Inverness Highland Games - 11

An important event at any Highland Games is Tossing the Caber.



The cabers used at Inverness are supplied by the Forestry Commission and prepared by the apprentices at local construction firm ROK. The smallest caber is 15 foot long and the biggest is over 18 foot long.

Inverness Highland Games - 10

Here we see traditional Scottish music being played in the marquee.



By yon bonnie banks,
And by yon bonnie braes,
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond,
Where me and my true love
Were ever want to gae,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.

Oh! ye'll take the high road and
I'll take the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and my true love
Will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.

'Twas then that we parted
In yon shady glen,
On the steep, steep side of Ben Lomond,
Where in purple hue
The Highland hills we view,
And the moon coming out in the gloaming.

Oh! ye'll take the high road and
I'll take the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and my true love
Will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.

The wee birdie sang
And the wild flowers spring,
And in sunshine the waters are sleeping,
But the broken heart it kens
Nae second Spring again,
Tho' the waeful may cease frae their greeting.

Oh! ye'll take the high road and
I'll take the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and my true love
Will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.

Inverness Highland Games - 9

Here we see some traditional Scottish dancing at the Games.



Far off in sunlit places
Sad are the Scottish faces
Yearning to feel the kiss
Of sweet Scottish rain.
Where tropic skies are beaming,
Love sets the heart a-dreaming,
Longing and dreaming
for the homeland again.

Towering in gallant fame
Scotland my mountain hame
High may your proud standards
Gloriously wave!
Land of my high endeavour
Land of the shining river
Land of my heart forever
Scotland the brave!

Inverness Highland Games - 8

What a glorious image we have here!



High in the misty highlands
Out by the purple islands
Brave are the hearts that beat
Beneath Scottish skies
Wild are the winds to meet you
Staunch are the friends that greet you
Kind as the light that shines
From fair maiden's eyes.

Towering in gallant fame
Scotland my mountain hame
High may your proud standards
Gloriously wave!
Land of my high endeavour
Land of the shining river
Land of my heart forever
Scotland the brave!

Inverness Highland Games - 7

At long last it was time for the entry of the pipers!



Hark, when the night is falling
Hear, hear the pipes are calling
Loudly and proudly calling
Down through the Glen.
There where the hills are sleeping
Now feel the blood a-leaping
High as the spirits
Of the old highland men.

Towering in gallant fame
Scotland my mountain hame
High may your proud standards
Gloriously wave!
Land of my high endeavour
Land of the shining river
Land of my heart forever
Scotland the brave!

17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Today we read of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with just five barley loaves and two fish.



Miraculous? Yes, but nothing like as miraculous as the priest turning bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ!

O Food of men wayfaring,
the bread of angels sharing,
O Manna from on high!
We hunger; Lord, supply us,
nor thy delights deny us,
whose hearts to thee draw nigh.

O stream of love past telling,
O purest fountain, welling
from out the Saviour's side!
We faint with thirst; revive us,
of thine abundance give us,
and all we need provide.

O Jesus, by thee bidden,
we here adore thee, hidden
'neath forms of bread and wine.
Grant when the veil is riven,
we may behold, in heaven,
thy countenance divine.

Happy Sunday!

Inverness Highland Games - 6

Today we celebrate the Feast of St James.



Here we see some pipers practicing (in the rain) ready for their triumphal entry to the main arena. It was good that their highland dress was veiled - as it made their eventual arrival that much more special.

Happy Feast!

Inverness Highland Games - 5

Music is an important ingredient of any Highland Games.



Here we see a charming group of musicians playing at the opening ceremony. Not all the music was played on bagpipes!

Inverness Highland Games - 4

The 2009 Inverness Highland Games have been hailed as one of the premier events of its kind in the world.



Up to 11,000 people are thought to have descended on the Bught Park arena for the two-day games, including hundreds of holidaymakers and foreign tourists.

Speaking last night, games organiser Gerry Reynolds said: “It has been a tremendous success and those taking part have told me that they regard our Highland games as one of the best in the world.”

Rain kept numbers down to 3,500 on Saturday but an improvement in the weather yesterday led to 7,000 visitors pouring through the gates.

Mr Reynolds said: “We have welcomed international competitors, seen world records broken, and Inverness has fallen in love with the Basque performers.”

The 65-strong Nazioen Mundua (World of Nations) touring group from the Basque region proved one of the event’s biggest crowd-pullers.

The party first came to the Inverness event two years ago and this year gave log-cutting and stone-lifting demonstrations, which were filmed by a Basque television company for a documentary.

Highland games Chieftain, Inverness Provost Jimmy Gray, said: “It is events like these that put Inverness on the world map. The youngest competitor, a dancer, was three, and the oldest was 73, which shows the broad range of the games.”

Inverness Highland Games - 3

Today we celebrate the Feast of St Mary Magdalene. Here we see Nazioen Mundua taking part in the Opening Ceremony.



The 65 members are from Euskal Herria - the Basque Country. The group first appeared in Inverness at Easter 2008 when they came to perform in the city centre and they quite literally brought the traffic to a halt as bewildered drivers pulled over to have a look at them marching! In case you are wondering, they are wearing bells on their backs. I hope they come to St Columba's for the Easter Vigil next year - they will be a great asset for the Gloria.

Happy Feast!

Inverness Highland Games - 2

Before The Provost declared the Games open we had a lament played on a bagpipe - in memory of the departed.



The origins of the bagpipe can be traced back to the most ancient civilizations. The bagpipe probably originated as a rustic instrument in many cultures because a herdsman had the necessary materials at hand: a goat or sheep skin and a reed pipe. The instrument is mentioned in the Bible, and historians believe that it originated in Sumaria. Through Celtic migration it was introduced to Persia and India, and subsequently to Greece and Rome. In fact, a Roman historian of the first century wrote that the Emporer Nero knew how to play the pipe with his mouth and the bag thrust under his arm. During the Middle Ages, however, the bagpipe was heard and appreciated by all levels of society.

Inverness Highland Games - 1

I attended the Inverness Highland Games on Saturday 18 July.



Here is a photo of the opening ceremony being performed by Jimmy Gray the Provost of Inverness and Chieftain of the Games. I had the honour of speaking to him personally during the course of the afternoon. He suggested that I take part in the Games next year - some chance!

16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Jesus, the Good Shepherd invites us to go with him to some quiet place where he will teach us.



The God of love my Shepherd is,
and he that doth me feed;
while he is mine and I am his,
what can I want or need?

He leads me to the tender grass,
where I both feed and rest;
then to the streams that gently pass,
in both I have the best.

Or if I stray, he doth convert,
and bring my mind in frame,
and all this not for my desert,
but for his holy Name.

Yea, in death's shady black abode
well may I walk, not fear;
for thou art with me, and thy rod
to guide, thy staff to bear.

Surely thy sweet and wondrous love
shall measure all my days;
and as it never shall remove
so neither shall my praise.

Happy Sunday!

Caledonian Canal - 4

Here we see Fort Augustus Locks. You have to be patient to get through all of these!



In the background you can see the buildings of the former Benedictine Abbey.

Caledonian Canal - 3

Here are some quite large vessels on the canal. It can get busy at this time of the year.



One thing which the boats have to cope with is the series of locks - this certainly slows down their progress!

Caledonian Canal - 2

The canal was designed by engineer Thomas Telford, supported by William Jessop, and was built between 1803 and 1822 at a cost of £840,000. The canal was never a great commercial success because, as originally built, it was too shallow and suffered from poor construction in places. Most traffic still used the sea route. It was not deepened until 1847 (work designed by Telford's associate, James Walker) by which time most ships were too large. Also, Inverness was soon connected to the Lowlands by railway. The canal is now mainly used by pleasure craft.

Caledonian Canal - 1

The Caledonian Canal in Scotland connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William.

It runs some 62 miles (100 kilometres) from northeast to southwest. Only one third of the entire length is man-made, the rest being formed by Loch Dochfour, Loch Ness, Loch Oich, and Loch Lochy. These lochs are part of the Great Glen, a geological fault in the Earth's crust. There are 29 locks (including eight at Neptune's Staircase, Banavie), four aqueducts and 10 bridges in the course of the canal.

Sammy Wilson - DUP

One of my good Protestant friends in Northern Ireland is Sammy Wilson. He is Member of Parliament for East Antrim, and Minister of Finance and Personnel in the Northern Ireland Assembly. One of his main achievements in life was to be Assistant Chief Examiner for GCE Economics in Northern Ireland - whilst I was the Chief Examiner!



This week Sammy is at Westminster, taking part in Transport Committee meetings and he will also receive a briefing from Christian Solidarity Worldwide. It is good having a politician who takes his Christian faith seriously. Please remember Sammy in your prayers.

Tomorrow we shall be visiting the Caledonian Canal.

12th July (transferred)

I lived in Belfast between 1979 and 1990 and here is a photo which then would have seemed impossible - Ian Paisley (DUP) and Martin McGinness (Sinn Fein) sitting on the stairs of Stormont sharing a joke together. It fills me with great joy.



How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!

It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron's beard,
down upon the collar of his robes.

It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.

I send warm greetings to all my Protestant friends living in Northern Ireland - may the sun shine on all your parades today.

15th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Today we think of Jesus sending out the twelve disciples two by two.



God's Spirit is in my heart.
He has called me and set me apart.
This is what I have to do,
what I have to do:

He sent me to give the good news to the poor,
tell prisoners that they are prisoners no more.
Tell blind people that they can see,
and set the down-trodden free.
And go tell everyone the news that the Kingdom of God has come.
And go tell everyone the news that God's Kingdom has come.

Just as the Father sent me,
so I am sending you out to be
my witnesses throughout His world.
The whole of the world.

He sent me to give the good news to the poor,
tell prisoners that they are prisoners no more.
Tell blind people that they can see,
and set the down-trodden free.
And go tell everyone the news that the Kingdom of God has come.
And go tell everyone the news that God's Kingdom has come.

Don't carry a load in your pack,
you don't need two shirts on your back.
The workman can earn his own keep,
Can earn his own keep.

He sent me to give the good news to the poor,
tell prisoners that they are prisoners no more.
Tell blind people that they can see,
and set the down-trodden free.
And go tell everyone the news that the Kingdom of God has come.
And go tell everyone the news that God's Kingdom has come.

Don't worry what you have to say.
Don't worry because on that day,
God's Spirit will speak in your heart,
will speak in your heart!

He sent me to give the good news to the poor,
tell prisoners that they are prisoners no more.
Tell blind people that they can see,
and set the down-trodden free.
And go tell everyone the news that the Kingdom of God has come.
And go tell everyone the news that God's Kingdom has come.

Happy Sunday!

Tomorrow we shall be commemorating the 319th Anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne.

River Ness - 6

Here is the River at night - just north of St Mary's Church.



Round me falls the night;
Saviour, be my Light.
through the hours in darkness shrouded
let me see thy face unclouded;
let Thy glory shine
in this heart of mine.

Earthly work is done,
earthly sounds are none,
rest in sleep and silence seeking,
let me hear thee softly speaking;
in my spirit's ear
whisper, "I am near."

Blessed, heavenly Light
shining through earth's night;
voice that oft of love hast told me;
arms so strong to clasp and hold me,
thou thy watch wilt keep,
Saviour, o'er my sleep.

River Ness - 5

Here is another photo of the footbridge over the River Ness taken at dusk - around 11.00 pm at present.



Sun of my soul, thou Saviour dear,
it is not night if thou be near;
O may no earthborn cloud arise
to hide thee from thy servant's eyes.

When the soft dews of kindly sleep
my wearied eyelids gently steep,
be my last thought, how sweet to rest
forever on my Saviour's breast.

Abide with me from morn till eve,
for without thee I cannot live;
abide with me when night is nigh,
for without thee I dare not die.

If some poor wandering child of thine
has spurned today the voice divine,
now, Lord, the gracious work begin;
let him no more lie down in sin.

Watch by the sick, enrich the poor
with blessings from thy boundless store;
be every mourner's sleep tonight,
like infants' slumbers, pure and right.

Come near and bless us when we wake,
ere through the world our way we take,
till in the ocean of thy love
we lose ourselves in heaven above.

River Ness - 4

Crossing the footbridge for Night Prayer at St Mary's at 10.30 pm.



Now the day is over,
Night is drawing nigh,
Shadows of the evening
Steal across the sky.

Now the darkness gathers,
Stars begin to peep,
Birds, and beasts and flowers
Soon will be asleep.

Jesus, give the weary
Calm and sweet repose;
With Thy tenderest blessing
May mine eyelids close.

Grant to little children
Visions bright of Thee;
Guard the sailors tossing
On the deep, blue sea.

Comfort those who suffer,
Watching late in pain;
Those who plan some evil
From their sin restrain.

Through the long night watches
May Thine angels spread
Their white wings above me,
Watching round my bed.

When the morning wakens,
Then may I arise
Pure, and fresh, and sinless
In Thy holy eyes.

Glory to the Father,
Glory to the Son,
And to Thee, blest Spirit,
While all ages run.

River Ness - 3

This photo shows the West bank of the River Ness at Inverness. St Mary's Church is close to the middle of the photo.

River Ness - 2

Here is another view of the River Ness at Inverness - looking North. Going South the river runs into Loch Ness. St Mary's Church is on the West bank of the river.

River Ness - 1

Here is a lovely view of Inverness Castle from the banks of the River Ness.

12th Anniversary of Ordination

What a lovely photo!



Today I celebrate the 12th Anniversary of my ordination on Saturday 5 July 1997. I shall be preaching at the 9.30 am Mass at St Columba's Culloden and at the 11.00 am Mass at St Mary's Inverness. I imagine that many people will choose to attend St Ninian's Inverness instead!

On a completely different note, I have just received a comment to one of my posts way back in February. It contains a request for information about making Scotch Pies and is unlikely to be seen by anyone unless I copy it here - so here goes!

Hi everyone,
I'm a Scots "exile" currently in Rome. I have repeatedly tried to make these pies but my pastry is too "cakey", crumbles and is hard to form. The genuine article is slightly flexible....Does anyone have any tips how to do better?
By the way I'm a fomer student of the Scots College.
Christopher

Please send a comment if you have any ideas.

On that culinary note, let me wish you all a Happy Sunday!

Cawdor Castle - 5

Here is another lovely photo of the Castle gardens.



Cawdor Castle is a tower house set amid magnificent gardens in the parish of Cawdor, approximately 10 miles (16 km) east of Inverness and 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Nairn. It belonged to the Clan Calder. It still serves as home to the Dowager Countess Cawdor, stepmother of Colin Robert Vaughan Campbell, 7th (and present) Earl Cawdor and 25th Thane of Cawdor.

The castle is perhaps best known for its literary connection to William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, the title character of which was made Thane of Cawdor. However, the story is highly fictionalised, and the castle itself was built many years after the events of the play.

Cawdor Castle - 4

Today we celebrate the Feast of St Thomas.



One of the great joys of Cawdor Castle is the magnificent gardens - they are well worth a visit.

Happy Feast!

Cawdor Castle - 3

Good furniture, fine portraits and pictures, interesting objects and outstanding tapestries are arranged to please the family rather than to echo fashion or impress.

Along with the three gardens, and the Cawdor Big Wood, Cawdor Castle is a truly extraordinary place.

Cawdor Castle - 2

Here is the drawbridge to the Castle.



Cawdor Castle dates from the late 14th century and was built as a private fortress by the Thanes of Cawdor. The ancient medieval tower was built around the legendary holly-tree.

Although the House has evolved over 600 years, later additions mainly of the 17th century were all built in the Scottish vernacular style with slated roofs over walls and crow-stepped gables of mellow local stone. This style gives Cawdor a strong sense of unity, and the massive, severe exterior belies an intimate interior that gives the place a surprisingly personal, friendly atmosphere.