September 2009 Firstly I hope you will all forgive me for my lack of diary entries this year. 2009 has seen many exciting episodes for the circle which have absorbed much time and energy. In April of this year we had a triple event. Triple which ironically rhymes with cripple as one of the things we did that week led to myself having to go to hospital with cellulitis in my feet and legs. Our reenactment of the night march before Culloden with Tony Pollard was one of the hardest things I have ever attempted. We set off at 7pm from Culloden House and followed the original map through forestry trail and field until we reached the Muir of the Clans outside Nairn. Like the Jacobite army of the time we turned and marched back or should I say limped and staggered. Men were dropping like flies and it was no disgrace to quit but I'm glad to say the Circle made it back, myself literally crawling up the steps of Culloden house at 5am. In the morning I had blisters like half peaches on my feet. I took desperate measures to be able to stand up. I burst my blisters on my with my plaid pin. Not clever as i gave myself blood poisoning and had to host the lament in total agony. Agony not helped by the wearing of my new dragoon boots But we have to suffer for our art so they say and I certainly did that . The lament was only 2 days later and was scheduled to be a historic occasion with the presenting of the drapes back to Culloden house . The Tartan drapes in question had hung from the Princes bed in Culloden House at the time of his staying there . Quite poignant that he spent his last night of comfort there before he became a hunted fugitive. Mr Corby, with all his various contacts, had been alerted to their presence in the Scottish sale in Bonhams in Edinburgh and contacted me later that day.
We conspired to place a bid and thankfully we were successful . Michael and I wrote a story linking them from past to present and then an artist friend of mine Tim, painstakingly created the calligraphy panels . The whole thing was pieced together by Donald at QC framing in Nairn who even applied for royal permission for us to use a copy of the Maurice Quentin de la Tour painting of the Prince. The end result was quite simply stunning and now hangs pride of place in Culloden House . An immense achievement for the circle as they are now back where they belong in Scotland, to be enjoyed by many generations of Scots to come. The Circle's profile has been such this year that we were approached by Scotland on Sunday following Mr MacNeill's infamous rant over the picnickers on the graves at Culloden. The article was both bright and informative and portrayed the Circle and Na fir Dileas in a good light. Mr Corby proved once again why he is a superstar by stealing the show in his now famous Gainsborough pose photograph taken at Balgonie Castle, which I'm sure he will autograph for any who ask. What more you say? Well there is! Julia Jamieson of the BBC wrote to me asking if the circle could appear in "A History of Scotland" with Neil Oliver. I said, casually that I would check our diaries and see what we could do. In reality I dropped the phone and ran out of the surgery to call everyone I knew in a frenzy of excitement. I, however was destined to miss my chance at stardom as I was in Ireland for 4 days prior to filming. I returned sick as a dog and had to stay at home while Mr MacNeill and Mr Milne made splendid Jacobite generals, parishioners, etc. This is the closest Norman has ever come to repenting his sins I fear. A quite breathless year I'm sure you will agree. Onwards and upwards gentlemen. I look forward to more of the same. Respectfully yours. |
An Introduction - November 2008 As I begin this journal I must confess that I, as a Fife man living in Nairn and working in Inverness, am constantly humbled by my surroundings. To live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world is indeed a blessing, and choosing to raise my children here will I feel be in time the greatest gift that I could give them. There are many people who cannot see, or even grasp, what it is that our culture and surroundings give us. For all those to whom this applies I say “I pity you” - as you are wealthy beyond imagination when you are a Scot or have Scots roots. A scholar once quoted that “Scotland has no unity beyond a map”. This unfortunately is still the case as ‘tribalism’ is alive and well in Scotland. I myself have been confronted by trouser-wearing individuals who have taken great pleasure in telling me that no-one south of Fort William should wear a kilt, whilst there are men in Edinburgh who profess to owning no ‘troosers’. I myself can glean a clear perspective into this, being born in Dundee, brought up in Dunfermline in Fife, then professionally educated in Edinburgh and now residing in Nairn. Now that’s a mixture! My parents too were from completely different backgrounds: my father came from a Scots mining family who were staunchly protestant and my mother from an Irish family who were Catholic. I like to think I have emerged a balanced individual who can laugh at most of the silly differences between men that actually make us who we are. If asked who I am I will tell you that I am simply myself, although I have the blood of one of the oldest clans in Scotland running in my veins and bear the Gaelic name Donnachaidh. In my DNA they would find Celt, Gael, Lowland Scot, Lord, Peasant, Musician, Poet and thief. God bless them all as they have brought me to this day and I shall honour them all in my diary of observations, for I am all of them and none. The Circle is a unique group of individuals who are all remarkable in their own right, each bringing to the table his own unique talents. I am fortunate to be deemed worthy to be the Circle’s spokesman and talisman, which is indeed an honour when surrounded by men of such substance. I shall endeavour to bring to you a diary worth reading over the coming months. I am your humble servant |