Skye Camanachd have announced that their shinty sixes tournament at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree on Saturday 28 December 2013 will be played in memory of the late John MacKinnon, Crossal.
John MacKinnon was a regular at Skye Camanachd games both at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree and on the mainland.
His son Ewen MacKinnon was the youngest member of the Skye Camanachd side which won the 1990 Camanachd Cup when they beat Newtonmore 4-1 at An Aird, Fort William.
The family connection continued when John’s grandson Iain Nicolson, who now plays for Lovat, broke into the Skye Camanachd first team and quickly established himself as a regular in the side. Nicolson went on to become a Scotland U21 international, playing against Ireland U21 in 2009 and 2011 with injury robbing him of a place in 2010.
John MacKinnon’s firm Skye Transport is a well-established haulage business which provides much needed local employment. He was also a generous sponsor of Skye Camanachd and was always on hand to provide advice on many matters.
John’s contribution was recognised when he was made a Skye Camanachd Vice-President and his tragic passing on Thursday 22 December 2011, following an accident at work, left a void at the Island club.
The John MacKinnon Memorial Sixes will become an annual tournament and it is based on Glenurquhart’s Zandra MacKintosh Memorial Sixes. Skye Camanachd’s Davie MacVicar, a former Glen player, is the event organiser.
This is an invitational tournament and the teams will be mainly from Skye but there will also be sides from Kinlochshiel, Lewis, Lochcarron, a mainly veterans Kingussie side and team of Gallachers from Lovat. It is looking at this stage as if there will be fourteen teams in total taking part.
Each squad will have a maximum of eight players and must include an over 45 player, an U17 player and a ladies player in their squad.
There will be a trophy for the winners, medals for the winners and runners up as well as awards for the Player of the Tournament, Ladies Player of the Tournament, Over 45 Player of the Tournament and U17 Player of the Tournament.
There will be more news on the participating teams to follow.