companies House, Edinburgh, in
Gaelic alone. More
Blas Festival
latest invite for minstrels
Ùrachadh, the group of Caithness and Sutherland Gaelic
singers and musicians — presently preparing for their first
appearance at Celtic Connections on January 25 — have further
dates to add to their diary, following an approach from the Blas
Festival. More
Rob Donn descendant
gives talk at Farr ceilidh
American Ellen Beard, a former labour lawyer turned student of
Gaelic at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, who has the distinction of
been descended from the Mackay bard, Rob Donn (1714-1778), spoke
of his poetry and of her family connection to the illustrious
poet at a special ceilidh organised by George Gunn, writer-in-residence
at Strathnaver Museum, Elliot Rudie and their associates at the
museum. It was held in the Farr Bay Inn, Bettyhill, just over
a month ago. More
Fiona Burnett talks to
Cathie Barbara
Mackay, Tongue
An interest in people and surroundings began early in life for
Cathie Barbara Mackay, a former Tongue councillor, and district
nurse respectively, who, at the age of ten found her voice. More
Backcoaster’s
Diary
In the month of the year when people all over the world celebrate
the birthday of Scotland’s most famous poet, it is worth
remembering Robert Burns’s talent for extemporaneous composition.
More
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