Heritage

Heritage

Find out about history, legends, places and local people from times past.

History of the Ardgay-Bonar Pipe Band

History of the Ardgay-Bonar Pipe Band

The band was formed in the Drill Hall, Bonar Bridge, on the 24th July 1929 and it was active for over 81 years, participating in competitions, travelling overseas and even recording an LP. Ruby MacDonald gives us an extraordinary insight into its history. By Ruby MacDonald The band that eventually

Early churches in the Kyle  of Sutherland

Early churches in the Kyle  of Sutherland

A few place names, records and stone remains are the only traces of Celtic saints and early monks left in the area. Saint Maelruba  Maelruba of Applecross (642-722) was an Irish saint active in Scotland who founded the monastic community of Applecross. He also founded a church on an

Paul Mactire, 'Paul the Wolf'

Paul Mactire, 'Paul the Wolf'

Owner of extensive lands in Strathcarron, Strath Oykel and Gairloch through his marriage to Mary of Grahame, he was a notorious robber or freebooter and centuries old tradition links him to the construction of the vitrified fort on the top of Dun Creich. Paul Mactire or Mactyre was a 14th

Dr J. D. Macrae: more than a physician

Dr J. D. Macrae: more than a physician

71 years after his death, Dr Macrae (1872-1951) is a name well-known by many in the Highland communities of Creich and Kincardine. To give him his full name, Dr James Donald Macrae M.B. C.M. M.D. was – besides being a Doctor of Medicine – a dedicated spokesperson

The Fuath and the Brollachan

The Fuath and the Brollachan

Along a burn by Loch Migdale, there was once a mill named Moulin na Vaugha /Fouadh, ‘Mill of the Fuath’, haunted by the Fuath and her son, the amormphous Brollachan. The Fuath (from Scottish Gaelic, meaning ‘hate’, and pronounced ‘vough’ in English) was a class of malevolent spirits in Scottish

Balnagown Arms Hotel: The inn around which Ardgay village was built

Balnagown Arms Hotel: The inn around which Ardgay village was built

Once described as one of the best known hotels of the Highlands “where royalty and statemen have frequently stayed”, the Balnagown Arms Hotel started off as a farm house converted into an inn in 1817 to serve people travelling along the new Telford road. By Silvia Muras & Donald Brown

The Boarded Out children

The Boarded Out children

One of the pleasures of spending holidays with my aunt and uncle at Altas shop and Post Office in the 1950s, was playing with local children, including some of the “Boarded Out” children, often referred to as the “Glasgow orphans”.  By Lily Byron Apparently, at one point there were at