NutshellIssue 4 - July 2010

Inveraray Community NewsletterOn-line edition

NutshellIssue 4 - July 2010 Inveraray Community Newsletter

Tuesday 20thInveraray Highland Games at the Winterton Park.Parade down the Main Street at 10:45am

Saturday 24thWorldwide Photo Walk - 9.15am to 12.30pm. Meet in the Avenue Car Park next to the school field.

Friday 30th to Sunday 1st AugustBell Ringers Inveraray Festival Weekend Bell Tower in the Avenue6pm to 8pm Friday2pm to 4.30pm and 6pm to 7.30pm Saturday1.30pm - 3.30pm Sunday

Saturday 31stFriends of Auchindrain AGM at 6pm at Auchindrain Township.

Saturday 31stPerformance Ceilidh at 7pm at Auchindrain Township admission £10 each All welcome

Community and Parish Church Events during the summer

Welcome to our 4th edition of the Nutshell. The last issue in March had a lower circulation than expected due to printing difficulties. Our application for funding for the newsletter from the community fund was again unsuccessful, so we still welcome sponsorship from companies or individuals for each issue as the cost to produce the Nutshell is 12p per copy. If you are interested and can help, details can be obtained by contacting us by email: publications@inveraraychurch.org.uk or at The Manse, Inveraray. PA32 8XT Tel: 302060

If you are a visitor to Inveraray we extend to you a very warm welcome to our town. The Nutshell is a quarterly newsletter which we distribute in the town to let the community know what is happening around here.

JulySaturday 14thBell Peal by Yorkshire Association of Change Ringers (Western Branch)12noon - 6pm

Sunday 15thAuchindrain - a day of celebration of traditional crafts, music, story and song in a Highland Farming Township. 9am - 4pm

Thursday 26thAlastair McDonald performing in Inveraray Church 7:30pm

Saturday 28thGhost Hunting Night - Inveraray Jail10pm -4am

August

Parish Church Summer Sale and Exhibition - 11am - 4pmdaily throughout July and August except Sundays

Church Services are held each SundayParish Church of Scotland at 11.15am and all visitors are invited to join us. There is a cup of tea or coffee after the service at 12.15pm.

St. Margaret s RC Church celebrates mass in All Saints Episcopal Church at 12.30pm.

Inveraray & District BranchRoyal British Legion ScotlandDonations and support were given to the Gurkha Welfare Trust Scotland, the Scottish War Blinded Linburn, St Dunstans War Blinded as well as Erskine Hospital and Inveraray Pipe Band.

Work will start shortly on tidying up the five War Graves at Kilmalieu Cemetery which the branch have undertaken to maintain. Two war graves were known at Kilmalieu Cemetery and on contacting the Commonwealth War Graves Commission they notified the Legion of three more in the Cemetery.

A sponsored walk in aid of branch funds was held on Sunday 2nd May, covering 7 miles starting at the Argyll Hotel going to Maam Farm in Glen Shira and back.

St.Margaret s RC Church celebrate Mass every Sunday in All Saints Episcopal Church, at 12.30pm. Soup and sandwiches are served in the Nicol Hall, Inveraray after Mass on the second Sunday of every month. www.lochgilpheadcatholic.com

Inveraray Burns ClubThe Burns club had another very successful year with sell out events held in the Argyll Hotel including the Burns Supper in January. These events were run under the stewardship of our President of four years Jim McMillan.

Jim has now stood down as President and Michael Kidd has taken up the reins. We wish

Michael well in his presidency. The remaining positions on Committee stand as was, with Kenny & Silvia Stark doing their excellent work, as usual. We hope that the incoming year proves as fruitful as the last. The Club is open to new members.

Accordion & Fiddle ClubThe Club were nominated for the Club of the Year Award in the BAFFI AWARDS 2010, which is the The National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Club, NAAFC, BEST Awards. Isobel McCallum was also nominated as Club Supporter of the Year.

We did not win but were awarded Runner up for the Club of the year and Isobel was runner up club supporter

Alastair returns to InverarayAlastair McDonald is coming back to Inveraray on Thursday, 26th August after a very successful performance last year. The entertainer and singer will perform in Inveraray Church at 7:30pm

INVERARAY LOCAL TELEPHONE DIRECTORY (November 2008 edition)

There are still directories available in the Post Office, Londis and Gillespie (Butchers) Price £3.00A boon when you are doing your Christmas card list!!Proceeds to the Parish Church.

Inveraray & District Local History Society2009/10 was another busy year for the society. It was with regret that we saw our Chairman, Dr Gordon Jackson, stand down for personal reasons. This gap was ably filled by Ian Cunningham. During the year we had an excellent spread of speakers on various subjects involving local history. Our Hon. President Alistair Campbell of Airds started off the year with a talk on the history of "The 8th Argylls". This set the scene for the year and was followed by Michael Davis,

Argyll Primary Pupils JailedSix Argyll pupils are preparing to spend part of their school summer holidays in prison this year after the visitor attraction Inveraray Jail announced the winners of their 2010 budding actors primary school competition.

The lucky winners were:Annie Ferguson from Kilcreggan PrimaryElliot Fisher from Drumlemble PrimaryGreg Wemyss from Castlehill Primary School Connor Walton from Dunoon PrimaryClaudia Foster from Ashfield PrimaryMarley Squires from Lochnell Primary School.

Each winner has won the chance to play the part of a child prisoner for one afternoon this summer at the 19th century courthouse and prison, now a popular visitor attraction and museum with real life warders, matrons and prisoners. Their classmates also won lots of Inveraray Jail stationery.

Over 100 pupils from 11 Argyll schools auditioned at the end of May during the Inveraray Jail school road show. Participating pupils had rehearsed monologues with the choice to audition as 11 year old Duncan McColl, who was facing the judges for stealing an apple from a market stall, or as a 10 year old girl prisoner describing her

experiences of being confined to a dark, damp and cold prison cell.The judges were Inveraray Jail guides Hanna Nixon, who plays the prison matron, and Sam Potts, who plays a prisoner at the jail. The two guides also performed a sketch at each school, giving the young pupils an insight into a typical day in the life of a 19th century prisoner. Children as young as seven served sentences in the jail.

Gavin Dick, Prison Governor for Inveraray Jail said: Congratulations to all the winning pupils! This was a really tough decision for the guides as all the pupils were so fantastic. Thanks to all those who auditioned and worked hard rehearsing their scripts. Thanks also to the teachers for their support and enthusiasm in the project. We are currently looking at running the project again next year after this year s success. We enjoyed it as much as the children did.

Inveraray Jail was once the courthouse and prison serving Argyll. Real life warders, matrons and prisoners bring the 19th century prison alive. Visitors can try out prison beds and hammocks in the old and new prisons, sit in on a trial in the spectacular courtroom, sample the brutal 19th century prison punishments and search through prison records for their naughty ancestors.

of Argyll and Bute Library Services, on the subject of restoration of old buildings. A musical evening was held in December. Dr Alastair MacFadyen talked on the subject of Genealogy; Jim McMillan talked about Burns very short visit to Inveraray; Ronnie Renton, of the Neil Munro Society, gave a talk on Neil Munro as a Historical Novelist. The final talk of the season was by Duncan Beaton on the subject of "The Argyll MacNicols of Succoth, Glenorchy and Elrigmore .

The year s events were topped off with an extremely interesting bus trip to Ross Abbey where we had lunch followed by a walk in the lovely gardens of the Abbey. The Society is also open to new members.

Glenaray Publications © 2010

Our Next Issue will be SeptemberWhile we do not intend to carry adverts, we would welcome sponsors for each issue.

If you or your Company would be interested please contact the publications committee.

Contact us by email: publications@inveraraychurch.org.uk or at The Manse, Inveraray. PA32 8XT Tel: 302060

A mythic descent: fish drops from HeavenOn 1st June, Inveraray Jail s Prison warder Adam Trela witnessed an unusual fish, 60cm long, fall from the sky into the grounds of the Jail. It is assumed to have been dropped by a sea bird.

Alex Blackman, manager of the Sea Life Sanctuary in Oban, identified the fish as a red bandfish (Cepola rubescens). This particular variety of red bandfish is commonly associated with the south west coasts of England and Wales and is thought to extend to the the west coast of Scotland.

It is unusual to find individuals of the species

above 15m of water.

The Sanctuary Curator Dennis Chamberlin adds: Red bandfish live at the bottom of the sea bed and

burrow into muddy areas. It may have swum into a creel or lobster pot, which is fairly common and been caught by a gull whilst a fisherman was releasing it back into the sea .

Gavin Dick, Prison Governor for the interactive 19th century jail, says: We were amazed to find this peculiar looking fish in our prison grounds this morning! It looked like someone had put their pet goldfish through the Jail s mangle!. Had this happened in the 19th century, I m sure the prisoners would have fought over who was going to have this for their tea!

Auchindrain TownshipAuchindrain is hosting a Performance Ceilidh on Saturday 31st July which starts at 7:00pm. You are cordially invited. Come and experience the talents of the Inverclyde Waulking Group who will sing traditional Gaelic songs. Bring along your pipes, fiddles, voices and your dancing feet as audience participation will be encouraged. Enjoy a buffet of home-made Scottish foods. A fee of £10 applies which includes your meal. www.auchindrain.org.uk

Friends of AuchindrainThe Friends of Auchindrain has now been re-formed following the restructuring of the Auchindrain Trust and you can now become a member of the Friends of Auchindrain either on-line or at the township. The Friends help in the support of the work of the Auchindrain Trust in developing and preserving this unique Scottish Township.www.auchindrain.org.uk/friends

Summer SaleThe annual Summer Sale in the Church Hall is a real Aladdin's cave - it is worth browsing through the huge variety of items that are for sale. The church will welcome all Items that are donated to be sold for church funds. An interesting historical exhibition adds a new dimension to the sale. Hours: 11am - 4pm every day in July and August except Sundays