Wednesday 24 July 2013

How far is that from Assynt?


It's time to leave St Ann's Motel at South Haven, Cape Breton Island.  


As the eagle flies away across St Ann's Bay, I head only a short distance to the other side of the bay.

























































In fact it's only just over half a mile away, past the restaurant, over the causeway then up the hill with woodland on either side as on the map, there's a few clues there too ! Check it on the map, I'm travelling from A to B, there's a few clues there too !





















Around the corner there's a sound of bagpipes, a solitary piper is playing, initially it's as though he's in the middle of nowhere !

Then it becomes clear that he's by the entrance to a car park, turns out he plays there all day, despite the heat and humidity, even when I arrive at 9am this sunny morning.


It's an impressive frontage to the Gaelic College, as most buildings I've seen in my journey so far it's mainly built of wood. The grounds and surroundings are beautifully maintained. This was just a few days before the celebrations commenced for the 75th anniversary of the founding of the College.  More about that another time !


The questions I have been asked so far on this trip start by querying where I are from, which I start by answering "Scotland", but I had already discovered it would never end there !  My next reply would be "North West Highlands of Scotland", which on further enquiry became "On the West coast mainland, but near the Isle of Skye".  

That would satisfy most folks you meet when travelling, but not in Nova Scotia, and especially on Cape Breton Island.  Which village? "Lochcarron", to which you then get the response "Ah yes, Lochcarron Weavers !". They do indeed immediately associate the village with Lochcarron Weavers, there seems to be more tartan in Nova Scotia than in Scotland!
But more of the Lochcarron Weavers connection later, because there's still another question that will follow mention of Lochcarron.  "How far is that from Assynt?"

Now I'm sure that for anyone living in the Lochcarron area that would come as an unusual question, indeed when I ask around in the village quite a few people have heard of  Assynt, but aren't sure where it is. I'm maybe one of the few who could immediately answer that it's 110 miles north by road from Lochcarron, it's just north of Lochinver, and extends nearly to Kylesku.  

Assynt is etched on my mind, I drove there and back many times twenty years ago, but why? Perhaps for those that still don't know, there's a clue immediately behind the Gaelic College, in fact look through that open door in the picture above, the circle and rectangle beyond the persons hand.  So let's have a closer look ...








The answer is right there on that plaque, indeed there's one commemorating the same event back in Assynt.  When the one in Scotland was unveiled around 20 years ago the St. Ann's Pipe Band from the Gaelic College, Cape Bretton Island, was there is Scotland.  
Need another clue, let's have a closer look at the text on the this plaque ...





For anyone having difficulty reading it, the top / English version reads:

"Reverend Norman McLeod  1780 - 1886
As clergyman, schoolmaster and magistrate, he moulded the characters of this community for a generation. Born at Stoer Point, Assynt, Scotland, he emigrated to Pictou in 1817; led his band of Scots to St. Ann in 1820, and remained here until 1851, when he again led his followers first to Australia and finally to New Zealand."  (Then follows the Gaelic version)

At the time of the unveiling in Assynt I was there covering it for TV news, but of course this actually followed another very significant time in Scottish history of land reform at Assynt. When the estate decided to sell the estate land it was to be in small lots, but the community had other ideas, their aim was to buy the entire estate for themselves.  

Such a buy-out had never happened before, it drew worldwide attention, and I was to & fro constantly for updates as the TV news cameraman covering the area.  They did eventually get the land, I was there that night too in the tiny schoolroom, it was a momentous event that changed land ownership forever in Scotland.  

For the first year I followed the progress of their management of the estate for a documentary, being the sole cameraman and sound recordist for the complete programme.  It was broadcast by Grampian TV as a 'North Tonight Special' on 18th November 1993 with the title 'Great Day at Split Rock'.   A reference to the huge split rock on the coastline.   Unfortunately, whilst I have a copy of the broadcast, now transferred to digital, I cannot show it here due to copyright restrictions.

Your can read here more of the Assynt Crofters' Trust and about the area generally at Discover Assynt.

So by now you will realise the interest of the people on Nova Scotia in Assynt, the site of the Gaelic College is where those settlers set up home and introduced Gaelic to the area as well as introducing the Highland culture.  Of course I was telling them about the buyout that happened so long after people left Scotland for a new life in Canada.  Consequently I felt I had a great connection with the area, but this story does not end there, an unexpected but related event changed part of my trip in the days to come.

Now for some more pictures of the college, this is MacKenzie Hall












































This is the rear of the entrance block, that's nearest the road, the Rev. Norman MacLeod memorial can be seen towards the left by the door





















There's a lot more to the Gaelic College and what happens there, again with some very local connections, but that's for next time...

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