Strathnaver Museum undertakes many projects. Some are linked to the Clan Mackay and Museum and Galleries others are to raise awareness and increase knowledge of the Museum. All are fun days and result in new exhibitions and assets. Invite people to participate and add to the wealth resources we have at Strathnaver.
Recent News
Broadsword by R W Hughes
September 12, 2018
Rodney Hughes has published his third novel which is interwoven with the battles of the clan MacKay both before and after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Rodney explains that “during the research of my family History on my father’s side, whose mother’s maiden name was Mackay, motivated me to write my third novel which […]
An older kind of identify politics
August 27, 2018
By Ronnie Smith My grandparents brought me up as a MacKay, that’s where they told me that everything should start from; not from being a Scot or from being British or European, male or white, big or small or smart or dim. Being a MacKay should be the first point of reference in understanding who […]
Launch of ‘The Real Mackay’
August 17, 2018
By Jim A. Johnston It was standing room only in the Mackay Room of Strathnaver Museum on the evening of Friday the 3rd August as clansmen and women from all over the Mackay Country crowded in to hear Charlotte Fairbairn, cousin of the Chief of the clan, give an illustrated talk on the research that […]
This Land is Ours – a new book based on a true story
August 3, 2018
Smuggling, ship wrecks, rustling, bush rangers, political intrigue, boom and bust, and bloody resistance by indigenous Australians Based on the true story of a MacKay family, a new book called This Land Is Ours has just been published by a descendent, Jonathan Rush. Fearing correctly that their clan chief would betray his people, the MacKays […]
World War One: discovering the stories behind the names
August 3, 2018
Strathnaver Museum are calling on members of the public to share stories and photographs of their relatives from Mackay Country who were involved in the First World War. This exciting community research project will gather the stories of these men and women which will become part of Strathnaver Museum’s archive. This project is an extension […]
Launch of a new clan Mackay history
July 27, 2018
THE REAL MACKAYS by Charlotte Fairbairn Friday 3rd August 7pm – Strathnaver Museum, Bettyhill It has been a long time since the Mackays of Mackay country were called to arms. Their skill and powers of endurance on the battlefield saw them raised to the peerage but all that was in the 17th century – beyond […]
Tales of the North Coast Book Launch
May 25, 2018
By Jim A Johnston When Alan Temperley arrived in Bettyhill in 1965 to take up his first teaching post after an earlier career in the Merchant Navy he had just reached the tender age of 28. Last week he was back in the English classroom in Farr High School with only a few weeks to […]
Gathering to discuss Rob Donn Mackay, the Mackay Country barb
May 18, 2018
By Jim A Johnston The dining room of Tongue’s Ben Loyal Hotel became an impromptu recording studio last Wednesday with a diverse gathering of individuals interested in the life and times of the famous Gaelic poet, Rob Donn. The aim was to create a series of blogs on various aspects of the 18th Century bard’s […]
Celebrating the life and times of the bawdy bard of Mackay Country
April 26, 2018
An exciting programme of heritage events are taking shape across Mackay Country in north west Sutherland which celebrate 18th century Gaelic bard Rob Donn Mackay. Led by the Mackay Country Community Trust and Strathnaver Museum the local community are producing a range of material exploring the life and work of Rob Donn. During May a […]
Vikings, Picts and Brochs in Strathnaver
March 30, 2018
By Jim A Johnston Strathnaver Museum in Bettyhill is widely known as the museum of the Sutherland Clearances and that huge event two centuries ago, with ramifications to the present day, certainly features significantly in the Museum’s origins and exhibits. However, the valley of Strathnaver and the wider province to which the valley once gave […]