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Festubert Commemoration Highlights Impacts On Shinty Community | |
01 April 2015 On the centenary of the Battle of Festubert, one of the earliest and most appalling of all the battles in World War 1 and its impact on the shinty-playing communities of Skye, Kingussie and Beauly, is to be marked in a special tribute at the Fingal Centre, Portree High School, Portree on Friday 15 May 2015. “An Ionndrainn: Remembering Festubert” will pay tribute to shinty’s heroes, many of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice, in music, song, poetry and through dramatic visual presentation of events and individuals. The commemoration is a development of work previously staged over the last two years marking events in World War 1. This, however, is a new production with a stellar cast drawn from the island itself and beyond. Presented by shinty commentator and historian Hugh Dan MacLennan, with musical direction by Gary Innes, the event will be a key component of a weekend’s events on Skye, involving Skye Camanachd and Kingussie, marking the actual centenary of the battle of Festubert. Hugh Dan MacLennan said, “The Battle of Festubert saw nearly 20,000 men slaughtered in a ten-day period. It is our focus because it was one of the first great killing battles, which saw death on an industrial scale. Not only that, but its impact on Highland communities is beyond belief. Skye lost nearly 600 men in the First World War. Twenty-eight left Portree alone and only 8 came back alive. At least 60 men from Kingussie were killed in the Great War and half of them perished at Festubert. All this from a town with a population of 1,000 at the time.” One of the most poignant moments of the show is when Duncan MacGillivray of Easter Ross plays a set of bag-pipes retrieved from the trenches at Festubert, with a tune called “The Beauly Shinty Club” composed by one of two Paterson brothers who perished there, having captained Beauly in the Camanachd Cup Final of 1913. Former Scotland shinty captain Gary Innes of the group Mànran will lead the musical performance. Amongst the stellar list of guests are Skye’s Donnie Munro, Arthur Cormack, Duncan MacGillivray from Easter Ross, Allan Henderson from Lochaber and singer Linda MacLeod from North Uist. Iain Anderson of the BBC will be assisting with the narration, amongst others. Portree Primary School pupils will also be making their own special contribution to the event and representatives of Scots Camanachd, including Padre Hector MacKenzie of Skye who will be piping will take part, as well as play in the shinty matches on Saturday. Gary Innes added. “The starting point of our journey is really the unique success of the Lovat and Beauly teams who allegedly combined to win the Camanachd Cup in 1913. There are extraordinary tales to tell and it’s singularly appropriate that we mark the shinty player’s and the shinty community’s contribution to the Great War. And the impact that had on the game. I am delighted that we have such a great musical line-up and we will also have representatives of Scots Camanachd from the forces to help us mark the events.” An Ionndrainn: Remembering Festubert will take place at The Fingal Centre, Portree High School, Portree on Saturday 15 May 2015. The show begins at 7.30pm and tickets can be purchased at www.skyeremembersfestubert.com Fraser MacIntyre Newsagent, Portree and The Top Shop, Broadford. There will be special shinty matches on Saturday 16 May 2015 at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree involving Skye Camanachd, Kingussie and Scots Camanachd and there will be a Commemoration Service at the Church of Scotland, Portree on Sunday 17 May 2015. |