11th - 18th September 2023
On the Easter Ross Peninsula
Inspiring A Community With Creativitiy
Collegiate Church
Tain is unusual in Scotland for the rare distinction of having upstanding remains of three medieval kirks or chapels.
Each one of these owes its existence to the respect, amounting to veneration, in which men and women of previous times held St Duthac the patron saint of Tain.
The Collegiate Church is a well-preserved medieval church built at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries as the parish church of Tain. The church was restored after being abandoned and allowed to fall into decay around the year 1815. In 1877 the restoration began and is managed and maintained by a volunteer committee.
In 2022 we welcomed Dr Iain A MacInnes to the Collegiate Church
Dr MacInnes gave a fascinating talk in the atmospheric setting of the Collegiate Church on the Ross, Sutherland and the Scottish Wars of Independence (1296-1357)
The Highlands are often omitted from much of the history of the Scottish Wars of Independence, in large part because it is often seen as a border conflict. But this is an oversimplification. The north was, at various times, a battleground for forces of both sides. Northern forces provided notable contributions to campaigns ought elsewhere in Scotland, and further afield. And popular views of the war also tend to focus particularly on its first phase under Wallace and Bruce (1296-1328), but little understanding exists of that which followed (1332-1357), and the importance of the north to this conflict. This talk will, then, look to address some of these issues. By focusing in particular on Ross and Sutherland, it will consider two important medieval earldoms, their lords, and their people, and analyse their involvement in the conflict, as well as the impact of the war on this region and its people.
The City Jazz Quartet
As part of our festival in 2022 we welcomed The City Jazz Quartet to a full house in the Collegiate Church, representing the Arts. The City Jazz Quartet are an Inverness-based quartet comprising trombone, clarinet/sax, guitar and bass,
They play standards and mainstream jazz. Brian Keddie (trombone) has played extensively throughout the UK in various line-ups, along with Brian Kellock, Kenny Ellis, the late Bill Kyle, guitarist Dave Cliff, various American musicians on tour and singer Tam White for whom he also did arrangements. Colin Smith (double bass) is in regular demand for gigs and sessions. He is widely regarded as one of Scotland’s finest bass players and has played with many visiting American jazz stars. Mike MacKenzie (clarinet and saxes) Has played extensively in the North over a number of years on the Trad music scene. He is highly regarded as a multi instrumentalist and is regularly called for jazz gigs. Roger Niven (guitar) plays a wide variety of styles. His jazz EP, ‘Circus FM”, featuring some of the UK’s foremost session players, received critical acclaim. In 2016 he made a blues album in New Orleans.