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Glenfinnan Monument |
Most people who are devotees of the Highland Games circuit are familiar with the site of the games chieftain leading the march to the games field or taking the salute as the local pipe band march past.
Nowadays games chieftains are selected by the local committees organising these events but at some of the more traditional gatherings like the Oban Games and the Glenfinnan Highland games it is often a clan chief who takes on that role.
At the Oban Games or Argyllshire Gathering, which is its proper title, the chieftain of the day is the Gathering’s president, the Duke of Argyll, who is also chief of the Clan Campbell. His hereditary seat is Inveraray Castle on the shores of Loch Fyne in Argyll. A local gathering is also held at Inveraray and again the Duke and Duchess play a prominent role there.
The Glenfinnan Gathering which is held at Glenfinnan where the Jacobite Standard was raised in 1745 by Bonnie Prince Charlie has welcomed a number of clan chiefs over the years to act as chieftain of the games. In recent years they have included the late Sir Donald Cameron of Lochiel, chief of the Clan Cameron, Lord Macdonald of Macdonald, High Chief of Clan Donald and Sir William Macpherson of Cluny, chief of the Clan Macpherson.
The Glenfinnan Gathering, which is reported in the Scottish Field, is unique in that the opening ceremony includes a prayer in Gaelic by the local priest and a Gaelic song – usually one with Jacobite tendencies. The wonderful setting for the gathering, on the shores of Loch Shiel, make it one of the most romantic in Scotland.
Do you think the buildings now being constructed in Scotland are of a lesser quality than those of an earlier era
