The come home to Glendale weekend on the 23-24th July was a huge success with locals, the Diaspora and other visitors enjoying the many varied events over the weekend. I think we can say there was truly something for everyone.
We are indebted to the archive centre in Portree who brought over material they had pertaining to Glendale. This proved to be a hugely popular exhibition complementing our ongoing Glendale Life exhibition. The trusts own exhibition continues to grow and we are grateful to the many locals and those with Glendale connections who continue to send us additional material. Much has come in which greatly adds to the quality and depth of the exhibition.
It is a pleasure to see the community responding so positively to our desire to tell the story of Glendale and its people.
We were honoured to be addressed by Professor Norman MacDonald on the Friday afternoon on that man of genius Professor Magnus Maclean. I am sure the 45 or so who were there to listen to the lecture were enththraled by Norman’s lecture on the life and times of Magnus.
The fishing competition was keenly fought and won by Elizabeth Ann MacDonald with a fair sized Pollock.
A hearty meal of traditional fayre was followed by a ceilidh at the school, wonderfully compared by Allan Campbell. We were entertained by a number of outstanding Gaelic singers, Rebecca MacDonald, Allan MacDonald and Arthur Cormack. We also enjoyed some old films that showcased Glendale. All in all a fantastic evening enjoyed by more than 70 participants.
In dreadful weather on the Saturday morning it was a considerable surprise to see so many hardy souls who despite the weather were prepared to make the trek to Lorgill.
The afternoon saw Milovaig take on the rest of the world for the Glendale cup. In what was a hard fought and highly entertaining contest the visitors ultimately ran out 5-3 winners. Let’s hope next year Milovaig can win back the Glendale Cup!
The evening saw the Ardmore ceilidh band, together with local musicians Craig and Elly and Calum MacLeod entertain an audience of more than 140. A fantastic evening to round of the first come home to Glendale weekend.
We were delighted that so many people appeared to enjoy participating in the events and certainly look forward to seeing everyone back in 2011 at the “Come home to Glendale” weekend.